The 97-Gram Shoe That Broke the Two-Hour Marathon Barrier With Sawe

Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 in London. What was on his feet might matter as much as what was in his legs.

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 weighs 97 grams. That’s less than a bar of soap. And it carried Sawe — and Yomif Kejelcha, who ran 1:59:41 — past the barrier that athletics had chased for decades.

The technology behind it: a carbon-integrated ENERGYRIM system, a new Lightstrike Pro Evo foam that’s 50% lighter than previous versions, and an outsole that barely registers on the scale. Three years of research, more than a dozen prototypes. The result: 30% lighter than its predecessor, 11% more forefoot energy return, and a 1.6% boost in running economy.

Tigst Assefa also wore it while breaking the women’s world record in London. Three runners. Three historic marks. One shoe.