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Wow, a lot has happened in the last 10 years. Since Wilson Kipsang pulled on his adidas AdiZero Adios Boost and set a world record on the streets of Berlin in 2013, the modern-day running shoe has undergone a crazy transformation. But what has specifically happened to the running shoe? To answer that question, we have pitted an adidas AdiZero Adios Boost against a truly contemporary and modern top shoe, namely the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3.
Both shoes are designed to break world records, but time has meant a lot for the design philosophy of the two models.
For ease of reference, I will refer to the shoes as Adios Boost and Pro 3.
Upper
Boost on the left, Pro 3 on the right
The contrast is already striking here. Although the Adios Boost's design focuses on keeping the weight down, the upper is still significantly coarser and thicker than its modern counterpart. The Adios Boost model's upper is much more reminiscent of a volume trainer than a modern super shoe. In contrast, the Pro 3's upper is ultra-thin, so thin that you can see the colour of the runner's socks through the upper.
Midsole
Side by side comparison
This is where we see the most notable difference between the two shoes. At first glance, the stack height is the most striking. The design philosophy in 2013 was: "the less, the better." In other words, a true racing flat. Therefore, the midsole should also be as thin as possible. That philosophy is clearly visible in the Adios Boost model, with its 23 mm Boost foam in the heel and a 10 mm drop. This stands in stark contrast to the Pro 3 model, which has a whopping 39 mm Lightstrike Pro foam in the heel and a drop of 6.5 mm.
With so much foam, one would think that the Adios Boost would blow the Pro 3 model off the track in terms of weight. But no, the adidas Adios Adizero Pro 3 is 6 grams lighter, despite almost double the foam. In addition to being lighter, modern super foam, such as Lightstrike Pro, is more springy than ever. But the new wilder foam types have set higher requirements for shoe construction. The solution to controlling the new super foam? Carbon…
The introduction of carbon has been a true revolution. Carbon's structure helps keep control of the unruly foam. Any shoe that boasts of being a pace or distance shoe has either a composite material or pure carbon in the midsole. The combination of carbon and the latest springy super foam provides a lethal cocktail that keeps assisting athletes in breaking running and world records one after another.
Outsole
This is probably where the design least changed, but the development is still clear. Both shoes are made with a Continental outsole, which provides excellent grip in both shoes. While the Adios Boost model has a pattern on the outsole, the Pro 3 model is without a pattern. This does not necessarily mean less grip, but the Pro 3 outsole does not have a single unnecessary gram.
The Test
Of course, we also had to take the shoes to our test centre in Skanderborg. Here we can measure the runner's oxygen intake in each shoe and thus find out how much better the shoes have become. The results were predictable but still extremely striking. Our test person has a 4-6% better running economy at 12-16 kilometres per hour in the Pro 3 model compared to the Adios Boost.
That number can be a bit abstract, so what does it mean practically?
Running economy is, in short, how much oxygen is used at a given speed. The more the body works, the more oxygen it requires. In other words, a 4-6% oxygen consumption reduction will make running at a given speed easier.
A study from 2020 observed 578 elite marathon runners (308 men and 270 women) who switched to the new generation of super shoes. 75% of the men saw a 2 to 4 minute improvement in their marathon times, while 71% of the women saw a 1 to 4 minute improvement in their marathon times.
Similarly, in 2018 The New York Times published a data extract from public race reports and the training app Strava. Altogether, data was collected from 500,000 marathon and half marathon performances over 4 years, from 2014-2018. The data showed that, on a race distance, runners in the new generation of super shoes were up to 4% faster than similar runners in racing flats.
Before drawing any major conclusions, it's worth mentioning that everyone responds differently to carbon super shoes. Therefore, it isn't easy to make a precise conversion from running economy to running pace due to the extreme individuality. But the trend is clear.
Conclusion
Huge developments have been made across the shoe market over the last decade. It's no wonder that records are being broken one after another. In addition to top athletes, it's also a development that benefits everyone who wants to set a PR. The development doesn't seem to stop anytime soon, so keep your eyes open in 2023.
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