Would You Buy Adidas’s N384,000 Running Shoes?

As the new marathon season approaches in September, Adidas AG, the luxury footwear brand, has revealed its latest contender in the super-shoe competition – the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. Priced at $500 (approximately N384,000), this racing shoe is making waves in the running world.

Weighing in at a mere 138 grams (4.9 ounces), the Adios Pro Evo 1 stands as Adidas’s lightest-ever offering, boasting a remarkable 40% reduction in weight compared to the highly acclaimed Adizero Adios Pro 3. However, this incredible feat of engineering comes with a price tag twice as high as its predecessor.

What sets the Adios Pro Evo 1 apart is its premium pricing, nearly double that of Nike Inc.’s Alphafly 2, a $275 road-racing shoe. This significant price difference has garnered attention and curiosity from athletes and enthusiasts alike.

Adidas is planning to introduce the Adios Pro Evo 1 to the running world on September 24th in Berlin, coinciding with the start of the marathon season. This marathon event is proudly sponsored by Adidas and is recognized as one of the fastest races globally.

The Adios Pro Evo 1 is primarily tailored for professional athletes and “ambitious runners” who are willing to invest in specialized footwear for their training and races, rather than everyday use. The shoe features Adidas’s signature carbon “energy rods” within the sole, a technology that debuted last decade during the rise of super-shoes in the running industry.

The super-shoe era was initiated by Nike Inc., which combined carbon plates with exceptionally lightweight and responsive foam to provide runners with an enhanced energy return during each stride.

For its latest model, Adidas has developed an improved iteration of its Lightstrike Pro foam, eliminated a sock liner to further reduce weight, and introduced a novel outsole design.

This announcement from Adidas follows closely behind the introduction of the ADIZERO Prime X 2 Strung. However, these shoes were swiftly banned by World Athletics due to their substantial 50mm stack height, which clearly violated the organization’s maximum regulations of 40mm. Despite their rule-breaking design, the ADIZERO Prime X 2 Strung was initially priced at $300, making them a notable mention in the world of marathon footwear.