When we first heard about the new wonder shoes from adidas – the lower-case company with upper-case ambitions – we had to check the date. No, it wasn’t an April fool – there really was a pair of super-duper shoes that retailed at £400 that are only recommended to be worn for a single marathon race!

So, we have now entered the single-use shoe era at a price way beyond the reach of most runners, and yet the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 shoes worn by new women’s marathon world record holder Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) – who blasted round the BMW Berlin Marathon in 2:11:53 – have possibly generated more headlines than any item of running gear to date.

Adizero Adios Pro Evo is the lightest, fastest, most stripped-down marathon shoe ever produced and a limited number (521) went on sale on 14th September 2023 – 10 days before the BMW Berlin Marathon. All were immediately snapped up and there are reports of some changing hands subsequently for up to £2,000!

The new shoes have the equivalent of motor racing’s slick tyres for added speed and lightness. “It's the thinnest and lightest outsole we've ever created,” said Charlotte Heidmann, senior global product manager at adidas. “It's still rubber, but it's completely flat – there are no grooves anymore. But the grip is still the same – we've tested it in the rain with our athletes and wear testers.”

Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 shoes weigh just 138g, around 85g lighter than the Adios Pro 3 they evolved from. There is a competition legal stack height of 39mm of the newly-developed Lightstrike Foam Pro material in the heel and 33mm in the forefoot, providing a 6mm drop.

Apart from the thin, smooth soles, the sock liner has been completely removed to save weight. According to Moritz Hoellmueller, vice president of design running at Adidas, this doesn't make a big difference to the feel of the shoe: “There's still structural support as well as foam in the key areas like the heel collar and the slingshot around the heel to lock you in”.
 
The shoes have just made a stunning world record debut at the Berlin Marathon. Are they a game changer – certainly. Do they spell the end of the affordable super shoe – probably. It’s OK for the sponsored elite to race marathons in disposable shoes but what about the millions of runners around the world whose financial outlay pays for such extravagance?

Berlin Marathon reports and link to results at runABC race listing here.

Photo of Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 shoe courtesy adidas