The 2024 London Marathon marked a big day for Adidas athletes. Of the first five men and first five women across the finish line, six were wearing a pair of super shoes with three stripes.
Not only did Adidas sweep the podium on the women’s side but the winners of both the men’s and women’s races laced up the same Adidas model, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. And Kenyan champ Peres Jepchirchir used the shoe to soar to a new women’s-only world marathon record (i.e. run without the aid of male pacers).
Here’s a look at the shoes worn by the five fastest men and fastest women at this year’s London Marathon.
Top 5 Men
1st — Alexander Munyao, 2:04:01
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 v2
Alexander Munyao wore Adidas’s $500 super shoe to take gold at the 2024 London Marathon. The key difference between the Evo 1 v1 and the Evo 1 v2 is the outsole. This second version has a grippier tread underfoot, while the rubber on the bottom of the Evo 1 v1 is smooth and flat.
2nd — Kenenisa Bekele, 2:04:15
Anta C10 Pro
Kenenisa Bekele laced up the Anta C10 Pro on race day. While Anta makes a truly capable carbon-fiber marathon shoe, the Chinese company isn’t well-known among runners in the United States. (Anta’s logo, however, does remind us a bit of Brooks—a ubiquitous brand this side of the pond.)
3rd — Emile Cairess, 2:06:46
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1
Unlike winner Alexander Munyao, it appears that Emile Cairess opted for the first version of the Evo 1. Since the two versions are nearly identical from the midsole up, you really have to pixel-peep to be sure.
4th — Mahamed Mahamed, 2:07:05
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 2
The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 helped Dakotah Lindwurm and Fiona O’Keeffe punch their tickets to Paris at the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials Marathon. That shoe isn’t yet available, but the Fast-R Nitro Elite 2 is on sale now. Mahamed Mahamed proved that it’s just as speedy when he wore it at London.
5th — Hassan Chahdi, 2:07:30
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1
Yep, you can add one more top five finish for this wicked fast and light Adidas shoe. (The version without the grippier rubber outsole weighs just 4.9 ounces in a men’s size 9.5.)
Top 5 Women
1st — Peres Jepchirchir, 2:16:16
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 v2
Women’s champ Peres Jepchirchir set a new women’s-old world record the Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1 v2. Given London’s tendency for puddles and rain, she chose the Continental rubber outsole version for improved wet-weather traction.
2nd — Tigst Assefa, 2:16:23
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 v2
Tigst Assefa wore the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 to shatter the world record when she ran a 2:11:53 at Berlin. It makes sense that she stuck with the same shoe in London.
3rd — Joyciline Jepkosgei, 2:16:24
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3
At half the price of its $500 sibling, the Adizero Adios Pro 3 is still a blazing fast carbon-fiber racing shoe. We found the third version of the Pro is just as bouncy, but much more stable than both its predecessors.
4th — Megertu Alemu, 2:16:34
Nike Vaporfly 2
At the 2023 London Marathon, Megertu Alemu wore the Nike Vaporfly 3 to snag a second place finish. This year, however, it appears she raced in the second version of the Vaporfly. It seems like she made the right choice. While she just missed the podium, she improved her time by more than two minutes.
Shop Women’s Vaporfly 3 Shop Men’s Vaporfly 3
5th — Brigid Kosgei, 2:19:02
Nike Alphafly 3
The Alphafly is technically designed to be a better marathon-distance racer than the Vaporfly. But, many elites still preferred the Vaporfly for its smoother ride and stability. Nike overhauled the AF in hope that more runners would adopt the third version, just as Brigid Kosgei did in London.
Morgan is a gear editor who has been with Runner’s World since 2017. She started as an intern ghostwriting The Warmup, a bygone version of the daily RW newsletter. Now, she tests and reviews anything you might find on runners’ feet-from crew socks and compression boots to carbon-plated super shoes.
A lifelong runner and shoe geek, Morgan has been chasing the perfect pair of kicks since she joined her grade school cross-country team. Since then, she ran as a Division I walk-on for the cross-country and track & field teams at the University of Delaware, where she studied English and Biology. She has one full marathon under her belt, and has raced more halfs and 5Ks than she can count.
