Adidas’ Lightest Shoes Ever Were Behind the First Sub-2-Hour Marathon

Weighing 97 grams with a stiff carbon-fiber plate in the sole, Adidas’ new shoes helped Sabastian Sawe beat the two-hour mark in the London Marathon, a time barrier once considered insurmountable.

What if the same pair of shoes were behind three marathon world records—and the extraordinary feat of the first marathon completed in under two hours?

The 2026 London Marathon is a historic event already, thanks to the time recorded by Kenyan Sabastian Kimaru Sawe. He is the first athlete to complete a 26.2-mile race in less than two hours, something long considered impossible for humans, crossing the finish line in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds.

Making the London Marathon even more memorable was the performance of Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, who stopped the clock just 11 seconds after Sawe. Both performances shattered the previous record of 2 hours and 35 seconds set by Kelvin Kiptum in ...