Thanks to the team from Adidas ZA, we managed to get our paws on their newly launched Adizero Adios PRO 3 run shoe. Having been a sponsored Adidas triathlete back in the day, I was super keen to get in some runs with the shoes and test them. The shoe is lauded as the ultimate long distance shoe for fast runners wanting to take their running to the next level. Not that I am as fast as I was once, I was still keen to get them on the feet and go run and see how they panned out
Visual Appearance:
They look good to the naked eye that is for sure. You look at this shoe and it looks “fast”. Quite “bulky” looking, the shoe definitely looks to add a cm or two to your overall height once you put them on. 10/10 for looks…
Performance:
It must be noted that before I ran in them, I change the lacing system to that of elasticated laces. Being a triathlete at heart, I am used to sliding shoes on and off without having to tie laces. I do find that these modern shoes, for me, handle better with elastic laces. I do recommend to all my athletes that I coach, to switch over to the elastic laces – no matter what brand of shoe they may wear. As said, I come from a triathlon background so this is my preference, it may not work for you
Initial observations, the shoes are extremely comfortable just to stand in. Felt like I had two mini “mattresses” tied to my feet.
Once I got running. the feel was something I had to get used to. As explained earlier, I am used to harder shoes and these are very cushioned. First run in them were 6 x 1km intervals at moderate pace with a break between each. This allowed me to get a better feel for them and allowed me a rest break between each interval – as the saying goes – these shoes are made to “run fast” so I was trying my best. I could definitely see that these shoes are not made for the plodders. If you going to don these shoes, make sure the legs are fresh and you are able to run on your front foot. Like a “Springbok” type running style. They are not made for jogging. Next run was a tempo 10k the next day and this time, the shoes felt a lot better, I was more used to them. Noted I did not get blisters (yes I wore socks) but there have been times in the past before where new shoes with a run over 45-60 mins have resulted in a few blisters at the end of the run. Nothing with these shoes. 3rd run and final test so far was a speed session on the beachfront with the team I coach. Legs were not as fresh as I would have liked, but the shoes did the job. I felt springy and I felt that I could run faster if I wanted to
At 4.5k these shoes are not cheap but what is these days? As a brand, I have always rated Adidas and this latest shoe did not disappoint. I can see some runners not liking this particular shoe and perhaps its not for everyone. I liked it and am happy to give it a test over a longer 21km or 42km distance sooner than later. Oh before I forget, this shoe did not “burn” my feet, some shoes do for me – especially when they are too soft my my particular running style. Good job Adi, I can see a few gold medals coming up in the longer races locally if the runners have these puppies to hang onto.
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