On October 12, Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon distance of 42 kilometres, or 26.2 miles, crossing the line at 1:59:40.
Wearing an unreleased Nike running model, Kipchoge had perfect conditions to achieve his time. What can be gleaned from the above image is new technology has been deployed, such as Atomknit uppers and what appears to be visible forefoot Zoom Air in the midsole.
After coming achingly close during his 2017 Breaking2 attempt, Kipchoge has since tapped out consistent times just a couple of minutes over the magic two-hour barrier. He also set the new world record of 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.
International governing body for running, the IAFF, won’t recognise Kipchoge’s sub two-hour time as the attempt’s conditions were controlled, but it certainly doesn’t diminish the incredible physiological feat.
As for the shoes, Nike haven’t announced anything concerning a release, only referring to it as ‘a future edition of Nike’s Next% marathon shoe’. They’re definitely an evolution of the Vaporfly Elite series first tested in 2016. The lead-up to the 2020 Olympics looks very exciting…