There’s an arms race among run-focused brands to deliver the fastest sneaker on the market. And Adidas is the latest company to enter the race for running superiority.
The brand revealed today the Adizero Pro, a distance running shoe that the Three Stripes said is “engineered to meet the exacting needs of world-class marathoners” and is touting as its “most advanced and fastest ever.”
Adidas loaded the shoe with plenty of tech including a multidirectional Carbitex carbon plate, which is designed to provide flexibility as the runner’s foot touches down, a toe-off that allows for maximum propulsion and an “economically guided stride.” It also features both energy-returning Boost and lightweight LightStrike cushioning materials; the brand’s thinnest mesh material to date, Celermesh, on the upper; and lightweight Quickstrike DSP and durable Continental rubber materials on the compounds.
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To create the shoe, Adidas pulled out all stops, pairing its engineers and designers with Japanese master shoe creator and long-time Adidas collaborator Toshiaki Omori, popularly known as “Mr. Omori.” The brand also had several athletes test the shoe, including Joyciline Jepkosgei, Amos Kipruto and Albert Korir, and brought it to Iten, Kenya, to be worn during the training camp of marathon world record holder Mary Keitany.
The Adidas Adizero Pro will arrive via Adidas.com and in select retail accounts on April 1. A broader release is scheduled for May 15. The sneakers will retail for $200.
Although Adidas is entering the conversation now, it’s one that several of its competitors have already been engaged in. The Hoka One One Carbon X with carbon-fiber plate tech is out now and retails for $180; Saucony will deliver its Endorphin Pro on June 1, which will retail for $200; and Nike will release on Feb. 29 to select consumers the Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, the shoe worn by Eliud Kipchoge, when he ran the marathon distance last year in less than two hours.
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