Adidas Adizero Adios Pro

With the implementation of Phase 2, popular running routes have somewhat cleared up (especially since so many are returning to their favourite CBD boutique gyms for HIIT sessions). That means that long-distance runners have the paths back to themselves – just in time for the Adizero Adios Pro, Adidas’ contender for premier marathon footwear.

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While it doesn’t quite have the clout of Nike’s Alphafly Next%s – even though Haile Gebrselassie was wearing a pair of Adizeros in 2008 when he broke the then marathon world record – it has the tech to make up for it. Just like their competitor, Adidas’s foam soles are on a razor’s edge at 39.5mm. Adidas have dubbed their proprietary foam material Lightstrikepro, and it’s their lightest and most responsive material to date. Just half a millimetre short of being, well, illegal for competition use, it maximises energy return and springiness with every stride.

Adidas Running Shoe for Marathon

They’ve gone the distance to come up with some impressive tech to set the shoes apart from the competition. The design’s coup de maitre is in its inclusion of Energyrods, Adidas’ name for carbon-infused rods that mimic the foot’s metatarsal bones. By aligning the carbon-infused rods with our foot’s natural structure, it’s purported to optimise running economy by reducing running impact, thereby improving marathon timings. A nylon-and-carbon-fibre heel plate offers a touch of stability for our ankle joints – after all, consistency and injury prevention are invaluable to athletes.

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Adizero Adios Pro

All this is topped off with a breathable mesh upper that prevents further inefficiency from sweaty socks and shoes. The Adizero Adios Pro has been through the wringer – it’s undergone thousands of kilometres of field-testing by seasoned runners, the likes of which include 10 km world record holder Rhonex Kipruto. More than that, the distance-running arms (or should we say, legs) race is gearing up to be just as exhilarating as the sport itself.