Adizero Adios Pro 3

In place of a traditional carbon plate, two layers of Lightstrike Pro foam sandwich carbon-infused Energyrods — adidas's answer to the plated super-shoe category, tuned for a more progressive toe-off than a flat plate delivers. At 6.5mm the drop is lower than the outgoing Pro 2, and the shoe is light enough to race a marathon in without feeling like a specialty piece for anything shorter.

adidas traces its roots to a small German workshop where Adi Dassler hand-stitched cleats in the 1920s, formally incorporating the company in 1949. The three-stripe mark that followed became one of the most recognized emblems in sport, stretched across football boots, track spikes, and the Superstar's shell toe. Decades later the brand's Boost and Primeknit platforms redefined what an everyday trainer could feel like underfoot.