Distance running stars set for Adizero Road to Records showdowns

Herzogenaurach in Germany is poised to stage the fourth annual Adidas event, on 27 April, with Agnes Ngetich, Senbere Teferi, Yomif Kejelcha, Jacob Krop, and Hobbs Kessler among entries.

The first ever Adizero Road To Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in 2021 saw two world records fall as the late Agnes Tirop took 28 seconds off the 19-year-old women-only mark for 10km as she clocked 30:01, while Teferi produced an outright world record for 5km of 14:29.

Sadly there will be no Tirop but Teferi is due to race on the specially constructed road racing course at the Adidas headquarters.

In total this weekend’s event is set to see 120 elite Adidas-sponsored athletes from 26 countries racing over 800m, one mile, 5km, and 10km.

The races will take place around the Adidas World of Sports campus.

Among the confirmed participants is the current 10km world record-holder Ngetich of Kenya, former 5km world record-holder Teferi of Ethiopia, Kejelcha of Ethiopia, Krop of Kenya, and world one-mile road champion Kessler of the United States.

For the first time, the elite race course has been updated to be entirely run on tarmac and asphalt, removing the artificial grass sections from previous years, to make it even faster for the athletes.

With each lap spanning just over 1.3km in distance around the iconic Adidas campus buildings, the course is set to be a visual spectacle for both athletes and spectators alike.

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On race day, there will be several special guest appearances, including Haile Gebrselassie, footballer Alessandro Del Piero, and the German Paralympic athletics team.

Following the elite races, there will be an Adizero: Road to Records 5km Run available for the public.

“For athletes, runners, running fans, employees, media, influencers, sport, and business partners, Adizero: Road to Records means so much more than just a day of racing; it’s a celebration of athletes and sport at its best,” says Alberto Uncini Manganelli of Adidas.

“It honours the top performances in the elite races, and the unyielding competitive spirit at the heart of our brand, while celebrating all types of runners in the 5km run, from PBs-seekers to beginners. This event shows our relentless commitment to drive sport and performance to new, unseen, and unexpected levels, to make the best products for all runners – it unites us, our teams, athletes, and partners to the same mission.”

This year, for the first time, Adidas has created a limited-edition Adizero: Road to Records race pack which all athletes will be wearing on race day in honour of Tirop.

The race kit includes special editions of the Adizero Takumi Sen 10 and Adizero Adios Pro 3, as well as crcrop topsshorts and singlets. The leopard print designs are inspired by the race kit Tirop wore at Adizero: Road to Records in 2021.

The race pack was designed with the ambition to raise awareness for the issue of gender-based violence against women and to keep Tirop’s legacy alive, with a portion of the proceeds going to Tirop’s Angels – an organisation set up by family members, fellow athletes and friends of Tirop’s following her death.