Two world records were broken in Adidas super shoes last weekend, with Sabastian Sawe becoming the first person to run an official marathon in under two hours and Tigst Assefa setting a women-only record. The shoes, described as 'humanity's fastest shoe', are now available in a limited public release.
Our writer, a lapsed runner, tested the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 to see if it could reignite his running. After a poor performance at parkrun, where he finished 305th out of 345, he was sceptical but hopeful. The shoe is 30% lighter than the previous version and weighs just 99g, lighter than a banana.
Adidas says the shoe is the result of three years of research with world-class athletes. The 'weightless' upper is inspired by kitesurfing sails, and the 'super foam' base is 50% lighter than before. However, at £450, critics have questioned the longevity, with some super trainers losing bounce after a single marathon.
On test, the shoes were comfortable and bouncy, with a forefoot rocker that propelled the runner forward. Despite the buoyancy, the writer's muscles ached and lungs struggled after months of inactivity. He completed 5km in 34 minutes, one minute faster than his recent times, but acknowledged that even the fastest shoe cannot replace fitness.
