Back in April, Adidas simultaneously broke two record books at once when the 97-gram Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 carried Sabastian Sawe to the first official sub-two-hour marathon. And just five short months later, we’ve got a new lightweight challenger entering the arena. Timed to the Berlin Marathon this weekend, Mizuno has unveiled a laceless, carbon-plated concept racer that slips beneath its German rival by exactly one gram, fittingly dubbed the Hyperwarp 96.
One Gram Past Adidas
Mizuno’s figure is roughly 96 grams for one 27.0cm shoe (a men’s US 9), and adidas quotes 97 grams for the Evo 3 in a UK 8.5 (essentially the same size).
Interestingly enough, each brand decided to take their own route to get here. Adidas hit 97 by swapping a traditional plate for its EnergyRim carbon frame. Mizuno, however, kept their full-length carbon plate in tact (its 3D-molded Smooth Speed Plate), and still came in lighter anyway.
Machined, Not Molded
Rather than pouring foam into a mold, Mizuno machines each one of their midsoles from a new compound called Enerzy XP+ Limited Edition. It’s a material that exists in this shoe and literally nowhere else. Any foam that isn’t pulling its weight at foot strike has been cut away entirely.
And yet the stack barely suffers, with 39mm under the heel and 36mm up front for a 3mm drop, a hair beneath World Athletics’ 40mm ceiling (the shoe is fully approved for competition, too). Credit Mizuno’s beefed-up Osaka R&D operation, which can now turn tester feedback into a fresh prototype within 48 hours.
No Laces, No Nonsense
Up top, the Dual Skin Upper does away with laces and internal straps altogether. TPU fibers are instead laid down at varying densities and angles, packed tighter around the lower foot and thinner above it, forming a fitted shell in the same spirit as On’s LightSpray experiments.
This all sounds great on paper, and certainly feels like a rational way to finish a build this fanatical about weight, but we’d wager that things will get truly tested during lockdown over a 26.2-mile run.
Spec Sheet
Brand: Mizuno
Model: Hyperwarp 96
Weight: ~96g / 3.4 oz (27.0cm, single shoe)
Stack Height: 39mm heel / 36mm forefoot
Drop: 3mm
Midsole: Machined Mizuno Enerzy XP+ Limited Edition foam
Plate: Full-length 3D carbon Smooth Speed Plate
Upper: Laceless TPU-fiber Dual Skin Upper
World Athletics Approved: Yes
Colorway: White/Black
Limited Edition?: Yes, 696 pairs (serialized)
Release Date: December 4, 2026
Pricing & Availability
Befitting its concept-model status, Mizuno is producing just 696 serialized pairs worldwide, each shipping in a special edition box. The Hyperwarp 96 goes on sale December 4 through Mizuno’s online store and direct retail locations for ¥88,000 (~$555), with select running retailers receiving allocations from January 2027 and UK pricing expected to land around £400. Head over to Mizuno’s website to keep tabs.
Recap
Mizuno Hyperwarp 96
Machined from an all-new foam and limited to just 696 serialized pairs, Mizuno’s laceless 96-gram Hyperwarp 96 edges out the Adidas Pro Evo 3 as the lightest carbon-plated super shoe on record.
