As the new marathon season approaches in September, luxury footwear brand Adidas AG has unveiled its latest entry into the super-shoe competition, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, which is priced at $500 (N384,000).
According to a Bloomberg report, this racing shoe represents Adidas’s lightest-ever offering, weighing in at 138 grams (4.9 ounces).
This weight is 40% lighter than Adidas’s acclaimed Adizero Adios Pro 3. However, it also comes with a price tag twice as high as the previous model.
What is particularly noteworthy is that the Adios Pro Evo 1 is nearly twice as expensive as Nike Inc.’s Alphafly 2, a $275 road-racing shoe.
The latest addition to Adidas’s shoe lineup is set to make its debut in Berlin on September 24th, coinciding with the start of the marathon season.
This event, sponsored by Adidas, is widely recognized as one of the world’s fastest races.
The Adios Pro Evo 1 is primarily designed for professionals and “ambitious runners” who are willing to invest in a shoe not intended for everyday use.
The shoe features Adidas’s signature carbon “energy rods” in the sole, a technology introduced last decade at the onset of the super-shoe era in the running world.
Nike initiated this race by combining carbon plates with a new type of extremely lightweight and bouncy foam, offering runners a superior energy return with each step.
For their latest model, Adidas has developed a new iteration of its Lightstrike Pro foam, eliminated a sock liner to reduce weight, and introduced a new type of outsole.
What you should know
Adidas’s latest addition to the world of running shoes comes hot on the heels of the unveiling of the ADIZERO Prime X 2 Strung.
However, World Athletics swiftly banned these shoes due to their substantial 50mm stack height, a clear violation of the 40mm maximum regulations. This rule-breaking footwear was priced at $300.