WearTesters is reader-supported. When you make purchases using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Why trust us?

adidas Introduces the adizero Sub2 Marathon Shoe and It Uses Brand New Boost

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 1

Today, adidas unveiled the adizero Sub2, a brand new marathon shoe designed to put athletes below the two-hour barrier. One of the factors involved in that is the brand new Boost Light.

The shoe will debut at this Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon by former world record holder and adidas athlete Wilson Kipsang. Currently, the Kenyan marathon runner owns the only pair of adidas adizero Sub2 shoes in existence.

This shoe is the result of years of extensive research and testing by adidas Innovation Technologies. According to adidas, the brand explored the performance of a range of state of the art materials in different temperatures and environments on different surfaces. Afterwards, the best prototypes were rigorously weartested by elite athletes  including Wilson Kipsang.

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 8

“adidas adizero Sub2 is a significant milestone in the brand’s Sub2 program and central to the future of adidas running,” said André Maestrini, Global General Manager of adidas Running. “Around the London Marathon in 2012, we started thinking about Sub2 as a concept and adidas’ role in achieving what was deemed impossible. We began creating a shoe that could enable this, and Wilson is the perfect athlete to test our innovation in a race environment. We’re incredibly excited to see where this can go.”

The adizero Sub2 is the culmination of some of the best of adidas’ running technologies. It is an extremely fast and lightweight sneaker that debuts the brand’s new Boost Light innovation. Boost Light is the lightest foam adidas has ever developed and retains the energy return that has powered adidas athletes to world records.

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 3

The shoe’s upper is constructed of just one layer of ultralight fabric that uses a weight-reduced mesh with internal reinforcements and advanced Microfit. The shoe sits atop a Continental Microweb outsole, an evolution of the Stretchweb outsole, to ensure that there is zero slip.

“I have a great history with adidas and it’s an honor to be the first person to wear the adizero Sub2,” said Wilson Kipsang. “BOOST was a game changer for me. After working with adidas on BOOST Light, I’m absolutely ready to get out on the course in Tokyo and show the world what we can do.”

The adidas adizero Sub2 will be available later this year, but pricing is still TBD. Thoughts on the new Boost Light? Sound off below.

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 6

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 5

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 9

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 4

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 2

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 7

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 10

adidas adizero sub2 marathon shoe 1

 

Source: adidas

23 comments
  1. Definitely interesting. I can see these coming in at around the $150-$180 mark. Which, for a good pair of running shoes, isn’t that bad. And Boost light seems like an interesting thing. If its the same as regular boost, just lighter, that would open up so much more.

      1. Yeah that is true. It does seem to be a trade off. Hopefully it can still feel good. I can imagine the Boost light is more for running and they’ll use normal Boost in their other stuff. I’ll most likely be getting the Sub2 as long as there’s a neutral color.

          1. I think if it were closer to the $180 it’d be harder to buy for me. If they were worth it I’d do it but if it were cheaper then it’d be easier to get them. My most expensive shoes I’ve bought recently was the NMD’s at $140 but I still had the promo code so I spent $119 haha.

          2. I also just noticed they have a continental outsole, that can pretty much guarantee at least $180. The adizero prime boost/LTD were both $180 also.

  2. I always think that these improvements are driven by cost cutting not progress : it is a byproduct

    All the shoes now are made out of fabric (knits, woven etc) and they are comfy, don’t get me wrong, but we have them as leather cost more than fabric

      1. I’m also guessing that it’s more environmentally friendly / sustainable to use fabrics and such vs. Leather. It also has the added advantage of being less durable, thus customers will buy more often. You know “built in obsolescence” and all.

  3. Curious as to how this would feel compared to my Ultra Boost ST,

    Looking forward to upcoming coloways,

    Adidas is the BEST!!!!!

  4. I’m very interested in a lighter Boost™ shoe. My only complaint with the cushioning is the weight. I’ve all but kicked my Energy Boost to the curb in lew of my Nike LunarGlide 8 which is considerably lighter with similar cushioning.

      1. Most of those don’t offer the support that I need. I love boost but the density makes it a little heavy when compared to Lunarlon. I prefer the MOST boost possible.

    1. I agree that energy is heavy. I ended up with the Glide 8 and Sequence 7 in my rotation, the transitions are faster. Not sure how much they weigh vs the energy but the definitely felt fast, especially the glide 8.

      In wasn’t a runner before i bought those two. Now in my third week in a sub 5k training and im right on schedule because of the glide and sequence. They just felt so natural to run in, “one with the shoe” feeling.

      I had mizuno prophecy, enigma, and some NB and Nike pegasus / lunarglid before. It was only now with the boost that i could run a 2 miler every day almost and actually enjoy it.

  5. Kinda strange looking, they don’t look like runners, more like casual shoes. Don’t know how they made boost lighter but still retain the same amount of energy return…

  6. i wonder how these feel in comparison to normal boost. maybe they will do a Air Max (Boost) and zoom air (Boost Lite) setup like Nike does

Add a Comment

Related Posts