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Adidas’ Adizero family is simultaneously growing and shedding some serious weight.
Coming in at just 138 grams per shoe, Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 has been unveiled as the lightest performance running sneaker Adidas has ever made. The racing shoe boasts new tech throughout, from a recycled nylon mesh upper so fine you can literally see through it to an outsole that’s remarkably bare.
As a result of the overhaul, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 is 40 percent lighter than any other running sneaker Adidas has produced. Two of Adidas’ leading running shoes currently on the market, The Adizero Boston 12 and Adizero Adios Pro 3, come in at 9.5 ounces (269 grams) and 7 ounces (218 grams) for a men’s size 9, respectively. The Nike Vaporfly 3, a comparable top-of-the-line runner, weighs 6.4 ounces (185 grams).
“We set ourselves the goal to create a racing shoe that is packed with the technology ambitious runners have come to love in the Adizero franchise but at a weight we’ve never seen before at Adidas,” Patrick Nava — VP of Product, Running, and Credibility Sports — said in a press release. “To do this, we explored every element of a racing shoe, balancing what we could remove or change to reduce the weight. We are excited to see some of our best athletes lacing up in these shoes in Berlin and other Major Marathons this fall season.”
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A first-of-its-kind rocker comes to Pro Evo 1’s sole unit and is placed at 60 percent of the shoe’s length to trigger forward momentum and improve running economy. Beneath it, the cutting edge outsole is ultra-thin and consists of just one large, black panel at the forefoot and two small, white panels split at the heel. The surface of the brand-new, proprietary rubber — which replaces the Continental rubber used on the Adios Pro 3 — looks so smooth you’d expect it to be slippery, but Adidas promises “optimum at a significantly lower weight.”
Adidas chose to do without a sockliner entirely for the Pro Evo 1, another significant factor in its featherweight status. There is fabric underfoot, however, so the wearer isn’t sitting directly atop the midsole. Lightstrike Pro foam also arrives in its newest iteration through a non-compression molding process to enable further weight shedding.
Unlike the recently revealed Adizero Adios Prime X 2, which was intentionally made to flout rules, the Pro Evo 1 will indeed be race legal. Its heel stack height of 39mm adheres to regulations with 1mm to spare and offers a drop of 6mm going forward.
“Knowing I have the lightest racing shoe Adidas has ever created on my feet, packed with all the technology I need, gives me the confidence on race day to just focus on the running,” Benson Kipruto, winner of the 2021 Boston Marathon and 2022 Chicago Marathon, said in a release. “I know that they will help me achieve the fastest times of my career, and I can’t wait to put them to the test in Chicago.
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 is out today through the brand’s website with limited availability. Pricing is set at $500, a price so high it has to count as its own sort of milestone in the running segment. Look for a second release for the high-end running shoe to follow in November.
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
