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Sabastian Sawe’s world record-breaking time at the 2026 London Marathon is one of the most outrageous athletic achievements I’ve ever seen. Running 42.195 kilometres in 1:59:30 means each kilometre took him, on average, 2 minutes and 50 seconds. That is 17 seconds per 100 metres. Go outside, warm up, then try to do that just once. Chances are you will be breathing hard. Just 421 more, back to back, and you have matched Sawe. The Kenyan-born runner’s relentless training, superior fitness and iron mindset can be credited with 99.9 per cent plus of his incredible performance. But in the world of elite sport where every millisecond counts, attention has understandably turned to what he had on his feet: the as-yet-unreleased Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3 (£450, Adidas.co.uk). This is the first sub-100g super shoe. It was also worn by Tigst Assefa, who smashed her own women’s-only marathon world record on Sunday.
On the eve of this year’s London Marathon, I headed to a mysterious warehouse near Marylebone for a sneak preview of the shoe. Adidas technicians talked me through its inner workings, then gave me the chance to test it out on a treadmill ahead of its launch. Here are my first thoughts.
What you should know about the Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3
The Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3 weighs 97g in a UK size 8.5. It is hard to describe just how light that is. As I chucked the shoe from hand to hand, it was tantamount to tossing a tennis ball around. “We had to be careful not to recycle them – people just assumed the boxes were empty because they weighed so little,” one of the team told me.
Rather than a full carbon plate, it has a carbon fibre-infused “energy rim” in the midsole to provide stiffness and speed without any unnecessary bulk. The half a millimetre thick rubber outsole only covers a fraction of the shoe’s underside, where athletes will actually be stepping. The midsole is far less dense than predecessors, while still offering ample energy return under the forefoot – where it is needed for speedy runners. Finally, the rip-proof upper is reinforced with a lattice of fabric embedded within. I watched a woman try her damnedest to tear it for several minutes. It stood up to the challenge.
My first thoughts on the Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3
This is a shoe built for PBs. It is not one you would slip on for a few casual kilometres along country roads. This quickly became apparent when I wore it for the first time. I had to be careful not to let the wafer-thin tongue bunch up as I pressed my foot into the shoe, and once it was on I could clearly see my socks through the translucent fabric of the upper. When I stood up, the forefoot offered plenty of bounce while the rear of the shoe depressed under the weight of my heel. The support is exclusively focused at the front of the shoe where high-level runners need it most – the shoe is built for forefoot strikers with a fast time on their mind.
I did the obligatory few jumps, side to side shuffles and stamps – as if trying on school shoes with my mum in Shoezone – and was impressed by the early signs of springiness from the shoe. Then I made my way over to a self-powered curved treadmill and jumped on board.
I started slowly, and the first few steps felt awkward. It was reminiscent of driving a formula one car through a city centre, with my footwear rebelling against my self-imposed speed limit. Then I opened my legs up and hit the autobahn – and the adizero adios pro evo 3 rejoiced in this return to its natural environment. Despite my trial following a long office day, my feet delivered a decent amount of energy and my turnover felt snappy. So snappy, in fact, that I thought I was going to be chucked off the back of the treadmill at first, such was the step up in speed.
The shoe was more comfortable than other super shoes I have tried, including its predecessor and the Saucony endorphin elite 2. It was hard to tell in these testing conditions, but during my Shoezone warm-up the grip and stability felt ever so slightly more reliable than the adizero adios pro evo 2 – a problem several people I have spoken to have encountered.
Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3: the verdict
The shoe does not make the runner. The best runners could run a very good time in a sub-par shoe. But at the top level of the sport, where athletes are fighting for every millisecond, they can make a marginal difference. No shoe is universal either. Different sizes and support systems will suit different people depending on myriad factors: size, running style, foot shape and so on. However, success leaves clues, and Adidas’s athletes left an unsubtle breadcrumb trail through London on Sunday.
I am not an elite runner, and I also spent just 10 minutes in the Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3. But it made a favourable impression. The record-breaking weight is an objective measure of its innovation, while the lively ride I experienced offers a subjective thumbs up. It fits slightly small, so I would go at least half a size up, and there was slight creasing of the upper when I pulled the laces tight. But in the time I had with the shoe, these factors did not impact performance or comfort, and those are my only two notes. So, in summary: the Adidas adizero adios pro evo 3 is very light, feels very fast, and is now the proud owner of two marathon world records. That is a pretty impressive CV for an unreleased shoe.
