Adidas’ new Adizero Prime X Evo pushes running shoe tech to absurd new heights

Adidas has unveiled the Adizero Prime X Evo, a limited-run running shoe designed for one thing only: going impossibly fast over absurdly long distances.

The successor of the Adizero Adios Pro Evo, the new model helped South African ultrarunner Sibusiso Kubheka smash the six-hour barrier for 100 km earlier this year, clocking a historic 5:59:20 at the adidas Chasing 100 event. And now it’s finally going on sale.

According to the brand, the Prime X Evo was engineered in close collaboration with the five athletes involved in Chasing 100, using months of testing and iterative prototypes.

The shoe sits outside World Athletics’ regulations by design, giving the brand freedom to build a platform that pushes height, cushioning and geometry well beyond the limits allowed in official races.

The result is a towering 50 mm heel stack and an eye-catching profile that looks more like a concept shoe than something you’d expect to see on a public road.

Geometry at the adge of reason

Underfoot is a next-generation version of Lightstrike Pro foam, supported by an aggressively sculpted architecture intended to maximise forward propulsion over ultramarathon distances.

The upper is stripped back to the essentials, helping the shoe reach an astonishing weight of just 146 g in a men’s US 8.5, lighter than many elite marathon shoes that sit 20–30 mm lower to the ground.

Adidas positions the Prime X Evo as a showcase of “race-dominating Adizero technology” rather than a shoe for the masses.

It’s aimed squarely at runners looking to test the absolute cutting edge of foam, geometry and energy return.

The brand says it is recommended only for road use and for athletes chasing personal bests over ultra-distance efforts.

The Adizero Prime X Evo will be available in extremely limited quantities from 20 November 2025, priced at $500 / €500 / £450 (AU$770). Visit Adidas for more info.