This New Adidas Shoe Just Swept the London Marathon: Sabastian Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha Make History in Sub-2-Hour Race, Tigst Assefa Breaks Women’s World Record

Adidas just got a record-breaking boost from its new super shoe at the London Marathon 2026 today.

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 led three runners to historic highs, with Sabastian Sawe — the race’s men’s winner — and fellow three-stripes athlete Yomif Kejelcha both breaking the sub-2-hour marathon barrier for the first time. Sawe set a new world record of 1:59.30, with Yomif running 1:59.41 in his debut marathon. (Nike athlete Eliud Kipchoge broke the sub-two-hour mark in 2019, but it did not count as an official world record because it was a non-competitive event.)

But that’s not all: In the women’s race, Adidas runner Tigst Assefa set a women’s-only world record of 2:15.41.

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 debuted for the first time in London. Revealed just this week, the super shoe weighs just 97 grams for a men’s size 9.5 and improves running economy by 1.6 percent compared to the Pro Evo 2. Most of the reduction comes via a new Lightstrike Pro Evo foam compound that’s 50 percent lighter than its predecessors, and designers took inspiration from kitesurfing sails to create a feathery woven upper.

“To break the world record is something I have dreamed about for a long time, and to achieve it means so much to me and to the sport of running. It reflects the hard work behind the scenes, the support of my team, and the role of innovation in helping me push beyond limits. I’m honored to be part of a new chapter for the sport,” said Kenyan-born Sawe, in a statement released by Adidas.

Assefa, who hails from Ethiopia, added: “Breaking the world record has been in my mind for many years, and to finally do it is very special. It shows the work that happens every day, the strength of the team around me, and how everything comes together to go beyond what we thought was possible. I’m grateful to be part of this moment for the sport.”

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 an evolution of the first and second models of the shoe. Adidas brought the series forward with a remarkable 30 percent weight reduction, resulting in the brand’s first running shoe to go sub-100 grams and the lightest-ever race-legal model in the industry.

Patrick Nava, general manager at Adidas Running, expressed pride in the achievement. “This is a testament to the years of hard work and dedication [the athletes] have made, alongside our innovation team, who have built a supershoe which breaks new ground in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3.”