It was within only a matter of strides that I realised why the shoes that blessed Sabastian Sawe’s feet, as he became the first man to smash the two-hour barrier in a competitive marathon, were worth the staggering £450 price tag marketed by Adidas.
I was weaving through the sunny streets of east London on Thursday morning, testing out the now-famous Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 supershoes, to see whether running’s latest groundbreaking technology could help me, a reporter who frequently rinses his legs on the tarmac in his spare time, on a progressive 5km run.
It’s fair to say, they more than did just that.
Five days earlier, I, like millions across the country, tuned in to watch the London Marathon and had the pleasure of witnessing history unfold in the capital when Sawe smashed the world record for the 26.2-mile distance, recording the unfathomable time of 1hr 59min 30sec.
After crossing the line, looking like he had just completed his local Parkrun as opposed to having just rewritten the record books, Sawe took off his shoe and requested that his new jaw-dropping time be written on his shoe.
Then came the photo that is now synonymous with the sport-defining result.
Sabastian Sawe poses with his Adidas shoe after his record-breaking London run
When I saw that picture on Instagram in the hours after the marathon, never did I believe that I would soon be putting them on my own feet. Even on the day they arrived at my door, I ran a half-marathon long run, not believing they would be in my possession hours later. Silly mistake.
But here I was, lacing up the 97g trainer, which is lighter than a Mars bar – yes, you are reading that correctly – ahead of a run around Victoria Park, in which my aim was to see if I could ramp up through the gears in these bad boys.
While I’m not an elite runner, I would describe myself as a decent one. I train four times a week, schedule-dependent, and recently ran a 3hour 13min marathon in Rome on my debut in the event (not quite the sub-2 that first-timer Yomif Kejelcha managed behind Sawe).
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My PB in the 5km distance is 16min 30sec, but that was back when I was a 5ft 7in 16-year-old who ate up miles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m not capable of that anymore – no chance. Instead, my aim was to try to achieve a 19min 30sec, getting faster each kilometre.
However, once I’d completed my first kilometre in 3min 59sec, I knew there was a lot more in the tank. It was time to take off the shackles and let these special shoes do their thing.
And that’s what they are, special. For trainers that have an ‘ultralight’ and ‘weightless’ upper, which are said to be inspired by kitesurfing sails, they are an incredibly supportive shoe. The next gen LIGHTSTRIKE PRO EVO foam is both cushioning and provides ‘energy return’ as you push the soles of your feet against the pavement.
They also don’t have your typical carbon plate. Adidas have moved away from the technology adopted by other manufacturers and have an ‘energy rim’ that is carbon fibre-infused to provide a ‘stiffening element’ in the midsole. It makes the shoe miles lighter than any other on the market, while maintaining – if not exceeding – the propulsion that platers provide.
Sawe crosses the line in London last Sunday for an incredible world record
Harry in the Adidas Pro Evo 3 super shoes – it’s fair to say they had the desired effect
The shoes helped eat up the kilometres as Harry turned up the gas
After that 1km mark, I’d almost forgotten that I was even wearing shoes, which is the biggest compliment I could give. It was time to turn on the gas, and with the assistance of the Pro Evo 3s, I clocked a 3min 41sec second kilometre, before getting even faster on the third and fourth km.
By this point, the shoes made me feel like I was Peter Pan. I was flying.
I closed the show in a 3min 24sec final km – still 34 seconds shy of Sawe’s average pace for the entire 42.2km slog – finishing with a final time of 18min 33sec. A time I’m certainly proud of, but it left me regretting my plan of a progressive run. Had I gone all out from the gun, I believe these shoes would have propelled me to a sub-18-minute result. Regardless, these shoes made a huge difference.
Only last month, I tried the viral £39.99 Crivit CarbonLite 1.0 running trainers, made by German-owned supermarket chain Lidl. They are the cheapest carbon-plated shoes on the market, and I tested them on the cobbled roads of Vatican City. The chasm between them and the most expensive running shoes we have ever seen used in competition is almost unexplainable. They are worlds apart.
£450 may seem utterly ridiculous to some, but trust me, they are worth it. If you are a keen runner who is looking to smash their marathon PB, and you are feeling a little flush with your cash, I’d certainly advise treating yourself to a pair of these.
They are ‘engineered for those who chase records,’ and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the limits pushed ever further beyond Sawe’s seemingly impossible-to-reach mark with these shoes in the game.
