Sebastian Sawe from Kenya celebrates winning the men's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 26, 2026.AP/PTITechnology has always aided runners. Even Roger Bannister, in his 1954 breakthrough mile run, removed the extra weight from his shoes, sharpened the spikes and covered the soles in graphite to optimise traction. Innovation isn’t new. What’s changed is the science.Enter the shoes that Sabastian Sawe wore: the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. At just 97 grams, they are among the lightest elite racing shoes ever built, roughly 30% lighter than their predecessors. To put it in perspective, one pair of shoes roughly weighs as much as four pairs of socks or less than a bar of soap.But weight is only part of the story.Precision engineeringBeneath the minimal upper sits a potent combination of carbon-infused structure and ultra-responsive “Lightstrike Pro” foam, engineered to enhance power and efficiency. The carbon technology that wraps around the midsole helps maintain running economy and reduce overall weight.The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is the culmination of a tightly controlled, years-long development cycle overseen by Patrick Nava, the Italian engineer who has been central to Adidas’ performance footwear push since joining the company in 2019.Rather than relying solely on lab innovation, the process blended precision engineering at the German shoe manufacturer’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, with extensive real-world testing across the high-altitude training environments of Kenya and Ethiopia, where elite runners could provide direct feedback under race-like physiological stress.“At that level, every detail really matters — we were measuring things down to the nearest nanogram,” said Nava, Adidas’ VP of running, according to the BBC. “It was a long process, but it’s led to something we believe genuinely changes what a race-day shoe can feel like.”A limited edition of the shoe was launched on April 25, two days before Sunday’s marathon. According to the rules, the technology should be made available to all before it is used in a race. They are priced at $500.Story continues below this adTangible gainsSports scientists estimate the gains are tangible: up to 1.6% improvement in running economy and potentially as much as 15 seconds saved over marathon distance compared to last year’s models. The forefoot area, softer and bouncier, alone delivers an 11% increase in energy return, turning each stride into a controlled rebound rather than a drain.The design borrows from unexpected places too, with materials inspired by kitesurfing sails — light, tensile, and built for forward momentum. It’s no surprise the brand dubbed it “a record-breaker before it’s even laced up”.What separates the Evo 3 from earlier ‘super shoes’ is how it strips away everything that doesn’t translate into forward motion. The midsole design has been fine-tuned in a way that each stride results in minimal energy loss. It also resulted in reducing ground contact time while preserving stability. The carbon-infused rods act like springboards tuned to gait cycle.For Sawe, those marginal gains became meaningful deep into the race. “The big difference is it’s so light and very comfortable,” he said.Story continues below this adTigst Assefa, who won the women’s marathon and set a world record, said it was down to shoes that “allow me to run fast”, apart from years of discipline and hard work.This is the third version of the shoe, which has quickly gained popularity among long-distance runners. Adidas worked with Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha and Assefa over the last three years to produce this iteration of the trainer. In Sawe’s case, the shoe played a big role in his breaking the two-hour barrier. They might not have been the sole factor that made the moment, but the shoes amplified it. Over the course of a 18-year-long career, Mihir Vasavda has covered 2010 FIFA World Cup; the London 2012, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games; Asian Games in 2014 and 2022; Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2018; Hockey World Cups in 2018 and 2023 and the 2023 ODI Cricket World Cup. ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Adidas