Nike Prepares Its Response to Adidas's Adizero Pro Evo 3 Following London's Sub-2-Hour Marathon

Last Sunday, on the streets of London, Sebastian Sawe crossed the finish line under two hours in a marathon wearing Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 3. It wasn't an official record-eligible race under the ultra-controlled conditions of the Breaking2 project, but it was a brutal demonstration of where running technology is headed. Nike didn't stay quiet: the brand confirmed that Connor Mantz was wearing a "similar" prototype when he broke the U.S. marathon record, and is already hinting that a new generation of racing shoes is coming. If you're someone chasing a PR, this matters to you: the next super shoe you wear will probably come out of this battle.

The Context

Since Nike launched the Vaporfly in 2017, the marathon has changed forever. That shoe combined a carbon-fiber plate with high-resilience foam, and race times plummeted at a speed never seen before in sports history. What started as a Nike advantage turned into an arms race: Adidas, Asics, Puma, On, and other brands deployed engineers, polymer chemistry, and wind tunnels working full-time on racing shoes.

The Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 3 is the latest evolution in that race: lighter, with more foam and a refined plate geometry to maximize energy return with each stride. That Sawe ran under two hours in them—even though in a context not homologable as a world record due to the race conditions—is a strong signal that Adidas is breathing down Nike's neck in the most competitive segment of the market: the "unicorn" shoes worn by elites but that also end up on the feet of recreational runners willing to pay $300 for seconds.

Nike's response matters because it's not just marketing. Every time a brand raises the technological ante, the rest have to react or fall behind, and that eventually translates to the shoes you buy in the store.

What the Science Says

The review by Guppy, Muniz-Pardos, and Angeloudis (Sports Med, 2023) on technological innovation in elite sport is clear on one point: footwear technology has measurably altered performance in endurance events, to the point that federations and regulatory bodies have had to establish limits (like the maximum plate or sole thickness allowed by World Athletics). It's not coincidence or placebo: the improvement in running economy offered by these shoes—lower energy expenditure at the same speed—is well documented and is one of the most disruptive technological advances track and field has experienced in decades.

But here's what's important: the shoe doesn't replace hard work. The sports science field itself insists that the durability of running economy—that is, staying efficient even when fatigue hits at kilometer 35—depends much more on strength training than on footwear. A recent study by Zanini, Folland, and Wu (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2025) showed that strength training specifically improves that "durability" of running economy and performance at high intensities when the body is already fatigued, something no carbon foam can do for you.

⚖️ PMP Verdict

If you're a competitive runner looking to shave minutes off a marathon, yes, these shoes work and the evidence backs it up: there's a real, measurable improvement in running economy. It's worth having them for race day.

But if you're thinking the next Nike or Adidas is going to save you from a weak training plan, I'll stop you there: no foam compensates for lack of mileage, strength work, or a solid aerobic base. And for the recreational runner training 3-4 times a week without strength training or specific work, the performance bump will be marginal compared to someone who trains properly.

What This Means for You

Don't rush to buy the next super shoe the moment it drops. Instead:

• Save your carbon-plate shoe for race day and key sessions (tempo repeats, race-pace simulations), not for easy runs.
• Add 2 strength sessions per week to your plan: squats, Romanian deadlifts, jumps. The evidence shows this sustains your running economy when you need it most, in the final kilometers.
• If you're going to invest in technology, invest first in a solid training base. The shoe amplifies what you've already built, it doesn't replace it.

References

• "Technology Innovation and Guardrails in Elite Sport: The Future is Now." Guppy F, Muniz-Pardos B, Angeloudis K, Sports Med 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37787844/
• "Strength Training Improves Running Economy Durability and Fatigued High-Intensity Performance in Well-Trained Male Runners: A Randomized Control Trial." Zanini M, Folland JP, Wu H, Med Sci Sports Exerc 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40016936/