The world’s oldest marathon returned to the streets of Boston on Patriots Day yesterday, but who won the 126th Boston Marathon, and what running shoes were they wearing? It was a big day for Kenya, who took five of the six podium spots in the men’s and women’s elite marathons. Evans Chebet won the men’s race, in an unofficial time of two hours, six minutes, and 51 seconds.
Meanwhile, in the women’s race, Peres Jepchirchir crossed the finish line in two hours, 21 minutes, and one second. This is the third-fastest time in event history, and also makes her the first athlete to have won the Olympic marathon, the New York City Marathon, and the Boston Marathon.
While Chebet and Jepchirchir’s wins were undoubtedly due to a lot of hard training, good nutrition, and recovery, as runners, we always tend to look down at the feet of those who make the podium. If you’re shopping for the best carbon fiber running shoes and want to know what the best of the best were wearing, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find out more.
What running shoes were the Boston Marathon winners wearing?
As both runners are sponsored by Adidas, it might seem an obvious choice that both would be racing in the brand. However, with a large collection of shoes to choose from, both athletes seem to have settled on the Adidas Adios Pro 2.0 running shoes. The $222 racing shoe is one of the best shoes on the market, and both Benson Kipruto and Diana Chemtai Kipyoge won last year’s race wearing the previous iteration of the shoe.
The Adios Pro 2.0 is an ultra-lightweight running shoe, designed for race day. Compared to say, the Nike Vaporfly Next% 2, the shoe feels a little stiffer underfoot. Yet don’t let this put you off, there’s still a thick wedge of foam for a good amount of energy return, and carbon fiber “energy rods” for a responsive ride and a faster toe-off.
Like most carbon-fiber running shoes, the Adios Pro 2.0 is designed for fast miles on the road, not easy miles around the park. In fact, most won’t be designed to be durable, so will have a much shorter lifespan than your normal running shoes. If you’re not looking to race, a quick look at both Chebet and Jepchirchir’s social media accounts shows them both training in the Adidas Ultraboost 22 — a shoe designed for long, slow runs, with Adidas’ Boost midsole foam.
