If you were inspired by the 50th New York City Marathon, we don’t blame you. From the perfect fall weather to Shalane Flanagan running her sixth World Marathon Major in six weeks, the magic of marathon day truly returned to the city yesterday.
In the women’s race, Peres Jepchirchir made history by completing an Olympic and NYC marathon double. Jepchirchir had a surprising victory at the Tokyo Olympic Games marathon in August and became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal and the NYC marathon in the same year.
Jepchirchir pulled away from Ababel Yeshaneh and Viola Cheptoo on the turn into the final straight in Central Park, crossing the finish line in 2:22:39. This is the third-fastest finish time in NYC Marathon history.
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In the men’s race, Mohamed El Aaraby and Eyob Faniel were leading by a minute at the halfway point, until Albert Korir made up the 45-second gap to take the lead. He continued to push for the final 10K, winning the race by 44 seconds. The win is Korir’s first World Major Marathon title, finishing in 2:08:22.
What running shoes were the New York City Marathon winners wearing?
But what shoe was it that both Jepchirchir and Korir had on their feet as they stormed over the finish line of the New York City Marathon? Both athletes are sponsored by Adidas, so both were wearing the Adidas Adios Pro 2.0 (from $219 on Amazon) on Sunday.
This has become a popular running shoe on the podium at recent races, with both winners of the Boston Marathon also wearing the previous version of the shoe. The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2, was launched in June this year and saw some major upgrades on the previous version. The upper is made from Adidas’ CELERMESH 2.0 and the midsole has also changed, with a new design that’s created to reduce energy loss in the shoe.
The Adios Pro 2 is designed to be fast on race day, with Adidas’ Lightstrike Cushioning in the midsole, to protect the legs over long-distance road races, such as the New York City Marathon. The shoe is lightweight and springy, with a carbon fibre plate, designed to help propel you forwards by giving you a faster toe-off on the run.
The Celermesh 2.0 upper is designed to be exceptionally lightweight and breathable. Unlike the knitted upper you might find on your everyday running shoe, the mesh doesn’t hold on to sweat or water, meaning it dries faster and doesn’t get heavier over the course of the marathon. It’s also designed to hug the foot, keeping it locked in place as you move.
This isn’t an everyday running shoe by any means, but it’s definitely a contender if you’re looking for a fast shoe to PR your next race. If you’re looking for a Nike equivalent read our face-off: Nike Vaporfly Next% 2 vs Nike Alphafly Next% here.
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