Adidas Adios Pro EVO 3 Preview: Lightest Marathon Shoe Yet
Adidas is making the new Adizero Adios Pro EVO 3 available to the public April 27th. It’s already been getting attention for the elites wearing it in Tokyo and now we’ll be seeing it again in London. Truthfully…they have to make it available to the public for the elites to race in it, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to find.
What was already one of the lightest and most aggressive supershoes on the market is about to get even better.
Adidas, headquartered in Germany, has made some very big waves in recent years. When most other brands were rushing to get PEBA into their race shoes, Adidas was in the lab re-working their TPEE-based Lightstrike Pro and finding ways to make everything used in the making of their supershoe lighter and faster.
Standing on the shoulders of the Adios Pro 3, Adidas unveiled the record-breaking Adios Pro EVO in the fall of 2023. Weighing less than 5 ounces and sporting an ultra lightweight upper, cutting edge “liquid rubber” outsole and uncompressed CNC-carved Lightstrike Pro midsole, it was the lightest (at the time)and most expensive supershoe ever with its $500 price tag.
It was a worthy investment and it got results.
A week after its unveiling, Tigist Assefa shattered the Women’s world marathon record by more than two minutes with her 2:11:53 finish at the Berlin Marathon.
Adidas is marking this drop as a new era in supershoe innovation, and it arrives on the main stage at this weekend’s London Marathon.
- Wide Feet: Not ideal. The shoe runs a bit narrow in the toe box.
- Heavier Runners: Unlikely as it’s built for the elites.
- Long Runs: Great for short and long fast race-pace efforts; not for easy or training long runs.
- Front of the Pack: Yes. This shoe was made for elite and front-pack marathoners.
Designed to be simple yet striking, the stark white upper is accented by Adidas’ signature 3 stripes. A heel bevel rounds out the shoe in the back, leading to a sharp forefoot rocker for quicker turnover and propulsion with each step.
The Adios Pro EVO 3 is more than just a pretty facade. Lightweight and loaded with the latest cutting edge tech, keep on reading to find out exactly what’s in store.
Adios Pro EVO 3 Specifications
In our previous review of the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro EVO 2 we gushed over this being one of the fastest carbon plated race day shoes yet…and now it’s over an ounce lighter!
- Heel drop: 3 mm
- Stack: 39 mm
- Weight: 97 grams/3.4 ounces
- Available in 1 color
- $500
- Available at adidas.com and at specialty retailers
The EVO 2 was extremely hard to find and we expect that to be the case with the EVO 3 as well. So if you’re after this shoe and see it in your size, don’t delay.
Adios Pro EVO 3 Overview
If it wasn’t clear from the price tag and the amount of tech in this shoe, this is not made for the everyday runner. That’s not to say the everyday 4-hour marathoner isn’t allowed to buy the Adios Pro EVO 3, but the juice wouldn’t really be worth the squeeze, in my humble opinion.
Coming in 30% lighter than its predecessors and with 11% greater energy return, this shoe is designed to go FAST.
Never one to shy away from standing out from the crowd of full-length carbon fiber plates, a carbon fiber ENERGYRIM between two layers of foam wraps around the edge of the foot, providing stability and propulsion at toe-off. The surface of the ENERGYRIM is a mirror too. Maybe I’m just being lured in by the shiny object, but that looks pretty cool.
Underneath the midsole is a thin slab of Adidas’ trusted Continental outsole rubber under the forefoot.
A wedge of rubber sits under the heel, biased laterally for optimal traction for heel strikers. The first two versions went away from the Continental rubber outsole in favor of the aforementioned liquid rubber compound. While it is a very thin strip of rubber, traction should be improved in version 3.
Holding it all together up top is the lightweight upper. Inspired by kitesurfing sails, everything from the stitching to the laces are engineered to be lightweight.
Breathability has shown to be an issue with the first two EVO Pro models. On the surface this model looks very similar to the first two, but in theory this new fabric should help.
If you loved the Adios Pro EVO and EVO 2, chances are you’ll love the Adios Pro EVO 3 as well. The price tag is high and you can’t expect hundreds, or maybe even one hundred miles out of this shoe, for the right runner you could be ending up with a new marathon PR in your next outing.
Adidas says this shoe isn’t just for the winners, but for anyone in that 2:30 to 3 hour marathon range. We would agree from our testers, but again…pricey shoe. But for a big goal, often worth the investment.
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I’ve tested a few carbon plated shoes that feel similar, but different based on the brand fit:
- Asics Metaspeed Ray– Great bounce, 5mm drop and weight of previous EVO 2
- On Cloudboomstrike Lightspray– The robot made shoe you’ve seen all over social media is very light, but not as bouncy.
- Nike Alphafly 3 – The Alphafly 3 is more stable, but maybe not as fast!
Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2 vs Evo 3
Finding either shoe to purchase is likely going to be a long shoe, but still we all need to have hopes and dreams. Our team was truly impressed with the 2 and wanted to breakdown the differences in a quick side by side.
- Evo 3 has 50% lighter Lightstrike Pro EVO foam
- Evo 3 uses a carbon plate EnergyRim, not a plate or their well known carbon rods
- Evo 3 is therefore going to feel softer through the middle
- Likely better toe off in the Evo 3
- Neither shoe caters to heel strikers, definitely best for mid to forefoot
- Upper is new and lighter in the EVO 3
What to read next?
- Best Carbon Plated Shoes Right Now
- How to Run a 1:45 Half Marathon
- Best Lightweight Running Shoes without Carbon
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