Product— adidas Adizero Takumi Sen 8
Release Date— Wednesday 1st December 2021
Reviewer— Sean Marshall | @seanmarshall._

It was a long 15 years between periods of competitive running. But when I stepped back into this world from over a decade off, and seeing the advancements in shoe tech, an air of skepticism was unavoidable. Back in high school in the north west of England, cross-country was heavy leather clad football boots or thin flat PE pumps. That was it. So I could be excused (like many I’m sure) for looking at a pair of carbon shoes and thinking ‘how much difference could a pair of shoes realistically make?’

I’ve always been a Nike guy, but I must say that growing up playing soccer alongside running cross, I’ve always thought the undisputed pinnacle of simplistic style when it comes the sports shoe was the Adidas Copa Mundial. Think the icons Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane bossing the pitch. That’s what I got when I first saw the Adidas Takumi Sen 8 in B&W. A modern twist on a timeless classic look.

Built for speed over the 10k, the Takumi Sen 8 takes everything that is great about the Adios Pro and refines it into a super lightweight racer that delivers on the concrete or the track (weighing in at just 185g). I have taken this shoe out for a tempo on concrete that felt naked in effort.  And on the track, the streamlined design and refined stack height provides an increased level of stability compared to its taller marathon partner.  Lightweight and supportive is nothing new, but the Takumi truly delivers with its flexible sock-like feel and noticeable energy return in every step on hard ground, or track. A great tempo runner and a truly great racer.

Needless to say, I don’t remember how fast my football boots or pumps had me moving. But it must be said that this shoe feels fast, responsive and comfortable. And with Adidas pushing on with their ‘end to plastic waste’ campaign, the 50% recycled upper goes a ways to moving sustainable shoe tech towards a bright new horizon.