The Rundown: The Super Shoes to Look Out For During Marathon Season
Marathon season is well and truly underway, and while the lifestyle sneaker market may be feeling a little lacklustre right now, is one of the areas where brands are pushing the innovation boundaries. Late last year, brands really stepped up their efforts with a slew of new super shoes, which saw new world records set in both Berlin and Chicago. In 2024 – and an Olympic year at that – the race is only heating up.
All eyes are on the Olympics and beyond, with and On’s Cloudboom Strike prototype already taking the win at a couple of races this year. And even though the Swoosh and Three Stripes dominated the back half of 2023, they’re far from the only brands with super shoes on their roster. Here are the pairs you can expect to cruise through the miles in 2024's marathons.
Nike Alphafly 3
Needing little introduction, the touched down for general sale back in January, but a prototype of the shoe had already graced the feet of the late marathon winner Kelvin Kiptum when he set a world record wearing them in Chicago in 2023. The Alphafly line has an established pedigree within the race world, as Eliud Kipchoge wore the Alphafly 2 when setting the previous record and also ran a sub-two-hour marathon in the Zoom Alphafly NEXT%. The 3, however, is 15 per cent lighter than the Alphafly 2, and it features a triple threat of Air Zoom units, Zoom X Foam and Flyplate technology.
adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1
The adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1 is making noise for a number of reasons. One: Tigist Assefa wore it as she cruised to a win in Berlin, and Sisay Lemma just won the 2024 Boston Marathon in them. On top of that, Peres Jepchirchir broke the women's only world record as she won the London Marathon this year. Two: it costs a whopping $500. Finally, three: it’s reportedly designed to cope with just one race. Engineered to be ultra-light, the adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1 weighs only 138 grams, which is 40 per cent lighter than any other race shoe the Three Stripes have created. It comes packed with Lightstrike Pro foam and features feather-light mesh uppers, along with a unique rocker under the forefoot that helps to improve running economy. As for aesthetics, there’s no chance you’ll miss those huge side Stripes as runners pace on. Regarding its durability, even adidas are calling it a ‘one race super tool’, so it might be one to swerve unless you’re lining up on race day.
New Balance FuelCell Super Comp Elite v4
, sponsors of 2024’s London Marathon, also have a strong contender in the Super Shoe category. The NB FuelCell Super Comp Elite v4 comes with a rocker-profiled and FuelCell-injected sole unit, complemented by carbon fibre plates and Fantom Fit uppers. Depending on the size, it typically weighs around 230 grams. Although not yet having the accolades of the above contenders, this shoe is known for having a softer ride. With the marathon sponsorship under their belt, it's clear that the Boston-based brand is actively trying to keep pace with the competition.
ASICS METASPEED SKY PARIS
Hot on the heels of the adidas Adios is the METASPEED SKY, which was worn in Berlin by second-place finisher Vincent Kipkemoi. The METASPEED SKY PARIS is looking to build on this success for 2024. The SKY is built for stride runners and features a carbon fibre plate that’s situated high in the midsole, which helps to propel runners vertically and increase their strides. The METASPEED range also includes the METASPEED EDGE, which is designed for edge runners, meaning that the effort hasn’t been tailored to one super shoe, but to a wider variety of runners.
PUMA FAST-R NITRO Elite 2
The FAST-R NITRO Elite 2 is PUMA’s latest race day shoe, and with a vast history of being rapid on the track, the Big Cat are now gearing up to claim their stake in the road running market. This shoe comes packed with the latest evolution of PUMA’s NITRO ELITE tech, which improves responsiveness while helping it remain light, and its split midsole design makes it feel pretty springy. One of its defining features is the PUMAGRIP outsole, which features a protruding section at the forefoot for a more powerful toe-off.
Saucony Endorphin Elite
are well-versed in the running world too, and the Endorphin Elite is their new top-of-the-range offering that’s been specifically designed for race day. While it doesn’t yet have a world record or win behind it, Saucony have pulled out the stops for its development. It features a new PWRRUN HG sole and a carbon plate underfoot that is slotted at the toe, giving it a speedy turnover.
On Cloudboom Strike
Ok, ok – this prototype Cloudboom Strike isn’t technically out yet, but Hellen Obiri just won the Women’s Boston Marathon in them, so we had to give them a mention. Not much is known about this shoe yet, only that they’re fast and that the World Athletics just approved two versions of the shoes for use. Notably, the pair is laceless and it features a higher-cut compression-style rise, which makes it different to anything on the market right now. In terms of when they’ll be available for mere mortals to purchase, we’ll have to wait and see.