Feel a bit bad for Yomif Kejelcha who also broke the 2-hour mark, with this being his first competition marathon, but managed to neither break a record nor win.
While I know competitors want to always strive to be the best, as a completely normal human who struggles to complete a half marathon under two hours, I do not feel bad for the guy. He’s still one of the only two people to do it (outside of the very controlled run from Kipchoge). Not a feat to feel bad about at all.
I'll admit I'm not familiar with running, but in other sports it's not uncommon for amazing early career athletes to hold back a little bit on their first attempts.
It's easier to draw attention (and therefore sponsorships) if you leave some room to improve on successive attempts. It's riskier to give everything up front and then risk plateauing or regressing in your subsequent attempts.
Is there also something unique about the shirt he wore? It has a unique embossed pattern on the chest. Is it just a nice design or does it also provide aerodynamic or heat wicking advantage?
Good eye! Almost like an inverted golf ball. If I remember correctly from undergrad aero, purpose of dimples on golf ball is to detach/disrupt more of any laminar flow earlier as air passes around the ball, which decreases drag. Golf balls travel way faster than a runner, but possibly still has some minor effect?
> Previous research indicates improvements of 2–4% in running economy (RE), which translates into an approximate 1–2% improvement in running performance when running in these shoes.
I'm a runner, and it's a bit sad that distance running is not longer purely about the runner.
Based on the quote below, next thing we will see is a "constructors championship" similar to F1 for winning shoe constructor in the 'major' marathons :-(.
" This dominance continued in 2024, with adidas athletes wearing Adizero models winning six out of 12 World Major Marathons – more than any other brand."
It was never about the runner, it has always been about technology and innovation. Shoes tech is just one of them. Better nutrition, novel training techniques, better air quality etc.
Of course innovation in shoes will have a bigger marginal impact (because physics).
Those shoes are gonna sell like crazy now but it would be hilarious if they were to be found to have been giving an unfair advantage because of some mechanical property of the shoe.
Reviews say that they have very very good, but not record breaking energy return and shock absorption. But what they are is insanely light at sub 100g.
For a while it was all about getting the lightest shoes, because picking up heavy shoes slowed you down. Then the energy return (pebax foam, carbon plates/rods) became the main focus because the weight didn't matter as much when the shoe was literally springy. Surely this is now going to spark a race for the optimal balance between weight and energy return.
The big improvement then was a carbon plate. Adidas (and others) followed suit. The subsequent improvements since then have been marginal but the margins are thin at that level. In this case the big advancement has been the weight of the shoe.
EDIT: Also it's worth noting these shoes are $500 retail. Adidas will for sure get a boost in sales from this, but there's definitely competition in the $200~$300 marathon running shoe space that won't solely draw everyone to Adidas)
Well, the marathon record has been broken 53 times since the early 1900s. So, there are a lot of factors at play. Better training, better nutrition, better tactics, and, yes, better shoes.
The advancements in shoes have made a measurable impact, but there are lots of optimizations being worked on.
Such a purist should also note that Pheidippides was likely the runner who ran to Sparta and back, hundreds of miles, the preceding week to ask for their aid at Marathon.
> I for one love the advances in technology in something as supposedly simple as a shoe. And maybe I'll get to use it on a hike in a few years.
These shoes are practically disposable. They trade longevity for noticeable gains in performance. Even the tier below don’t last very long. This is not tech that is going to filter down to your hiking boots.
But the initial tech on an F1 car was not made for 200k miles either.
Even if the full tech stack to make it all work - material science, physical layout and construction - doesn't transfer, maybe some bit of it will.
My point being though, unlike some purists, I like the technology race. It is much better than having a brand war simply on the basis of brand loyalty.
Capitalism does it again
Feel a bit bad for Yomif Kejelcha who also broke the 2-hour mark, with this being his first competition marathon, but managed to neither break a record nor win.
While I know competitors want to always strive to be the best, as a completely normal human who struggles to complete a half marathon under two hours, I do not feel bad for the guy. He’s still one of the only two people to do it (outside of the very controlled run from Kipchoge). Not a feat to feel bad about at all.
I'll admit I'm not familiar with running, but in other sports it's not uncommon for amazing early career athletes to hold back a little bit on their first attempts.
It's easier to draw attention (and therefore sponsorships) if you leave some room to improve on successive attempts. It's riskier to give everything up front and then risk plateauing or regressing in your subsequent attempts.
3rd place runner also set a new world record, but just didn't break the 2-hour barrier.
While that seems like a bummer, as long as he doesn't quit he'll have many more chances to set the record himself.
