adidas Ultraboost 22 - Q&A with Nora Wilimzig

adidas Running has unveiled the new adidas Ultraboost 22 road running shoes. This latest addition to the iconic Ultraboost line-up provides female runners with 4% more supreme energy return than the Ultraboost 21. Designed with our oceans in mind, it includes a CONTINENTAL™ natural rubber outsole and an upper made with yarn containing 50% Parley Ocean Plastic. The launch represents a key milestone in adidas’ long-term commitment to offer the best product to all women, through improvements and benefits that support the needs of its diverse community of women.

We interviewed adidas senior product manager Nora Wilimzig to find out more about this revolutionary new running shoe, created by an all women team and specifically tailored to the female foot.

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Hi Nora, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions about the exciting new adidas Ultraboost 22. You must be really proud of this design – it looks fantastic!

Yes, I am really proud of the design and the process, particularly how the shoe is looking right now as a finished product. We launched the Ultraboost in 2015 and since then, for the first time, we are now an all-female creation team and that’s pretty amazing in itself. A lot of the vibes and harmony within the team really went into this shoe.

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How much different is this shoe compared to previous versions of the Ultraboost?

So, we gave the new Ultraboost 22 women’s model a 360° fit update based on the female anatomy and that includes using a new shoe last*. Based on the unisex last of previous models, we created a unique female specific last for this shoe. The last is responsible for shaping the shoe inside and influencing how the shoe looks, but most importantly how it feels for the runners wearing it. The other part of this 360° fit improvement was an update to the outsole, specifically designed to suit the female gait cycle. Obviously, there is a male version of the Ultraboost too, but we felt that this was the time to create a female specific last and we’re all very happy with the end result.

*Shoe last is the form that shoemakers use in shoe moulding and is designed to be an anatomical copy of our feet.

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Is this going to be the first of many adidas shoes specifically designed for women? Are you planning on building all future models with the same female last?

adidas running has been working in this way before, so this isn’t really a new development but this is the first time that we’ve done it with the main Ultraboost model. We have previously created an Ultraboost for the female athlete with the Ultraboost X, but that was a very different look. So too was the way in which Boost and the Primeknit upper had previously worked together.

When we look at the top ten technical running shoes in both the US and European market place, we can see clearly that there is an overlap when we split these running shoes by gender. 7 out of 10 shoes were bought by male and female runners alike and this shows us that there are shared needs for both genders – most commonly targeted towards improving speed. But we obviously have anatomical differences and this is why we wanted to keep the main features of the Ultraboost, but enhance it further by creating a female-specific last to improve the fit and feeling for female runners.

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In terms of testing and development, how long does the process take to create a new shoe like the Ultraboost 22?

The first time the team and I sat together was at the end of November in 2019, so it’s almost exactly two years ago. In the first initial conversation we knew that we required an update on the Ultraboost, so we discussed how we could make it better this time round and further evolve the design. We tapped into recent studies at the time, using 1.2-million-foot scans that had been recorded in 2017 and 2018 and evaluated this data in 2019. So, it was a very up-to-date and first hand analysis of the market. We felt confident that there was a need to use a female-specific last, but also a need for an evolution of the upper. Looking at the very first Ultraboost and then to UB21, we could see that the Primeknit upper was very flexible but sometimes lacked a bit of support. As a result, we are now using a denser, stronger and more supportive material with UB22.

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Wow! 1.2-million-foot scans is an incredible amount! That’s some seriously extensive research. Did you work with a range of athletes and abilities during this testing process?

The 1.2-million-foot scans were part of an individual and independent study and we used this as a base. What we did then, throughout our development process, was to test the shoe with different kinds of tester pools. The first was with our adidas runners. They were super-helpful and very involved with the design process – from the very first sketch, throughout the testing process and right up until the final design. They gave us direct and very first-hand feedback, also how they felt from a consumer perspective. Not all of our consumers are technically-minded when it comes to running shoes, so it was great to speak to a wide range of people within our running community because they gave us valuable feedback, even on things that we didn’t originally consider. We have an internal testing pool and a number of key testing milestones. Our testers are very experienced, so they know exactly when and what to focus on when they’re wearing a new shoe. They know how to interpret what they see and feel e.g. when they have pressure points. The good thing is that they have tried all the different shoes within our running range and this is what makes their perspective and feedback so valuable.

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What has the feedback been like so far for the final version of the UB22?

We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from so many runners to say that they are super-happy with the updates, mainly the female specific improvements. They also said they could really feel how comfortable the shoe is, that it is the right fit in key areas and also flexible where it needs to be. As a product manager, this is really great to hear.

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Can you tell us more about the technical aspects and specification of this shoe?

Yes, of course. The adidas Ultraboost 22 features a new upper and LEP torsion system, combined with the iconic BOOST midsole to deliver superior energy return - 4% more than the Ultraboost 21 for women. The adidas Linear Energy Push (LEP) is an evolution of the torsion system, which works in harmony with the Boost midsole and the newly designed outsole for a more responsive ride. The shoe also features refined PRIMEKNIT+ forged zones which are made with yarn containing 50% Parley Ocean Plastic, providing an adaptive fit. The improved 360° fit is based on a new shoe last built on female anatomical insights. It reflects a narrower heel, a lower instep and keeps the unique S-curve heel. It is designed to work in harmony with the heel counter to let the Achilles tendon move more freely.

The weight is 338g for men and 283g for women (across average sizes for both genders). It also has a midsole drop of 10 mm, with a rearfoot stack height of 22 mm and forefoot stack height of12 mm.

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Finally, this is a question about the adidas Ultraboost in general, specifically for our customers who are unfamiliar with the shoe. Where does it fit into the whole spectrum of adidas running shoes, who is it aimed at and what type of running is it for?

The Ultraboost shoe is made for people who want an energised run. When creating the shoe, we are always thinking of a runner that is not necessarily a beginner and not necessarily a pro athlete, but someone who is experienced. Someone who is running regularly and over different distances. It’s the perfect everyday shoe, providing high levels of comfort and cushioning and one that is very responsive. The Ultraboost is so universal because it suits anyone who is looking for this popular combination of features in a running shoe.

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SHOP ALL ADIDAS ULTRABOOST 22 RUNNING SHOES NOW

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