adidas' $500 Super Shoes Are Breaking Records
Weighing in at just 138g, adidas’ new ADIZERO Adios Pro Evo 1 is its lightest ever running sneaker.
The runner — which landed less than one week after the release of its race-illegal super shoe, the PRIME X 2 STRUNG — is 40 percent lighter than any other adidas sneaker ever created and comes with even more tech.
Epitomizing the evolution of the ADIZERO franchise, the Adios Pro Evo 1 features a revamped geometry with a first-of-its-kind forefoot rocker that’s placed at 60 percent of the length of the shoe.
This innovation is lab-tested to not only trigger forward momentum, but improve running economy. Which, in layman’s terms, basically means that you run faster, with less effort.
Still, why take our word for it when the proof is in the pudding? Since the sneaker's release, Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa smashed the women's marathon world record in Berlin on September 24 with a time of 2:11:53. That's more than two minutes off of the previous record.
Then, less than two months later on November 5, Tamirat Tola set a new course record at New York City marathon with a time of 2:04:58.
Speaking before the race, Charlotte Heidmann, adidas' Senior Global Product Manager, said: "We took learnings from the Adios Pro 3 and thought about how we can innovate the technology on those materials even further and make them lighter,"
"The lightness of the shoe makes it stand out. We’re super proud of the weight we’ve achieved, all the while keeping the innovation without compromising performance. "
Alongside the new forefoot rocker, the Adios Pro Evo 1 also boasts the newest version of adidas’ LIGHTSTRIKE PRO foam. This not only reduces the shoe’s weight significantly, but offers greater energy return.
As if that wasn’t enough, the sneaker’s outsole also houses new tech designed for optimum traction at a significantly lower weight, while a new mesh upper completes the lightweight approach of the whole shoe.
However, there’s a catch: The ADIZERO Adios Pro Evo 1, which landed in limited quantities on September 14, didn't come cheap.
In fact, it’s the most expensive super shoe released to-date at $500. But why?
"It’s a shoe that isn't easy to make. It’s not a shoe we can cook like any other. It’s very specific," said Moritz Hoellmueller, adidas' Vice President Design Global Running.
"It gives people the choice: do I want to run in something like never before in the Pro Evo v1, or run in a world record breaking shoe like the Adios Pro 3?"
"Think of it like this," he added. "You’re buying into a game-changing shoe. Something that’s even more amazing than an already amazing shoe."
This article was first published on September 14 and updated on September 26