Real "Bad Luck Brian" energy
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bad-luck-brian
Is there also something unique about the shirt he wore? It has a unique embossed pattern on the chest. Is it just a nice design or does it also provide aerodynamic or heat wicking advantage?
https://news.adidas.com/sabastian-sawe---london-marathon/a/0...
Good eye! Almost like an inverted golf ball. If I remember correctly from undergrad aero, purpose of dimples on golf ball is to detach/disrupt more of any laminar flow earlier as air passes around the ball, which decreases drag. Golf balls travel way faster than a runner, but possibly still has some minor effect?
> Previous research indicates improvements of 2–4% in running economy (RE), which translates into an approximate 1–2% improvement in running performance when running in these shoes.
- https://www.mdpi.com/2813-0413/5/1/2
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29143929/
- https://sportrxiv.org/index.php/server/preprint/view/297
I'm a runner, and it's a bit sad that distance running is not longer purely about the runner.
Based on the quote below, next thing we will see is a "constructors championship" similar to F1 for winning shoe constructor in the 'major' marathons :-(.
" This dominance continued in 2024, with adidas athletes wearing Adizero models winning six out of 12 World Major Marathons – more than any other brand."
and yes, of course i race in super shoes :-).
It was never about the runner, it has always been about technology and innovation. Shoes tech is just one of them. Better nutrition, novel training techniques, better air quality etc.
Of course innovation in shoes will have a bigger marginal impact (because physics).
Those shoes are gonna sell like crazy now but it would be hilarious if they were to be found to have been giving an unfair advantage because of some mechanical property of the shoe.
Reviews say that they have very very good, but not record breaking energy return and shock absorption. But what they are is insanely light at sub 100g.
https://runrepeat.com/adidas-adizero-adios-pro-evo-3
For a while it was all about getting the lightest shoes, because picking up heavy shoes slowed you down. Then the energy return (pebax foam, carbon plates/rods) became the main focus because the weight didn't matter as much when the shoe was literally springy. Surely this is now going to spark a race for the optimal balance between weight and energy return.
The Nike Zoom Vaporfly's already had set this precedent years ago: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/07/18/upshot/nike-v...
The big improvement then was a carbon plate. Adidas (and others) followed suit. The subsequent improvements since then have been marginal but the margins are thin at that level. In this case the big advancement has been the weight of the shoe.
EDIT: Also it's worth noting these shoes are $500 retail. Adidas will for sure get a boost in sales from this, but there's definitely competition in the $200~$300 marathon running shoe space that won't solely draw everyone to Adidas)
Do these new Adidas shoes have anything major over the Vaporfly shoes? Maybe they are a bit lighter?
I think the big story here may be the nutrition science to get these guys to absorb a lot of carbs during the run, more than the shoes.
Well if they’re sold in stores and next year everyone will have a pair, then it’s not going to be an unfair advantage, is it?
There is a whole class of running shoes banned from various competitions.
Essentially the argument given was too much advantage came from the shoes and they didn't want racing to be about shoe technology development.
what else could it possibly be if not that?
Well, the marathon record has been broken 53 times since the early 1900s. So, there are a lot of factors at play. Better training, better nutrition, better tactics, and, yes, better shoes.
The advancements in shoes have made a measurable impact, but there are lots of optimizations being worked on.
There’s info in one of the other threads about better carb intake too.
But yeah at this point, “it’s the shoes, stupid” should defo be the main part of the conversation.
Performance enhancing drugs seem to help break records in sports from baseball to cycling.
A purist might want the athletes to wear the same gear as Pheidippides
Why stop there. Why not deny them modern medicine or nutrition?
Let's save that for the second act. Need to draw these feats of strength out to sufficiently monetize the experience.
Such a purist should also note that Pheidippides was likely the runner who ran to Sparta and back, hundreds of miles, the preceding week to ask for their aid at Marathon.
A purist just wants it to be about the runner not the shoe.
Purism is extremism about a thing. Pick a thing, be purely about that thing.
I used to love F1 for the tech that would filter down to my car in ten years time, but that is not a thing anymore.
I for one love the advances in technology in something as supposedly simple as a shoe. And maybe I'll get to use it on a hike in a few years.
> I for one love the advances in technology in something as supposedly simple as a shoe. And maybe I'll get to use it on a hike in a few years.
These shoes are practically disposable. They trade longevity for noticeable gains in performance. Even the tier below don’t last very long. This is not tech that is going to filter down to your hiking boots.
Fair enough, I obviously haven't looked into it.
But the initial tech on an F1 car was not made for 200k miles either.
Even if the full tech stack to make it all work - material science, physical layout and construction - doesn't transfer, maybe some bit of it will.
My point being though, unlike some purists, I like the technology race. It is much better than having a brand war simply on the basis of brand loyalty.