At the 2026 TCS London Marathon, records tumbled. Three men surpassed the former marathon world record time of 2:00:35. Two, Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, broke the seemingly impenetrable 2:00:00 barrier. And Tigist Assefa extended her own women’s-only world record by 26 seconds.
What did all three athletes have in common? In news, by now, to absolutely no one, they were all wearing Adidas’ first-ever sub-100g supershoe, the new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3.
Full credit must go to the athletes, but in a sport where the finest margins count, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 has also received its share of the kudos.
The Backstory
Watching Sawe and Kejelcha cross the line in under 2:00:00, head-to-toe in Adidas, there was a sense that Sunday’s results were no coincidence.
After Sawe set a time of 2:02:16 at the unfavourably warm Berlin Marathon last September, Adidas realised that, with the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 in tow, the record was close.
‘It was a matter of when and where’, says Patrick Nava, general manager of Adidas Running. ‘Of course, you can never predict exactly when it’s going to fall, but we had a good feeling that it was going to be in 2026.’
Finally getting there on Sunday with the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 was three years in the making.
Sub-100g
In running, there’s a theory that for every extra 100g, it costs approximately 1% in race-day performance.
In a size 9, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 weighs an impossible 97 grams – about the same as a large kiwi. And while breaking the 100g mark is great for marketing, shaving off grams was not Adidas’ sole objective.
‘The goal was not the weight,’ says Nava. ‘The goal was to make the fastest shoe.’
With the Evo 3, Adidas says it has managed to increase running economy by 1.6% versus the Evo 2. Removing 41g was just part of the puzzle.
‘Weight is a fundamental means to get to that end,’ says Nava. ‘But there are many other factors. The philosophy behind the shoe was always that, if it increases performance, it stays. If it doesn’t, it gets taken off.’
Lightstrike Pro Evo
Much of Adidas’ focus was centred around the Lightstrike Pro Evo foam midsole.
‘The foam is incredibly important,’ says Mark Makowski, senior vice president of creative direction and innovation at Adidas. ‘We reduced weight by 50%. But at the same time, we increased energy return by 11%.’
Though Adidas is not able to share much detail behind the construction of the foam, the goal was to achieve a ‘high amount of deformation and energy return’.
That involved working with its supply chain in Asia to explore new materials to use in the foaming process.
EnergyRim
Set between the two layers of Lightstrike Pro Evo foam is a new carbon-infused EnergyRim stiffening element that extends down the edges of the foot in a horseshoe shape.
This marks a change from the Evo 2, which featured the EnergyRods 2.0. With five carbon-infused fingers, it was designed to mimic the metatarsal bones and spread across the entire forefoot.
Adidas’ theory is that by moving the carbon layer to the edges, the runner has more contact with the foam, which maximises compression underfoot.
‘It has the highest level of stiffness possible,’ says Makowski, ‘but by taking away three elements from the EnergyRods, we allow the runner to benefit from running directly on the foam.’
This not only enables greater energy return, but also contributes to the shoe’s stability.
‘This one was one of the main improvements from the Evo 2 to the Evo 3 that athletes appreciate,’ says Nava. ‘With the two rims being wider and pushed to the outside of the sole, it helps in terms of stability.’
Ultra-Light Upper
For the upper, Adidas shaved a third of the weight off.
‘We took inspiration from what’s happening in areas like kitesurfing,’ says Makowski, ‘where you’ve got ultra-lightweight, ultra-thin foils that need to be extremely rigid and durable’.
The polyester yarn Adidas used in the upper has 50% extra strength compared with the old material, according to Makowski, which gives it a minimalist feel while also providing stability and support.
Continental Outsole
The lightweight theme continues with the outsole, which consists of two pieces, weighing 8 grams combined.
The Evo 3 is designed for mid to forefoot strikes, so, at the heel, there’s no rubber coverage like you get with regular running shoes. Instead there’s a small patch of cast polyurethane, which helps to protect from the occasional heel strike. ‘It’s not the main gripping point of the shoe,’ says Nava.
That comes at the forefoot, where there’s a 0.5mm-thick piece of Continental rubber, with additional 0.1mm lugs, explains Nava. The grip is ‘only where you truly need it and not where you don’t need it’, he says.
The Bigger Picture
Adidas says on its website that the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is ‘engineered for those who chase records’.
This shoe is not for the average runner. ‘It’s a proof of concept,’ says Nava. ‘It’s your Formula One car.’
But that’s not to say that the mass market won’t benefit from its record-breaking components.
‘The goal is to see if this technology works and then apply it to more,’ says Nava. ‘To tackle elements that you have in the high-end shoe and then put it in the right place across the range further down the line. We’ll see a more mass application in the fall.’
Where to Buy
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 goes on sale in the UK on Thursday, April 30 at 9:00am, exclusively through the Adidas app. It’s currently listed for £450.
Luke Chamberlain is the ecommerce editor for Men’s Health UK where he compiles expert-led buying guides and in-depth product reviews across gym wear, fitness tech, supplements, and grooming. Responsible for testing everything from the latest gym headphones to the best manscaping tools, Luke also enlists the help of leading health and wellness experts to help readers make informed choices when shopping online – whether it’s to debunk the latest viral hair growth trend or to get the lowdown on a new type of recovery tech. He also covers major sales events for Men’s Health, such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, scouting and verifying hundreds of discounts in order to recommend only the most genuine deals on offer. A magazine journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield in 2018, Luke has also worked as assistant editor for Outdoor Swimmer magazine and as an ecommerce writer for The Recommended. When he’s not testing the latest health and fitness products, he’s busy plotting routes for his next trail run or gravel ride out of London. Follow Luke on Instagram at @lukeochamb
