Adidas announce their latest road racing shoe, the Adizero Adios Pro 4
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Since launching their range-topping Evo 1 road racing shoes, athletes who found the ultra-premium £450 price point have been awaiting the latest version of the brand’s more popular marathon running shoe, the Adios Pro. The Pro 3 was a more competitively priced £220 and you could actually buy them. The Evo 1 was made in very limited quantities, which created hype and the shoe promptly sold out despite the price.
Luckily, the Pro 4 takes many of the features on the Evo 1 and brings us what is the best Adidas road racing shoe I’ve ever worn.
Straight from the box, the shoe feels ultra-light (200g) and super responsive. A new double layer of the brand’s Lightstrike Pro foam feels softer than the previous version and with the Carbon-infused Energy Rods, taken from the Evo 1, the result is a more responsive and instantly faster feel shoe.
adidas adizero pro 4
The rods now curve a little further back under the foot than in the previous version, meaning the shift into the forefoot push-off phase is a little quicker and more engaged.
A new, single-layer mesh upper has a minimalistic design to reduce weight yet provides structure to the shoe and a secure fit. A new Lighttraxion outsole provides the grip with a small continental rubber insert at the toe for optimum traction at toe-off.
Cushioning is just under the World Athletics 40mm legal limit at 39mm and this should ensure that any records broken – perhaps in Berlin at the marathon this weekend, where the shoe has been launched publicly – will be ratified.
The brand clearly has records on its mind, as well as major marathon podiums. Tigst Assefa smashed the women’s world marathon record in Berlin last year with a 2:11:53 run wearing the Evo 1 shoe.
Read our Berlin marathon preview here.
The shoe will launch widely in January, but you can find out more about it here.
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