Tigst Assefa Shatters Women’s Marathon World Record in Adidas’ New $500 Running Shoe
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa broke the women’s marathon world record Sunday at the Berlin marathon with ample room to spare.
With a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds, Assefa beat the previous mark by more than two minutes. Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei set the previous mark of 2:14:04 at the Chicago Marathon in 2019. At this year’s Berlin Marathon, Assefa also beat her closest competitor by nearly six minutes.
Assefa’s achievement came as she was wearing the recently revealed Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, the lightest sneaker the brand has ever made. The $500 running sneaker weighs just 138 grams per shoe, which is 40 percent lighter than any other sneaker Adidas has made.
Women’s runner up Joyce Chepkirui, from Kenya, also wore the Adizero Adios Pro Evo. Over in the men’s event, fellow Kenyan and men’s world-record-holder Eliud Kipchoge won the race while wearing a Nike prototype.
“This is the lightest racing shoe I have ever worn, and the feeling of running in them is an incredible experience like nothing I’ve felt before,” Assefa said earlier this month in a press release for the Adizero Adios Pro Evo. “They enable me to put my full focus on the race, which is exactly what you want as an athlete. I feel ready to defend my title in Berlin and can’t wait to lace up at the start line in these.”
Adidas was able to shed so much weight for its new top-of-the-line runner by getting rid of the insole and introducing an ultra-thin outsole that uses liquid rubber at target spots only. The newest version of Lightstrike Pro foam was also shaped through a non-compression molding process, and a first-of-its-kind rocker is placed at 60 percent of the shoe’s length.
Although it has previously launched, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 is scheduled for another release at 11 a.m. EST Tuesday, Sept. 26, through Adidas’ app. The company has also said that another release will come in November.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior Trending News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.