What shoes did the sub-2 marathon runners wear at London 2026?

Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha both wore the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, the first carbon-plated marathon racer under 100 grams. Jacob Kiplimo, third in 2:00:28, wore a Nike Alphafly 4 prototype.

How many sub-2-hour marathons have ever been run?

Three. Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40.2 at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna in October 2019, but that was a paced exhibition and not eligible for ratification. Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at London 2026, and Yomif Kejelcha ran 1:59:41 in the same race. They are the only sub-two-hour performances on record.

Will the London 2026 marathon record fall again?

Probably yes, and possibly soon. London 2026 was run in warm conditions that cost roughly two to three seconds per kilometre at elite pace. Berlin in September, on the fastest course in the major marathon calendar, is the obvious next target for the same shoe in cooler air.

Will Nike release a sub-100-gram racer to match the Adidas Pro Evo 3?

Almost certainly. Nike created the supershoe category with the Vaporfly 4% in 2017 and is unlikely to let a competitor break the first race-legal sub-2 mark. The Alphafly 4 prototype worn by Jacob Kiplimo at London is the platform on which a consumer answer is most likely to be built. Berlin in September is the deadline that matters.

Do amateur runners need a carbon-plated supershoe to gain from this technology?

The carbon element delivers most of its benefits at an elite pace. For a runner targeting a four-hour or five-hour marathon, the bigger contribution comes from a modern supercritical foam (PEBA, TPEE or TPU), now available in shoes priced well below the $500 of the Pro Evo 3. A supercritical-foam shoe without a carbon plate may capture most of what matters at a fraction of the cost. High-stack soft-foam shoes without a plate can feel less stable, so a cautious first outing is sensible before race day.

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