The average weight of a running shoe is 8.8 ounces for a men’s size nine, but footwear companies are in an arms race (a legs race?) to get that weight as light as possible. A recent study found that an elite runner who is able to shed 3.5 ounces off their shoe might run a marathon about 57 seconds faster. This has led brands to trim as much from the shoe as possible — thinner shoelaces, nitrogen-injected into the soles — all just to shave weight. The newest entrant, the incomprehensibly named Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, weights 3.4 ounces in a men’s size nine and will see action in the London Marathon on April 26. Nike’s got a prototype at a comparatively hefty 6.2 ounces, one that propelled Jacob Kiplimo to a world record half marathon in Lisbon last month.
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