What can you do if you love running and also like to make sure you adhere to social distancing rules? Take on the trails, of course! And if you are planning on keeping your ankles intact as you tackle forest trails, you'll need the best trail running shoes, namely the Adidas Terrex Two Ultra Parley, a pair of high-performance yet sustainable trail shoes that have just been crowned King of the Mountains (and valleys) in the T3 Awards 2020.
Adidas chose a different path to Nike with running shoes innovation. Sure, there is plenty of innovation coming from Germany still but it's more along the line of sustainability and radically new manufacturing technologies, which is going to be the main focus for Adidas in the near future.
As for sustainability, Adidas teamed up with environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans to create the Adidas x Parley line of clothes and shoes that use recycled plastic from ocean waste. Each pair of Adidas Terrex Two Ultra Parley contains 11 PET bottles worth of plastic, so running in the Adidas Terrex Two Ultra Parley won't make you Captain Planet for sure but it's still an admirable effort.
• Scale technical mountains with ease in the Adidas Terrex Speed LD trail running shoes
The Adidas Terrex Two Ultra Parley utilises the Boost midsole technology, used in many Adidas road running shoes such as the Adidas Pulseboost HD. The midsole contains tiny TPU capsules that are moulded together to form a platform that's different from solid foams: Boost midsoles are bouncy and soft, reducing impact force whilst still providing loads of of energy return. Adidas also claims Boost midsoles will provide the same running dynamics all the way down to -20 degree celsius: something I won't be able to test anytime soon.
On the outsole, you'll find the durable Continental Rubber compound which provides traction on hard surfaces like rocks and firmer trail roads. The lugs bite into softer surfaces to help you move forward and change direction quickly on any surface a trail road can throw at you.
• All the other Award winners so far from the T3 Awards 2020
More running essentials
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T3 Awards 2020: Specialized Roubaix Sport takes the yellow jersey as our most beloved road bikeThe daddy of all road bikes has pro spec but is comfortable enough for mere mortals to ride
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T3 Awards 2020 week is a wrap! Here are ALL the winners from phones to fitness…Which products and services are the ones you need in your life in 2020? Here's our pick of the best
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T3 Awards 2020: Nike's ZoomX Vaporfly Next% wins our Tech Innovation AwardNike's incredible ZoomX Vaporfly Next% shoes sprint to victory in our innovation award, thanks to their game-changing results
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T3 Awards 2020: The Xiaomi M365 is crowned the top electric scooter you can buyAn excellent balance between weight, range, speed and price, the Xiaomi M365 is the best electric scooter you can buy
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T3 Awards 2020: The Shackleton Endurance Down Parka is the ultimate winter jacketOur Best Winter Jacket Award goes to the Shackleton Endurance Down Parka, a snug, stylish jacket which can be worn anywhere
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T3 Awards 2020: Whyte S-150C RS V2 reaches the mountain bike peak, leaves the rest trailingIt's a 29er… but only when you want it to be
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T3 Awards 2020: VanMoof S3 is the electric bike that this year was crying out forThe VanMoof S3 is theft-proof, idiot-proof, sleek, chic and effortlessly slick
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T3 Awards 2020: Fitbit Charge 4 is the best Fitbit ever for more intense activityCharge 4 is also a very capable counter of steps and tracker of sleep, of course, but it's the more sweat-friendly functions that make it our winner
