Record-breaking running shoes: which brands and models, by the numbers

On 26 April 2026 in London, Sabastian Sawe ran the marathon in 1:59:30: the first official marathon under two hours. On his feet, a shoe that weighs 97 grams, about as much as a bar of chocolate.

We went through the world, European and national records set on the road and on the track between April 2025 and September 2026, and asked the same question each time: which shoe was it? Here is what the data says, and what it changes for a runner who pays for their own shoes.

What the chart does show is where the fastest road running of the period happened, and it happened mostly in one family of shoes, the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo.

Two numbers stand out. Weight first: the Adios Pro Evo 3 is adidas's first racing shoe under 100 grams, when most carbon racers weigh about twice as much. Then stack height: the road models sit just under 40 mm at the heel, the limit World Athletics sets for road racing shoes. The brands are all working against the same ceiling, so the race has moved to weight and foam.

This is the part to read before you shop. Several records were run in shoes nobody could buy that day: World Athletics allows development shoes, prototypes that are never sold, for twelve months. The Nike prototype of Jacob Kiplimo's half marathon record has since become the Alphafly 4. The Adios Pro Evo 3 is on sale, at a list price of 500 euros and in limited numbers. For most runners the realistic choice is its neighbour in the range: the Adizero Adios Pro 5 or the Adios Pro 4. Every model is listed with its specs among our race shoes.

What it changes for your own running

Less than the records suggest, and it depends on your pace. The laboratory study that gave the first super shoe its name measured an average saving of 4 % in the energy cost of running, at 14 to 18 km/h (Hoogkamer et al., 2018), in 18 trained runners. A later study at everyday paces found 1.4 % at 12 km/h and 0.9 % at 10 km/h (Joubert et al., 2023), a difference too small to tell from chance, and some runners did worse in the plated shoe.

Three practical points:

• A racing shoe pays off at race pace. At an easy pace, comfort and stability matter more.
• Racing foams wear out fast: keep the pair for races and key sessions.
• A record is an athlete, a course, pacemakers and the weather before it is a shoe. No shoe promises a time.

To go further: carbon plated shoes, explained.