The Terrex Free Hikers are a strong attempt by Adidas to tap into the growing thru-hiking market with a hybrid boot/trail runner.  It feels like traditional hiking boots are losing out to trail running shoes among the hiking community, especially for long-distance/thru-hiking.  I am an enthusiastic adopter of this trend and decided to give these a shot despite some features that I typically eschew.  And yes, getting them for free was a huge part of this decision.  I like Altra Lone Peaks a lot, and would not have deviated from them for anything other than free gear.