The heel is MUCH lower than the outside foam.
So the foam is for support, right?
The problem for shoe manufacturers is that they would love to build and sell simpler shoes but it doesn’t help them if people get injured because they heel strike through life with slow cadence. So here’s a shoe that can be sold as “low to the ground” as it is hip right now but at the same time it has support for people who never ran properly.
Haile would NEVER run in this shoe.
- the support
- the loose fit
- the lacing
I’m sure the Zoot can be a shoe for many triathletes - I was impressed by the sockless feel of their “racer” - but don’t compare it to the Adios.
Also, Zoot is selling the tri lifestyle. It’s a triathlon running shoe. I think they do that part quite well (I personally hate their design so they must be good at it). I bet most people who do their run training in triathlon clothes wear Zoot. 
The foam on the outside of the heel is for aesthetics. Unless the athlete is already a terrible heelstriker, that part never hits the ground.
It doesn’t matter how big and puffy it looks, the salient data is the position it puts your foot in when it hits the ground, and in this case it will put your foot in the same position as many other dedicated road racing flats like the Adios. The secondary bits- looser fit, speed laces, etc are a matter of preference and nothing more, certainly not enough to put the Zoots into a completely different category. And what are you talking about when you say “support”? This is a neutral racing flat, there is no support at all.
I never even attempted to imply that Haile would run in this shoe. The Adios was designed for him, why would he run in something else?
It seems like you think that the only reason people buy the Zoots is because of the marketing, and that they are garbage as shoes. Personally, I didn’t like the Zoots very much either- my foot is too skinny to be comfortable in them, but they’re not trash. Are they worth $150? I don’t think so. Are they shoes that automatically make their owner a mediocre athlete? Absolutely not. Now K-Swiss on the other hand… (jk)