ADIDAS REIMAGINED CARB-LOADING AS A CITY-WIDE CULTURAL MOMENT DURING MARATHON WEEK

Adizero Pasta reframed carb-loading from a private routine into a collective moment, embedding performance culture into the days leading up to race day.

During marathon week in Dubai, adidas showed up where runners’ attention truly lives: in the rituals that define preparation, not just performance. Rather than focusing solely on race day, the brand leaned into one of running culture’s most universal behaviours – carb-loading – and reimagined it as a shared, city-wide moment rooted in culture, craft, and community.

Built on the insight that every marathon runner, regardless of pace or ability, follows the same pre-race fuelling routine, adidas transformed what is typically a private, functional act into a collective experience. In collaboration with local Italian pastificio Sagra, the brand introduced Adizero Pasta, a limited-edition food concept designed to embed the Adizero performance ethos into the cultural moments that surround preparation, discipline, and performance.

On 31 January, one day ahead of race day, adidas hosted a live pre-race fuelling moment at the Adizero House of Fast at Kite Beach. Registered marathon runners were invited to collect complimentary Adizero Pasta by presenting their race bib or runner ID, creating a shared pause in the city’s marathon build-up and bringing runners together ahead of the start line.

To extend the experience beyond a single physical location, adidas partnered with Careem, making Adizero Pasta available across Dubai for a limited time. By integrating the ritual into an everyday platform, the brand scaled a niche runner behaviour into a wider city moment – reinforcing accessibility while remaining rooted in performance culture.

The pasta itself took the form of a limited-edition ravioli inspired by the Adizero EVO SL, translating the Adizero performance ethos into a food format that bridged sport, craft, and culture. Collaborating with Sagra ensured the concept remained grounded in local culinary expertise, positioning the activation as a credible cultural moment rather than a promotional gimmick.

By reframing fuelling as part of the wider marathon-week narrative, adidas reinforced its positioning as a performance brand embedded in the lived experience of sport. Adizero Pasta demonstrated a culture-first approach to brand storytelling – rooted in insight, enabled through partnerships, and designed to connect meaningfully with communities in the moments that matter most.

Source: adidas

  Adidas, Collaboration, Dubai, experiential, Havas, Havas Middle East, Limited-Edition, Marketing, Sagra