It was Thursday, before going down in history. Far from the sea, from media pressure. In it Parque Grande de Zaragoza , so many times watered with sweat. An activation training before traveling to the City of Running. 2 x 300 + 1 x 3000 + 2 x 200. Five strokes and home. A procedure. And then why did a talent of his category have uncertainty overwhelming his brain? Because it was the first time in his life that he was going to test the adidas Adizero Adios Pro EVO 1, 'the ones with 500 bucks' as the people have called them.
Note the verb testar. Do not fit. Not even running. He had already combined these last two some time ago, when he was chosen among the talents of adidas to star in the launch announcement of this shoe that has been on the lips of anyone who has a penchant for taking four strides from time to time for almost two months. "When we recorded I had to go on a tape and then I realized that things were promising: at 20 kilometers per hour you can't imagine how loose I was... Before, as soon as I put them on I already knew that they were comfortable, very comfortable, but of course "That's one thing and really giving it a go is another," recalls the new national record holder of 21,097 km ( 59:39, fourth best European mark in history ).
And we returned to the asphalt. A session destined to light a spark in legs stuffed with kilometers (he has an appointment with Pheidippides on December 3). Lots of cruising speed, good diesel, little gasoline. Only minimally electrical stimuli in recent months (the vast majority of time spent in long concentrations at altitude). “A long time ago I did 300 in 47-48 seconds, so I thought I would have to push hard to be at those rates,” says Carlos, a man who soon discovered his mistake: “The first one came in 45 seconds! I thought: This is going like a machine!” In his innocence, he came to believe that the time was benevolent because the straight was a bit downward, and he went out for the 200th second with the intention of - looser, more relaxed - doing 47 seconds. Again… Boom! “I finished in 46, and this time it was in the other direction, that is, with an unfavorable slope.”
In 3000, disbelief increased. “The goal was to go 2:50”, the average pace per kilometer of his later mark in Valencia. He nailed it, but “with the feeling of walking. I met the triathlete Marta Pintanel , who was recording me, and I was talking to her calmly. The 200 confirmed all of the above: “At 29 seconds, almost without pushing. After that I put them in the box until Sunday.”
At the exit they looked almost like the day we held them in our hands (protected by gloves) at the official presentation to the media; Bikila was the only store invited (if you have to take out your chest from time to time, you take it out and nothing happens). Engraved with 138, the numbering that corresponds to it among the only 521 copies that exist on the planet. The same number as grams appear in the official weight offered by the German firm, "although on my foot, 9.5 USA, the scale says it is 132." With them he surpassed the record of an athlete (59:52, Berlin 2001) who is not an athlete. Fabián Roncero , living myth whose anecdotes populate the conversations of every good geek gathering. One of those guys who, when they turn on their number, emanate that enigmatic feeling that something is going to happen. The audacity, the bravery, the spectacle, the magic… and the lordship: “I'm glad it was Carlos.” It is the message received just a minute after he crossed the finish line.
And Carlos, the day after, his 'legs' less sore than other times, takes a few seconds to describe his new traveling companions. He ends up opting for clairvoyance: “Lightness is another thing… It's spectacular technical work!” An understandable summary of the revolution that has entailed combining carbon rods ( Energyrods ) with the Evolved Lightstrike Pro, the new version of the revolutionary Lightstrike Pro foam, which, in the words of adidas designers: “Helps our athletes beat records, is created through a compression-free molding process. Its innovative manufacturing process significantly reduces weight and provides greater energy return. Additionally, the shoe's structure has been optimized to reduce weight by eliminating the insole. And there is still: “The sole has a new technology that provides greater traction and significantly lower weight. The new lightweight mesh upper has also been designed to reduce the weight of the shoe.”
But Carlos has sat down with us to talk about sensations, not catalog milestones, so he continues to put into words what he perceived on the asphalt of the Mediterranean: “It's as if you weren't wearing anything in the distal part - it's obvious that the boy studied Medicine- of your body. If you close your eyes and put your feet up you will think you are barefoot.” Then the comparisons, which are odious, but make coffees morbile: What difference do you think there would have been between this, the third half of your life, and the previous two (resolved in 1:00:06 and 1:00:58 , in 2020 and 2021 respectively, both in Valencia) if you had then had the Adizero Adios Pro EVO 1?
"It's very complicated. First of all, I don't know if I was fitter than when I did 1:00:06 because I trained differently. Pepe Mareca , my coach at the time, was not one to do many tests, but we did do more typical training in which it was easy to predict what you could run when it was time to compete. Now with Juan Carlos Galán , everything is quite different, I have done many more controlled rhythms while being comfortable,” he introduces before specifying that “I did the 1:00:06 with the Adizero Adios Pro 1 and the sensations have nothing to do with those of the new version: I was suffering but relaxed, without fear of getting a puncture... but I sincerely believe that the gain compared to other shoes is impossible to calculate because it depends on many factors. That said, I don't think it's measured in minutes. What I do know is that, if I had seen Spain's record slipping away, I could have pushed harder. That's for sure, another thing is that it would have burst later, but I promise I had the ability to do so. Look at the last thousand, I make a sharp change and get away from the rivals - the Portuguese Samuel Barata and the Italian Pietro Riva - because he wanted to be the first European, not just the first Spaniard; “That means my legs are in good shape.”
Carlos describes his performance in the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso Half Marathon as “very average. The first very fast 5K, 13:58 (at 2:47 minutes per kilometer). Then we stabilized in the second, 14:15 (2:51), and accelerated somewhat, but without going crazy, in the last two: 14:06 (2:49) and 14:13 (2:51) and in the Final 1097 meters I did 3:07 (2:50). The other times I went more in progression, from less to more. So the feeling was that I finished strong even though I had run very fast in the first half of the race compared to my two previous attempts. Not to mention that afterwards I felt great, much less tired.”
There is just over a month left until he faces the first marathon of his sporting career. Talking about Spain's record is not pressure, it is a latent reality given what has been seen. Talent and mathematics play in their favor. Also the shoes, whose behavior at 42,195 meters we will talk about then.
And don't forget that it will be at BIKILA where you will find out, before anyone else, when the adidas Adizero Adios Pro EVO 1 are back on sale.