Adidas Adizero Boston 13 vs Asics Novablast 5:
Which to Choose

September 5, 2026 | updated at September 9, 2026

Verdict

It depends on where you spend most of your running time. If your harder sessions sit around marathon pace or faster and you want a shoe that actively participates in those efforts, the Boston 13 is the pick — the EnergyRods and dual-density foam are built for that zone. If you're logging most of your miles at a conversational to moderate effort and want a cushioned, bouncy platform that stays comfortable across the full range of a training week, the Novablast 5 is the better all-day companion. Both shoes cover the same distances on paper; the Boston 13 trains toward the race, and the Novablast 5 trains for the journey there.

Adidas Adizero Boston 13

160.00 USD

Asics Novablast 5

129.95 USD

Pace

5 of 6

Cushioning

5 of 6

Responsiveness

5 of 6

Stability

4 of 6

Drop

6 mm

Support

Neutral

Plate

Composite

Distances

10KHalfMarathon

Pace

4 of 6

Cushioning

5 of 6

Responsiveness

5 of 6

Stability

4 of 6

Drop

8 mm

Support

Neutral

Plate

None

Distances

10KHalfMarathon

At a Glance

Adidas Adizero Boston 13Asics Novablast 5

Who Should Choose Each Shoe

Choose

Adidas Adizero Boston 13

Choose the Boston 13 if your training week includes tempo runs, marathon-pace long efforts, or tune-up races and you want a single shoe that handles all of it without being a fragile race-day-only tool. It suits intermediate to experienced runners who run comfortably in the 4:00–4:45 min/km range on hard days and are comfortable with a shoe that feels purposeful rather than plush. If your priority is a fast trainer that doubles as a legitimate race shoe for the half or marathon, this is the better fit.

Choose

Asics Novablast 5

Choose the Novablast 5 if your goal is a cushioned, energetic shoe that covers most of your weekly mileage — easy days, long runs, and the occasional faster effort — without demanding a specific pace to feel good. It's the stronger pick for recreational runners building toward a half or full marathon who run primarily in the 5:00–5:45 min/km range and want a shoe that is forgiving and fun rather than structured and demanding. The tall stack also makes it a solid option for higher-mileage weeks where cumulative fatigue protection matters.

Head-to-Head

The sharpest difference is in stack and construction. The Novablast 5 runs a 41.5mm heel stack — among the tallest in its class — against the Boston 13's 36mm heel stack, a 5.5mm difference that translates directly into ride character: the Novablast is noticeably taller and floatier underfoot, while the Boston 13 feels lower-profile and more planted. Both shoes weigh in at 255g in men's size 9, so weight is a wash. Drop differs meaningfully: the Boston 13 sits at 6mm, the Novablast 5 at 8mm, giving the Boston a slightly more forward-rolling geometry that suits faster stride mechanics.

Where they really diverge is in how their cushioning works. The Novablast 5 achieves its high cushioning and responsiveness ratings through sheer foam volume — FF Blast Max is a lively superfoam that produces that signature trampoline rebound without any plate. The Boston 13 uses a dual-density stack (softer Lightstrike Pro over firmer Lightstrike 2.0) threaded with glass-fiber EnergyRods, a combination that is more structured and directional: it guides the foot forward and rewards a quicker cadence rather than just springing back in all directions.

That construction gap defines the pace ceiling. The Boston 13's optimal window is 3:50–4:30 min/km, and it's still effective down to roughly 3:40 min/km for shorter hard efforts. The Novablast 5 is at its best from 4:45–5:45 min/km, with a practical faster limit around 4:15–4:30 min/km where the rebound peaks before the geometry starts to feel less precise. At easy, conversational paces the Boston 13 can feel a touch stiff and busy; the Novablast 5 can feel a touch tall and floaty — both shoes come alive in the mid-range they were designed for, just at different points on the effort spectrum.

Stability is rated the same (4/6) for both, and both are genuinely neutral with no medial post — the Boston 13 via its firm lower layer and moderately wide base, the Novablast 5 via its flared outsole geometry keeping the tall stack predictable. Neither is a stability shoe, but neither is a twitchy narrow racer either.