The primary race of the season all the time hits totally different. For 3 Toronto runners—Don Rey Juan, Adam Lu and Chris Blanco—the ICEE Half Relay at Cherry Seashore marked not solely the beginning of spring racing, however their first time testing adidas’ newest racing innovation: the Adizero Adios Professional 4.
Now in its fourth 12 months, the ICEE Half has change into a staple in Toronto’s spring racing calendar. Launched by Don’t Journey and Tradition Athletics in 2022, when established races confronted COVID restrictions, it shortly grew to become a beloved race for its grassroots vibe and off-the-books vitality. The course snakes via Toronto’s industrial east finish, with quick pavement, wind-tunnel straights, and simply sufficient unpredictability to maintain issues attention-grabbing.
This 12 months’s race was no exception to that unpredictability, with biting wind, rain and light-weight snow making an look: a real take a look at for each runners and their gear.
The trio arrived in matching kits, with their Adizero Adios Professional 4’s laced up. Their backgrounds in motion and efficiency introduced one other layer of perception to the real-world take a look at: Juan is a chiropractor and founding father of ÜNDA Motion, the place Lu is a physiotherapist. ÜNDA is a Leslieville-based bodily remedy and motion studio the place remedy and coaching are practiced side-by-side, not siloed from each other. Blanco, an in depth buddy of each, is coaching for his first triathlon this summer season. Regardless of their various backgrounds and operating expertise, all of them had one factor in widespread: belief within the shoe.
The Adizero Adios Professional 4 is the most recent evolution from a line of race-day footwear that has already seen podiums and reached world data. This model introduces Power Rods 2.0, a refinement of the carbon plate method, 5 rods embedded within the midsole, formed to imitate the bones of the foot. The profit? Excessive-speed propulsion that feels pure, not jarring. Beneath the rods sits a full stack of dual-layer Lightstrike Professional foam, adidas’ most responsive cushioning materials, giving runners explosive toe-offs with out sacrificing consolation or stability.
“You can really feel the cushioning, but it surely didn’t get in the best way,” says Lu. “It really helped energy me ahead, particularly when the wind picked up.” Even in poor climate circumstances, Lu notes that the Continental™ rubber outsole proved itself, gripping reliably on moist pavement and sharp turns with out compromising velocity. The brand new higher—breathable, with minimal overlays, stayed safe at the same time as circumstances grew to become more difficult.
For Blanco, ICEE was much less about time and extra about rhythm: “I needed to dial in my type and pacing forward of longer races this summer season. The shoe simply felt predictable in a great way—steady, easy and responsive.”
“It was extremely mild,” Juan says. “You place it on and immediately really feel such as you’re in racing mode.” Juan walked away with a course private finest, shaving over three minutes off his earlier time. Blanco declared the Adios Professional 4 his new race-day decide and is wanting ahead to utilizing them once more quickly. All three runners agreed that along with the modern options, the shoe gave them confidence, particularly contemplating the tough circumstances. It helped them lean in, keep aggressive and really feel protected in sections when races sometimes take a toll on the legs.
The Adios Professional 4 doesn’t simply promise efficiency—it delivers it. Whether or not you’re chasing your first 10K or eyeing a brand new marathon private finest, it’s a shoe constructed for runners pushing their very own definition of quick.