Sabastian Sawe's sub 2-hour marathon pushes Adidas ahead in race to fit feet for record feats

"The Adidas family is incredibly proud of Sabastian and Tigist’s historic achievements," Patrick Nava, general manager at Adidas running, said. "This is a testament to the years of hard work and dedication they have made, alongside our innovation team, who have built a supershoe which breaks new ground in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3.”
Athletic shoe titans Adidas and Nike have been in a decade-long competition to develop a shoe that would propel a runner 26.2 miles in under two hours. Nike developed carbon fiber running shoes as part of its Breaking 2 project in 2016, an innovation credited for faster marathon times.

The shoes sport chunky soles with rigid, curved carbon plates and lightweight foam, and Nike asserts they improve running economy by as much as 4%. The plates are springy, resulting in a propulsive effect while enhancing foot stability.

Alas, those Nike ZoomX Vaporfly shoes have yet to enable a runner to break the 2-hour barrier in a legal marathon, although Eliud Kipchoge wore the shoes in 2019 while running 1:59:40 at a staged event in Vienna, Austria, that was not record-eligible.

The previous recognized world record of 2:00:35 was set at ⁠the Chicago Marathon in October 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who wore a Nike Alphafly 3 prototype.

Read more: Rare Kobe Bryant trading card 'at the top of every wish list' sells for record sum

Sawe, 29, was a repeat London Marathon winner, and he has won all four major marathons he has raced. He got faster as the race progressed. Assefa, 29, also finished strong for her fourth major marathon victory. The Ethiopian won the London Marathon last year as well and has won twice in Berlin.

Both runners were elite before donning Adidas kicks. But the fact remains that they are dedicated wearers and spokes folks for that brand — and not Nike. The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3s are an upgrade on the models worn for six marathon major wins in 2025.

The improvement came primarily from reducing the shoe's weight by 30% to 3.4 ounces for a men's size 9 by re-engineering carbon fiber and foam. The upper sole is made of a nearly translucent fabric inspired by the material used in kites.

Even a 2% improvement in running economy — the metabolic, cardiorespiratory and biomechanical efficiency of a runner — can shave minutes off a 26.2-mile marathon.

“Great shoes for racing, very light,” Assefa said. “Before the race, my coach said you can win and break the world record. It was the confidence from him [that made the difference].”

Adidas and Nike aren't alone in what amounts to redefining the word "footrace." Asics, Hoka, Saucony and the Swiss brand On are also in the game. But only one could be worn by the first person to shatter the 2-hour barrier.

Although they weigh less than half of a typical running shoe, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3s certainly have become big shoes to fill.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.