Adidas just unveiled a brand-new Evo for the trails, here’s what you need to know

A whole new Evo

TAYLOR: Adidas just launched its newest trail racing shoe, and I have to say, while it’s highly innovative, I’m not too surprised.

Innovation isn’t lost on Adidas. It’s a common thread that runs throughout their history that has led them to forge surprising paths, not just for the sake of doing so, but because they simply think differently.

Most recently, we’ve seen it on the roads with marathon world records, a 50-mile world record, and the Badwater 135 records all going down. Obviously, the athletes are important for such tasks, but of secondary importance is their footwear. All of them were wearing shoes from Adidas’ Adizero Evo line that represents the pinnacle of running shoe innovation right now.

Adidas has been equally as bold on the trails with its Agravic lineup. While the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra 2 showcases its wild and speedy design, its whole lineup is impressive in its own right.

Again, most recently, the Adidas Terrex Agravic SL showcased a beautiful adaptation of its most popular road shoe design (Adidas Evo SL) for the trails. No, Adidas didn’t just throw lugs on the bottom of the Evo SL and call it good. It took the ideas and principles behind what made this shoe so popular and designed the Agravic SL to fit the same niche for the trails.

That’s the whole idea with the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra Evo as well. It’s not a 1-for-1 pull-over. Adidas took the idea of superior design and applied it to trail and ultra running. Below will outline the details of the shoe itself. Just know, as wild as the $500 price tag is, if this shoe can bring comparable performance to the trails as it did on the roads, we all best be saving our birthday money.

Key details

What’s in the secret sauce?

TAYLOR: The silhouette of the shoe obviously borrows design inspo from the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3, aka the record-setting shoe brands are chasing right now. The potential rub here is that the shoe is built for speed on the flat and fast, while the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra Evo is built for elevation.

To achieve performance, some trail-ifying adjustments had to be made, like tuning foam density, broadening the footprint, integrating a higher gaiter, utilizing a lightweight, durable mesh upper, and adding a full rubber Continental outsole that’s both aggressive and minimal at the same time.

That’s basic-level stuff, though. The real innovation comes in the details you can’t necessarily see. Let’s check into this midsole further. A large part of the Evo line’s success is the integration of a carbon rim, which is integrated into the Agravic Speed Ultra Evo as well. In a basic sense, it provides a functional stability that a plate can’t provide while offering the efficiency and zippiness that comes from a modern race day shoe.

Sandwiching the rim is an updated dual-density Lightstrike Pro midsole foam, where the bulk of the recipe is TPEE. It’s an increasingly popular compound that allows for some of the most luscious underfoot sensation while still providing high-end performance. It tends to be softer than the traditional PEBA and aTPU, but still provides comparable (or more) energy return, especially in conjunction with other tech.

Like many other high-stack shoes and race day options for the trails, we noticed that the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra Evo actually comes in under the 40mm cut. At 39/33mm stack (6mm drop), we’re expecting a whole lot more perceivable control out of this package as compared to the Agravic Speed Ultra 2.

Where can you get the shoe?

TAYLOR: If you’re heading to the Super Bowl of trail running, you can snag yourself an early pair of the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra Evo on August 25, 2026, for $500. Only two select shops will have pairs. Otherwise, check it out at UTMB’s expo or on the feet of many of Adidas’ athletes competing throughout the week.

• Snell Sports: 104 Rue du Dr Paccard, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
• Ravanel: 53 Avenue du Mont-Blanc, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

For those not able to attend, well… we’ll have to wait until later this year for these kicks to hit the broader market in December. In the meantime, you can also check out the product page at Running Warehouse using the button below.