How would you like to level up your running with the help of a professional mentor? Thanks to adidas Terrex, that’s what six lucky runners will receive this year — completely free of charge.
The unique giveaway, part of the adidas Terrex Strava challenge, is tied to the launch of the highly anticipated adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra this week. After winning dozens of competitions over the last 2 years, this marks the first time Terrex has made the shoes publicly available. To promote the launch, adidas Terrex is giving away six pairs of the technical trail shoes and 4 months of coaching, led by renowned trail runners Corrine Malcolm and Eric LiPuma.
The challenge, which is open to the public, includes “tailored support” and access to the team’s sports psychologists, according to the company. And it will culminate with a race at adidas Terrex Infinite Trails in Bad Hofgastein, Austria, in Sept. 2024.
adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra
Adidas Terrex has plenty of reasons to feel proud of its newest trail runner — 30 of them, to be exact.
That’s the number of wins runners earned in 2022 and 2023 with prototypes of the Agrivic Speed Ultra on their feet, according to adidas Terrex. Notable first-place victories with the shoes include Pablo Villa in Transgrancanaria, Tom Evans in MIUT 85k, Ruth Croft at the Western States Run, and Petter Engdahl at UTMB CCC.
Runners like them shared feedback on the shoes with scientists at the University of Salzburg, who conducted in-depth research about what it takes to win ultramarathons. They concluded that most long-distance races are primarily won on the downhill sections. So, they focused their efforts on developing a shoe with maximum speed in those conditions.
“This shoe was built with input from the best trail runners in the world,” Julian Fritz, who studies Athlete Science Biomechanics at the university, said in a promo video. “We got this clear brief, saying: ‘We need a trail running shoe that is able to win.'”
So, while adidas may have chosen to release the Agravic Speed Ultra on April Fool’s Day, it appears dead serious about its claims for designing a faster running shoe. The shoe has three main elements: LIGHTSTRIKE PRO foam for absorbing energy, Energy Rods, which push the runner with every step, and a rocker geometry.
Enter to Win: adidas Terrex Strava Challenge
To enter to win the mentorship and a pair of Agravic Speed Ultra shoes, start by joining the adidas Terrex Strava challenge, beginning on April 8. You’ll need to complete 500 m of elevation gain in the challenge before it ends on April 21.
Upon completion, the runners will receive a link to enter a raffle for the mentorship. If selected, they begin the program in June and will receive 4 months of personalized coaching, done virtually. The six mentored runners will also get a pair of Agravic Speed Ultras, along with a complete running outfit to wear at adidas Terrex Infinite Trails in September.
As for the rest of us, the Agravic Speed Ultra is now available online for both men and women for $220. So is the Agravic Speed, a “lite” version of the shoe meant for medium trail races up to 50K.
