Adidas has introduced its lightest and fastest ever Adizero shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro 3

Weighing in at just 97g, the shoe is the culmination of three years of research and is 30% lighter than its predecessor, said to improve running economy by 1.6%.

Set for a debut in Sunday’s London marathon on the feet of Sabastian Sawe, the shoe is a reimagining of the interplay between high-tech foam midsoles and carbon fibre plates.

“Our goal was two digits on the scale, with better performance than we’ve ever had” said Stephan Scholten, VP Product at adidas.

At the pinnacle of the Adizero franchise, the Evo 3 introduces a series of breakthrough innovations designed to unlock maximum speed and efficiency:

• Next-generation Lightstrike Pro Evo foam – adidas’ lightest and most responsive foam to date, at nearly 50% less weight than previous iterations. With a 39mm stack, it maximises cushioning, propulsion and energy return across every stride.
• A reimagining of carbon technology with ENERGYRIM – a revolution in carbon-integrated design that redefines how stiffness and propulsion are delivered in a supershoe.
• Ultra-lightweight upper and precision detailing – stripped back and engineered with inspiration from technologies in kitesurfing sails, the upper delivers a weightless feel with precise support.
• A more efficient outsole design – featuring strategically placed Continental™ rubber in the forefoot to provide reliable traction at high speeds, without compromising weight. 

Patrick Nava, GM Running at adidas, says: “Creating the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 pushed us to think differently from the very start. We weren’t just trying to improve on what we’d done before, we wanted to see how far we could go. We went through more than a dozen iterations, working closely with our athletes and testing everywhere from our labs in Herzogenaurach to high-altitude camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. At that level, every detail really matters; we were measuring things down to the nearest nanogram. It was a long process, but it’s led to something we believe genuinely changes what a race-day shoe can feel like.”

The shoe will launch with a highly limited release, with ambitious runners able to sign up for the chance to get their hands on a pair from April 23. This will be followed by a wider release for the autumn marathon season.

The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 will cost £500/$500