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adidas Launches the Adizero Prime X Evo: A $500 Super Shoe Built for Ultra-Long Distances
adidas has unveiled the Adizero Prime X Evo, a truly extraordinary running shoe featuring a staggering 50 mm stack height underfoot. Over the past few years, the German brand has gone all-in on innovation — first with the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, then the Pro Evo 2, two featherweight racing shoes priced at $500 that redefined the limits of performance footwear. But this time, adidas is thinking even bigger. With the Prime X Evo, the brand with the Three Stripes targets runners who don’t just want to go fast — they want to go fast for a very long time. This shoe isn’t just about chasing speed; it’s about sustaining it over ultra distances. A technological marvel designed to push human limits — all the way to an almost unimaginable goal: running 100 kilometers in under six hours. That goal became a reality this summer in one of the most secretive yet groundbreaking events in the history of the sport.
| A Shoe Behind a Historic Record
Set for release on November 20, 2025, the Adizero Prime X Evo arrives with a record already written into its foam. During the Chasing 100 project, five elite ultrarunners gathered at Italy’s legendary Nardò Technical Center — a 23-kilometer automotive test track — to chase one of running’s final frontiers: the sub-6-hour 100K. On that day, South African runner Sibusiso Kubheka made history, clocking 5:59:20, and becoming the first person ever to run 100 kilometers in under six hours.
In an official statement, adidas confirmed: “This is the exact shoe that helped Sibusiso Kubheka break the six-hour barrier for 100 kilometers.”
The Prime X Evo wasn’t born from a traditional commercial design cycle — it started as a prototype, evolved through rapid testing, and was refined into a performance product at record speed.
| Built to Redefine the Limits of Ultramarathon Running
adidas openly admits: this shoe is a deliberate rule-breaker. “Designed to run 100 km in under six hours, the Prime X Evo was engineered to push the boundaries of innovation.”
That’s because it’s not compliant with World Athletics regulations. At 50 mm thick, the stack height exceeds the official limit by 10 mm — an audacious engineering statement.
And yet, despite its towering profile, the shoe weighs an astonishing 146 g (US Men’s 9 / EU 42) — a near-impossible figure in a world where “super shoes” typically weigh around 200 g. A masterpiece of minimal weight and maximal innovation.
“This shoe is made for the extraordinary. It combines the best of Adizero technology to dominate racing, but also stands as a symbol of what humans can achieve when we dare to go beyond what once seemed impossible.”
Patrick Nava, General Manager, adidas Running
| A Giant Stack with Featherweight Feel
The Prime X Evo features Lightstrike Pro Evo, an evolved version of adidas’s elite racing foam — even lighter than the material used in the Pro Evo 1 and 2.
This innovation allows for an unprecedented volume of cushioning without compromising weight.
The result?
➜ A record-high stack height
➜ Ultra-plush yet stable cushioning
➜ Explosive energy return
➜ Unbelievable lightness for its size
While adidas hasn’t shared specifics about the internal plate or rods, leaked images suggest a configuration inspired by the brand’s EnergyRods system — redesigned to handle extreme endurance efforts up to 100 kilometers.
| Developed at Lightning Speed
The Prime X Evo’s development process was anything but conventional. Born from a partnership between adidas and Mercedes-AMG, the project went from concept to reality in just five months — an extraordinary pace for such a complex innovation.
In that time, the R&D team completed three full design–test–revision cycles, guided by data from elite athletes, including Charlie Lawrence, the American world record holder for 50 miles.
Every element — from geometry to materials — was iterated through real-world testing at race intensity before being finalized for limited production.
| Inside “Chasing 100”: The Secret Record Attempt
The world-record run took place under surreal conditions at the Nardò Technical Center in southern Italy. Normally used by automakers like Porsche and Bugatti, the 23 km circular track became the stage for an endurance experiment unlike any other.
There were no crowds, no live broadcast — just the hum of the wind, the Mediterranean heat, and six hours of relentless motion.
The athletes used cooling vests, Climacool jackets ventilated by micro-fans, and a mysterious technology known as Ultracharge, which involved pressurizing the shoes in a sealed chamber to fine-tune foam density right before the start.
It was part science lab, part endurance epic — and it worked. The six-hour barrier fell, and a new chapter in running innovation began.
| The Most Extreme Shoe on the Market
Priced at $500, like the Pro Evo 1 and 2, the Prime X Evo is unapologetically premium — and extremely limited in quantity.
adidas’s strategy is clear:
➜ Push technology to the absolute limit
➜ Set a new benchmark for high-performance footwear
➜ Prove that innovation at adidas is alive and thriving
It’s a bold, almost provocative move — positioning the Prime X Evo not just as a product, but as a statement. In a year when adidas athletes dominated podiums across the World Marathon Majors, this launch cements the brand’s ambition to stay at the forefront of the sport.
| Who Is the Adizero Prime X Evo For?
Let’s be clear: this is not a shoe for beginners or casual runners. It’s not designed for official races or certified competitions.
It’s for runners who:
✔ Want to test the limits of their endurance
✔ Love ultra-distance challenges
✔ Crave cutting-edge innovation and bold design
✔ Seek explosive rebound and futuristic feel
Think of it as a long-distance experiment — ideal for 30+ km training runs, personal challenges over 50 or 100 km, or simply for runners curious about the future of performance footwear.
Specs Summary
- Foam: Lightstrike Pro Evo (lighter, denser, next-gen formulation)
- Weight: 146 g (EU 42)
- Stack height: 50 mm heel / 47 mm forefoot (3 mm drop)
- Intended use: Ultra-distance running (50 km – 100 km)
- Launch date: November 20, 2025
- Price: $500
adidas is no longer just racing for lighter foams or carbon plates. With the Adizero Prime X Evo, it’s rewriting the rules entirely — venturing into a space where biomechanics, material science, and creative audacity meet. Minimalists might hate it. Innovators will love it. But no one can ignore it. The Prime X Evo represents a turning point — proof that the future of long-distance running might look less like a track… and more like a high-tech lab. The future is now.
✔ The adidas Adizero Prime X Evo is available exclusively on the adidas app from November 20 and in limited quantities on adidas.com starting November 27.
Clément LABORIEUX
Journalist
