Kit & Gear

Developing the adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra with Ekaterina Mityaeva

The world isn’t always kind to dreamers, they are described as having their heads in the clouds…as being out of touch with reality. But for Russia’s Ekaterina Mityaeva, one of the world's quickest ultra-distance trail runners, chasing dreams is central to her pursuit of the trails. For Ekaterina, it starts by looking from within. After unlocking her imagination and visualising her path, she takes a new approach to winning races and hitting the trails in the adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra; a shoe she helped co-create with adidas TERREX.

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Pictured: The adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra in action. Photo credit: Jake Baggaley and www.adidas.co.uk

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INTRODUCING THE NEW ADIDAS TERREX AGRAVIC ULTRA

The adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra is made for mountain trails and features technologies designed to excel on technical trails and paths. Incorporating first-hand feedback and insight from elite ultra- distance runner Ekaterina Mityaeva and the TERREX trail running team, the TERREX Agravic Ultra features a bio based TPE plate made out of 90% renewable carbon to help provide durable rock protection for runners on technical ascents and descents.

Created with one goal in mind - to make an all-out performance race shoe to tackle technical mountain trails.

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BEHIND THE DESIGN WITH ADIDAS TERREX TEAM ATHLETE EKATERINA MITYAEVA

Having previously finished in 4th place at UTMB® in 2019, Ekaterina’s dream is to stand on the podium of this highly prestigious race. This year, she will take on the extremely technical and wildly demanding TDS® race using the TERREX Agravic Ultra, a shoe she helped co-create.

In this interview with SportsShoes Trail athlete Ben Mounsey, she tells us more about this exciting new adidas trail shoe release, her part in the design and development process and gives us her top trail running recommendations and advice.

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Pictured: Ekaterina Mityaeva, adidas TERREX Trail team athlete. Photo credit: www.adidas.co.uk

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How did your involvement with adidas TERREX and the Agravic Ultra shoe work in practical terms? Did you try out lots of prototypes?

I was very happy to take part in the creation of the TERREX Agravic Ultra, it was super fun and a really interesting process to be involved in! From the outset, I highlighted the fundamental features that I think should be in a shoe for ultra races - a grippy outsole that holds well on technical trails and something that protects the foot on descents. The outcome was a shoe that uses a completely unique protective plate to reduce impacts on descents but also keeps your legs feeling energetic for longer to really push hard in the second half of the race.

I had one pair of prototypes that I tested for about two months (over 600km of running) and provided day-by-day feedback to the product development team. The changes and tweaks I suggested were built into future iterations for testing with the rest of the adidas Trail Running team.

Specifically, where did you test them? And in what conditions did you test them?

I tested the early prototype shoes across a variety of conditions in my home mountains of Elbrus in Russia, as well as the European Alps. The diversity of trail terrain and variety of weather conditions that these locations offered allowed me to dig into the intricate details of the shoe and make changes that I felt needed. From tweaking the level of grip to refining the overall feel of the shoe on ascents and descents - I was able to use my experience to help the product designers create something that I knew I could race the most technically demanding trails in.

Who else tested them?

In the research and development stage, the full adidas TERREX Team were invited to test and provide feedback so that we could build a well-rounded and well-tested product that we loved. From this, we found the shoes performed so well for lots of different runners;

Sabrina Stanley winning Hard Rock 100 in the Agravic Ultra - her shoe of choice for technical ultra trails.

Timothy Olsen achieved the Fastest Known Time on the Pacific Crest Trail with the Agravic Ultra in his rotation. He cycled through a variety of shoes during his 51 days, 16 hours and 55 minutes FKT on the PCT - for the steeper, more technical sections, Timothy opted for the TERREX Agravic Ultra.

What is special about the Agravic Ultra and what do you like about them the most?

In trail running, the most important thing is to keep your feet fresh and we tried to implement this within the design. The shoe has protective plates that work perfectly on descents, especially on technical trails where there are a lot of stones.

I consider shoes to be the most important element of equipment in trail running. When running in the mountains, the ground and slope are constantly changing, so it is necessary that the shoes cope with the different conditions and terrain. In ultra-races, it is very important to keep the leg muscles fresher for the second half of the distance and the Agravic Ultra really help with this.

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Pictured: Ekaterina wearing the adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra to train at altitude. Photo credit: www.adidas.co.uk

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Let’s talk about the TDS® – can you describe your preparation and training in the build up to the event?

I am insanely glad that trail racing has finally resumed this year! For me, the TDS® is the main focus of this season, because this year I am not running the UTMB®.

My training is going well and I have been doing plenty of training at altitude in the mountains. Before coming to France, I trained in the Elbrus region at an altitude of 2200m. This is a great place to prepare for TDS®. And now is the final stage of my training, so for more than a month I have been in Chamonix with my adidas TERREX team, where the ideal conditions for training are created and it is incredibly cool!

My training program is very diverse, most of it is training in the mountains, but I also incorporate strength training and some cycling.

Are you feeling confident for the race?

In ultra-distance racing, psychology plays a crucial role and it is very important to be mentally prepared as you approach a big event. I always have a plan for the race and if I manage to implement it I always feel confident to the very end.

What other kit and equipment will you wear and use for the race?

I will run in adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra shoes, an adidas TERREX Agravic Pro T-shirt, adidas TERREX Agravic Pro shorts, an adidas TERREX Agravic backpack and adidas sport sunglasses. If the weather is cold and wet, then I may have to wear an adidas TERREX Agravic Pro Rain Jacket.

Will you aim to tackle the UTMB® race next year?

In 2019, I tried UTMB® and it was very difficult, but I really liked it. So, yes! I definitely want to run UTMB® again!

Who or what inspires you the most?

I am inspired by the emotions that I get from the race, from nature, from the fans and from my team! For me, this is the most priceless and most important thing and it helps to make my life very interesting and wonderful!

What are your goals for the future?

It is not so important for me to win all the races, so the ‘here and now’ is more important because I want to enjoy life in the moment. I want to live this life as long as possible and enjoy it all, showing excellent results wherever possible, but it really is more about the journey.

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Pictured: Ekaterina testing the adidas TERREX Agravic Ultra on extreme trail terrain. Photo credit: www.adidas.co.uk

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Do you have any key pieces of advice for any aspiring trail runners and particularly those who are new to the sport?

The most important thing is to create a long-term goal for yourself and start running short distances and gradually increase the mileage as not to discourage the desire and not harm your health. Also, do not forget to eat plenty during races, drink enough water and let the body recover well after every competition! And of course, choose the right equipment!

Thanks for taking the time to chat to us Ekaterina - we wish you the very best of luck for the TDS® and all your future races!

You can follow Ekaterina and all of her running adventures here.

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