How a $500 Adidas shoe helped set a marathon record
What's the story
Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe made history by becoming the first person to officially break the two-hour marathon barrier. He achieved this incredible feat on a chilly April morning in London, completing the race in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. But what many may not know is that Sawe was wearing a pair of super-lightweight shoes called Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 when he crossed the finish line. What makes them special? Let's find out.
Shoe specs
The lightest performance running shoe ever made
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, which was unveiled just a day before the London Marathon, is the lightest performance running shoe ever made. Weighing just 97g for a UK size of 8.5, they are lighter than most smartphones. The shoes also have a stack height of 39mm and cost $500 (approximately ₹47,300).
Design process
Adidas took years to develop the Evo 3
Adidas took years to develop the Evo 3, going through over a dozen iterations and testing it in labs in Herzogenaurach, Germany. The breakthrough came with a reformulated foam called Lightstrike Pro Evo, which is 50% lighter than previous generations. This allowed the shoe to cross the 100g mark that had become an engineering holy grail for sports footwear.
Performance boost
The shoe offers an edge for marathon runners
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 offers an 11% improvement in forefoot energy return and up to a 1.6% boost in overall running economy over its predecessor, the Adios Pro Evo 2. This makes it not just lightweight but also highly efficient for marathon runners. The shoe sits just one millimeter below the World Athletics legal limit for road racing footwear.
Race results
Sawe, Kejelcha, and Assefa benefit from the Evo 3
Sawe wasn't the only one who benefited from these revolutionary shoes. Second-place finisher Yomif Kejelcha also wore them and finished his first-ever marathon in under two hours, just 11 seconds behind Sawe. In the women's race, Tigst Assefa broke her own world record with a time of 2:15:41 while wearing the same pair of shoes. This shows how much of an impact these super-lightweight shoes can have on marathon performance.
Industry impact
A look at the super-shoe era
The super-shoe era started in 2017 with Nike's Vaporfly, which combined carbon plates with high-energy foam. This sparked an industry-wide arms race which continues today. All major brands now have a competitive entry, including Swiss brand On's Cloudboom Strike. A limited run of the Evo 3 went on sale on April 25 via Adidas website and select specialty retailers. Stock was gone within hours, confirming its high demand among runners worldwide.