Words: Amit Bhowmik
On 24th September at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, Elite Ethiopian long-distance runner – Tigst Assefa Tessema didn’t just break the women’s marathon world record, but she obliterated it by a full 2 minutes and 11 seconds. Her official time was 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds, becoming the first woman to break the 2:14, 2:13, and 2:12 barriers in a marathon.
What happened next was the stuff of brand marketer’s dreams. After crossing the finish line, as the world celebrated and hundreds of cameras clicked away, she took off her shoes, hugged and kissed them and held them high for the world to see. What she held in her hands was an absolute concept shoe at the time – The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. (Show me a longer shoe name!) This concept shoe weighed in at a jaw dropping 138g (men’s size 9 / women’s size 10.5), rumoured to cost USD $500 and was touted as a single marathon shoe. A marvel of shoe engineering and design made for just ONE marathon with barely any durability. The entire shoe was basically a slab of high performance foam with a ultra-thin paper-like translucent mesh upper. A shoe so groundbreaking that now every run-nerd and enthusiast wanted one! (Despite the steep price)
Adidas was quick to see the global demand. Not just for their Pro Evo 1 but also the demand for a product which could be made on similar design lines yet catering to a more mainstream market, made more durable, a practical shoe for non-elites and available at half the price.
Fast forward to 2025. Adidas now features a lineup of three shoe models which all share the same aesthetic of the original Pro Evo 1. We now have the Adios Pro 4, Adios 9 and Evo SL which at first glance look almost identical especially in the white colorway with bold black stripes. While the Pro 4 is an evolution of the brand’s top marathon shoe of 2024 (Adios Pro 3), and the Adios 9 is an evolution of the Adios 8 (a lightweight shoe designed for speed sessions and short distance races), the Evo SL is a brand new product line heralding a new journey for Adidas with the Evo nomenclature and ‘fast culture’ DNA.
It took barely one or two runs for me to realise that the Evo SL was something special. This is a super trainer that does it all. From casual easy-day runs to tempo & speed sessions to even long distances. The Evo SL also serves as a comfortable and stable walking shoe so if you have a weekend race trip and you want to travel light, this is the only pair you need on feet.
The Evo SL is quite a plush ride that provides enough support and cushioning to tackle all run efforts without compromising on weight. Although, coming from the much lighter Adios 8, I did feel those additional grams especially on foot take off. The Lightstrike Pro foam used in the Evo SL is the same compound found in the Adios Pro 3 – thus giving the same calibre of energy return and propulsive sensation. That’s pretty amazing for a shoe touted as a daily trainer considering that shoe brands reserve their top end foam for elite models. I was a tad bit worried about how stable the foot strike would be given that there are no carbon plates or energy rods to hold that thick slab of foam in place. Luckily, the mid-foot shank does a decent job of that. The shoe not only felt stable at easy paces and race paces but also handled tight corners well. Speaking of corners and sharp turns, I’d say the Evo SL handled them better than the Pro 3 which tends to cause ankle twists at times.
The overall grip of the shoe is excellent thanks to the Continental Rubber strips. This is something I’ve gotten used to with the Adios Adizero line and it’s definitely one of the best outsole grips in the industry. The heel outsoles aren’t Continental but rather a clear rubber compound which has sufficient traction as well. I would’ve liked just a wee bit of tread in the Conti rubber to make it more fool proof on stretches of road where there’s loose gravel or sand. I did notice slight skidding on those stretches (only when running tempo paces).
As for pace, I had to initially put in a bit more work in the shoe to get closer to my usual race paces. But after the 25-30 kms mark, the foam settled in to provide the energy return and ‘pep’ I expect from the Lightstrike Pro grade material. In the last couple of runs before the review, it got easier to run proper speed intervals. That’s quite impressive for a shoe without carbon plates or energy rods. I feel it’ll only get better at speed sessions over time. A point to note is that I had to force a mid-foot strike to get better paces from the Evo SL. I’m generally more comfortable with a forefoot strike (out of habit) due to using racing shoes with aggressive rocker geometry. There’s a good 10% difference in rocker angle between the Evo SL and Adios Pro 3 which gives the Evo SL a more natural running feel. Note: if you’re a heel striker, you’ll probably find this shoe to be a bit unstable.
The upper mesh is very breathable and comfortable in high humidity. I didn’t feel any scratchiness or hotspots from the upper. I tried running without ankle socks and it still felt comfortable. The tongue is thin and non-gusseted but it does have a tendency to keep slipping from position. Even with a tight runner’s lace lockdown, the tongue kept slipping downwards. It just doesn’t stay in place. This could cause some niggles for sock-less runners. Adidas should increase the length of the tongue by 10% in future versions.
Verdict:
So where does the Evo SL fit in? This shoe should work nicely as a (super) daily trainer which can handle pretty much any kind of session.
I’d recommend this shoe to runners who’ve previously had poor experiences with carbon plated shoes, yet demand top notch performance. Adidas has pulled off an absolute winner with the Evo SL – combining the aesthetics of the Pro Evo 1 with the top-end performance materials of the Adios Pro 3 and at a price point which is very reasonable for what you get.
Pros
✅ Plush ride suitable for all distances
✅ Full length high performance Lightstrike Pro Foam
✅ Stable ride despite not having any energy rods or carbon plates
✅ Multi faceted daily trainer which can double up as a race day shoe
✅ A good price point for the amount of versatility you get
✅ Great aesthetics which make it double up as a lifestyle / travel shoe
Cons
❌ Tongue slippage
❌ May be unstable for heel strikers
❌ Not a snug fit. The extra width and toe box room (while comfortable), can diminish some running efficiency at faster speeds
❌ Lack of any treading in the Continental rubber outsole makes it likely to skid on roads with loose gravel lying around (at faster paces)
Pricing for the Evo SL is Rs.16,000 and it’s available on adidas.co.in
Rating: 4.5 ⭐
Review by Amit Bhowmik, Instagram: @plant_based_runner
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