The Tamesis
A gram difference in the weight of a sneaker can mean a few seconds off your marathon time. Previously, only the most intense runners would be interested in this type of performance data. Now, the sport has become mainstream culture. The global running equipment market is expected to grow from US$45 billion in 2024 to nearly US$70 billion by 2032. It’s unclear how much this has to do with Harry Styles’ newfound obsession with running, but Gen Z’s obsession with health and fitness is largely driving the industry’s growth. Gen Z runners were the largest group (25%) at the 2025 New York City Marathon, and by 2022, only 17% of runners will be under 30 years old. By the end of 2025, nearly 10 million pairs of Adidas’ more affordable super shoe, the Evo SL, priced at $150, had been sold, with Gen Z runners also accounting for a large portion.
All of which means running will be a huge business in 2026, reinforcing the case for athletic brands to invest heavily in footwear technology to win the super shoe race. here, fashion business Sitting down with adidas General Manager of Operations Patrick Nava and Head of Innovation Marc Makowski to learn how and why the brand has invested in the technology behind the new Pro Evo 3 over the past three years.
Fashion: What’s the significance of the launch of Pro Evo 3?
mark: First, foam is obviously a critical component. We’ve created the next generation of Lightstrike Pro Evo foam that’s nearly 50% lighter than its predecessor and automatically reduces overall weight. Then, in addition to weight, structure is also important. How do we achieve a high level of “defoaming” – the spring effect we see by compressing the foam. By changing the structure of the carbon reinforcement elements we can achieve the appropriate level of stiffness. It’s a new interplay of carbon fiber around the edge of the midsole, underneath the foam, that creates a lot of compression underfoot while maintaining maximum levels of stability and stiffness at the same point in time.
Inspired by the sailing and kitesurfing industries, we brought the same idea to the upper lug of the shoe, taking a new materialistic feel and really looking into what the lightest materials are with a ripstop textile that also uses polyester yarn – which is 1.5 times stronger than regular yarn. Likewise, it combines the lightest possible weight with the highest level of stability. Every component is selected through the lens of: How do we go as fast as possible in as light a way as possible?
Fashion: The weight is reduced by a third, which is huge. In order to achieve this goal, what aspects of footwear technology need to accelerate? Could things get any easier?
mark: When we first started making super shoes, we had very little material available to produce individual foams. There are now a number of different materials available, with composites such as carbon fiber further improving from a weight perspective.
When we looked at the upper, we looked beyond materials previously used and took inspiration from other industries, such as sailing and kitesurfing, which are exposed to extreme wind conditions and require ultra-lightweight. I don’t think the weight will be much higher than what we have now, which is under 100 grams, just because there’s not much to strip away from a product like this anymore. We do have a few prototypes in development right now, though, based on the Pro Evo 3, which is the next product, with other elements tweaked. So there is no finish line.
