Speed Vs. Durability: Adidas' Pricy Adizero Stirs Debate Among Runners, But Will The Price Justify The Pace?

Ethiopian athlete Tigist Assefa reportedly wore Adidas AG's (OTC:ADDYY) (OTC:ADDDF) latest running shoes when she set a new women's marathon world record in Berlin.

Reports suggest that Assefa marveled at the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 sneakers, praising them as the lightest racing shoes she'd ever worn, according to a report by the Guardian.

The Adizero sneakers, launched on Sep. 14, come with a hefty price tag that may give amateur runners a pause.

Priced at $500 per pair, the sneakers are $225 more expensive than Nike, Inc.'s (NYSE:NKE) Alphafly 2 equivalent, raising questions about their appeal to amateur runners, according to a report by Reuters.

"The price tag is just insane," said Harry Swinhoe, founder of Grove Lane Runners, an amateur running club in southeast London, as per Reuters. "People will flock to it, but I wonder whether the average runner will really feel the benefit of the ultra-supershoe versus the supershoe or the normal shoe."

These shoes feature innovations like thick shock-absorbing foam and carbon fiber plates to help athletes run more efficiently.

These shoes are just 138 grams (5 ounces). Adidas acknowledges that these shoes prioritize speed over durability, the report adds. The company released only 521 pairs on the initial launch day, with a second release planned for November.

In a separate turn of events, Adidas's CEO Bjørn Gulden was recently in the news headlines after expressing his beliefs about remarks made by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Gulden suggests that the controversial rapper did not intend the antisemitic comments he made last year, The Hill reported.

However, he later apologized for questioning whether Ye meant the antisemitic statements he made last year, according to Bloomberg.

Price Action: ADDYY shares traded lower by 1.19% to $84.58 on the last check Tuesday.

Photo Via Company

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.