GoKawiilOn Sunday, Sabastian Sawe became the first runner to clock a sub-2-hour marathon in an official race. He did it wearing the latest version of Adidas’ top performance running shoe—the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 ($500). (They’re currently sold out, because of course they are.) This impossibly light, under-100-grams (3.5 ounces) carbon race shoe promises boosted running economy. In other words, it can cut the energy cost of pounding out the miles. For Sawe, the Pro Evo 3 clearly delivered, but is it a sensible option for the rest of chasing marathon PRs?
I was lucky enough to be one of the first to lace it up, taking them for a 5 kilometer treadmill test ahead of the launch at the London Marathon. Here are my first impressions on whether you should start saving up.
Highs and Lows
Photograph: Kieran Alger
When it comes to weight-saving running shoes, the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3 sets a new low benchmark. At under 100 grams, it’s unfathomably light on the scales. It's easily the most featherweight shoe I’ve ever held, almost 150 grams lighter than the Nike Alphafly 3 ($305).
Every 100 grams cut from a shoe reduces the aerobic demand of running by 1 percent. That’s potentially important for record hunters (more on that in a mo).
But those gains come with a heavy price tag. At $500, the Pro Evo 3 is about as high-ticket as running shoes get. Adidas points out that this shoe is built to help elite runners break records—they company isn’t targeting most runners in the marathon mass starts. This is for Sawe, or Tigst Assefa, who also set a new women’s world record at the London Marathon by running 2:15.41.