With the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, adidas breaks the 100-gram barrier and has already shattered world records through extreme materials engineering.
- Absolute lightness: the first competition shoe in the world to weigh less than 100 grams.
- Chemical evolution: the new Lightstrike Pro Evo foam, 50% lighter than previous versions but with maximum energy return.
- Record-ready setup: engineered to rewrite world records at the marquee distance, building on the legacy of the Adizero line.
- ENERGYRIM is the new carbon system delivering structural stiffness that stabilizes the stride at top speed.
- Aerodynamic upper made from materials derived from kitesurfing to cut every unnecessary gram of drag.
- Pre-order available from April 23, 2026, at 500 euros for an extremely limited run.
The Gram Obsession: adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
Competition footwear has crossed a new critical threshold. With the launch of the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, adidas isn’t simply refreshing its catalog — it’s pushing the physical limits of what an athlete can put on their feet. It does so by bringing the weight of a marathon-ready shoe below 100 grams for the first time ever. A milestone born from deep research aimed at minimizing the load on the lower kinetic chain, turning every nanogram saved into biomechanical efficiency.
The origins of this model are closely tied to the hunt for world records. The Adizero line’s legacy — already behind some of the sport’s most historic benchmarks — finds its highest engineering expression in the Evo 3. The goal is to give athletes a tool sharp enough to shave the seconds needed to rewrite the history of track and field, pushing technology past anything seen before. And it’s already delivered, breaking the world record twice last Sunday in London, going sub-two hours.
Lightstrike Pro Evo and ENERGYRIM
The shoe’s technological backbone is the new Lightstrike Pro Evo foam. Through an advanced manufacturing process, adidas managed to cut its weight in half compared to previous versions. Despite the reduced mass, the midsole stack remains at 39 mm, offering the maximum level of cushioning and responsiveness allowed under international regulations. The material’s density has been calibrated to return energy without lateral dispersion — critical when race pace pushes toward the outer edge of human limits.
The Carbon Backbone
Supporting that volume of foam is the ENERGYRIM technology — an integrated carbon structure that acts as a rigid frame. Where the foam provides energy return, the ENERGYRIM ensures that energy is channeled correctly, delivering the stability needed to manage propulsion on hard surfaces for more than forty kilometers.
Its position and shape also differ from the Energy Rods found in previous models: it takes the form of a horseshoe running only along the midsole’s perimeter, leaving the full thickness of the Lightstrike Pro Evo compound uninterrupted.
The balance between polymer flexibility and carbon stiffness is the secret behind a propulsion system aimed squarely at the clock.
Advanced Materials and Selective Traction
The Evo 3’s upper marks a clear break from traditional construction. Drawing inspiration from kitesurfing sails, the engineers in Herzogenaurach developed an ultra-thin fabric that delivers structural support at near-zero weight. Every detail — from the lace eyelets to the internal stitching — has been eliminated or stripped to the bare minimum. The outsole follows the same philosophy: Continental™ rubber is placed exclusively under the forefoot, providing grip where the push-off happens and leaving the rest of the base free from unnecessary weight.
Beyond Mechanics: The Techfit+ System and Running Economy
The innovation extends beyond the shoe itself to the athlete’s entire ecosystem. Alongside the Evo 3, adidas also unveiled the Techfit+ kit — a line of technical apparel engineered to work in sync with the shoe. Through advanced ventilation systems and targeted compression, tests conducted in adidas labs indicate that wearing the shoe and kit together can improve running economy by up to 1%. That may sound marginal, but in a world where world records are decided by fractions of a second, that gain in energy efficiency is a decisive tactical edge. And London, just a few days ago, already proved it.
Availability and Price
The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is a niche product, built for those who chase performance without compromise. The shoe is available for pre-order from April 23, 2026, in an extremely limited run that underscores its exclusivity. At 500 euros, it lands as a high-end technological investment — something close to a lab prototype made available to the most demanding runners. A broader release will follow in the fall, bringing the world-record challenge to a slightly wider pool of athletes.
