Sabastian Sawe's Sub 2-hour Marathon Pushes Adidas Ahead In Race To Fit Feet For Record Feats

Sabastian Sawe wasn’t nan only victor Sunday erstwhile he became nan first personification to tally a marathon successful nether 2 hours successful a ineligible race, demolishing nan world grounds astatine nan London Marathon.

The Kenyan was wearing a brace of revolutionary ultralight shoes that pushed Adidas up of Nike successful different title — that of outfitting feet for grounds feats.

After crossing nan decorativeness statement successful 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, Sawe removed 1 of his Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 kicks and personification wrote “WR” and “sub2” connected it earlier he held it precocious successful triumph.

“To break nan world grounds is thing I person dreamed astir for a agelong time, and to execute it intends truthful overmuch to maine and to nan athletics of running,” Sawe told reporters. “It reflects nan difficult activity down nan scenes, nan support of my team, and nan domiciled of invention successful helping maine push beyond limits. I’m honored to beryllium portion of a caller section for nan sport.”

Also wearing nan Adidas shoes were second-place men’s finisher Yomif Kejelcha, who collapsed nan two-hour obstruction astatine 1:59:41, and women’s title victor Tigist Assefa, who became nan fastest female marathon runner ever, breaking her world grounds by 9 seconds to decorativeness successful 2:15:41.

“The Adidas family is incredibly proud of Sabastian and Tigist’s historical achievements,” Patrick Nava, wide head astatine Adidas running, said. “This is simply a testament to nan years of difficult activity and dedication they person made, alongside our invention team, who person built a supershoe which breaks caller crushed successful nan Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3.”
Athletic footwear titans Adidas and Nike person been successful a decade-long title to create a footwear that would propel a runner 26.2 miles successful nether 2 hours. Nike developed c fibre moving shoes arsenic portion of its Breaking 2 task successful 2016, an invention credited for faster marathon times.

The shoes athletics chunky soles pinch rigid, curved c plates and lightweight foam, and Nike asserts they amended moving system by arsenic overmuch arsenic 4%. The plates are springy, resulting successful a propulsive effect while enhancing ft stability.

Alas, those Nike ZoomX Vaporfly shoes person yet to alteration a runner to break nan 2-hour obstruction successful a ineligible marathon, though Eliud Kipchoge wore nan shoes successful 2019 while moving 1:59:40 astatine a staged arena successful Vienna, Austria, that was not record-eligible.

The erstwhile recognized world grounds of 2:00:35 was group astatine ⁠the Chicago Marathon successful October 2023 by nan precocious Kelvin Kiptum, who wore a Nike Alphafly 3 prototype.

Sawe, 29, was a repetition London Marathon winner, and he has won each 4 awesome marathons he has raced. He sewage faster arsenic nan title progressed. Assefa, 29, besides vanished beardown for her 4th awesome marathon victory. The Ethiopian won nan London Marathon past twelvemonth arsenic good and has won doubly successful Berlin.

Both runners were elite earlier donning Adidas kicks. But nan truth remains that they are dedicated wearers and spokes folks for that marque — and not Nike. The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3s are an upgrade connected nan models worn for six marathon awesome wins successful 2025.

The betterment came chiefly from reducing nan shoe’s weight by 30% to 3.4 ounces for a men’s size 9 by re-engineering c fibre and foam. The precocious sole is made of a astir translucent cloth inspired by nan material utilized successful kites.

Even a 2% betterment successful moving system — nan metabolic, cardiorespiratory and biomechanical ratio of a runner — tin shave minutes disconnected a 26.2-mile marathon.

“Great shoes for racing, very light,” Assefa said. “Before nan race, my coach said you tin triumph and break nan world record. It was nan assurance from him [that made nan difference].”

Adidas and Nike aren’t unsocial successful what amounts to redefining nan connection “footrace.” Asics, Hoka, Saucony and nan Swiss marque On are besides successful nan game. But only 1 could beryllium worn by nan first personification to shatter nan 2-hour barrier.

Although they measurement little than half of a emblematic moving shoe, nan Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3s surely person go large shoes to fill.