Categories: FOOTWEAR

Next%: What Kipchoge wore to complete a marathon in under two hours

Eliud Kipchoge has done it again. This time, the Kenyan ran a marathon in 1:59:40.

Eliud Kipchoge, 34, averaged 4:34 per mile (approx. 1.6 km) for 26.2 miles (approx 42.1 km).

While we ogled at the feat, we can’t help but wonder, what shoes were on Kipchoge’s feet?

Thankfully Nike, which kitted the Kenyan, has made a big show and tell of what he wore as he smashed his PB. They’re something futuristic called the Nike Next% marathon shoes.

Why Next%?

According to Nike, when it launched the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%, the shoe delivered an average of 4% improved running economy over Nike’s previous fastest marathon shoe, the Nike Zoom Streak 6. The Next% “represents looking forward to each new race day as a chance to cross the line faster.”

Made with elite athlete feedback from the likes of Kipgoche and Mo Farah, the Next% debuts a new material construction called Vaporweave on the upper, said to be lighter than Nike Flyknit.

Nice name, but what’s in the shoe? 

  • Vaporweave, a new material construction from Nike that’s lighter than Flyknit, breathable and absorbs far less water from sweat or rain, so it stays airy and dry over the course of a marathon.
  • The laces are slightly offset to alleviate pressure along the sensitive part of the foot (Mo Farah was supposedly a fan of this feature).
  • A thin foam pod in the heel to keep the achilles happy.
  • More Nike ZoomX foam in the midsole, which has been scientifically proven in Nike’s Sport Research Lab to further increase energy return.
  • The ZoomX foam has been redistributed to decrease the offset from 11mm to 8mm to provide a more stable feeling and help maximize energy return at the critical toe-off.
  • Designers merged Abel Kirui, Kipchoge and Farah’s custom traction patterns to improve the forefoot grip so the shoe performs better during inclement weather.
  • Contoured treads with deep grooves on the outsole facilitate smoother movement during turns.

During his latest attempt to break the two-hour marathon barrier, Kipchoge wore a future edition of Nike’s Next% marathon shoe, the 2019 Nike Aeroswift Singlet, an athlete-exclusive version of the Nike Aeroswift Half Tight, his sleeves from Breaking2 and the 2019 Nike Elite Racing Sock.

In addition to a future edition of Nike’s Next% shoe, Kipchoge was also kitted out in what looked like an incredibly airy 2019 Nike Aeroswift Singlet, an athlete-exclusive version of the Nike Aeroswift Half Tight, his sleeves from Breaking2 and the 2019 Nike Elite Racing Sock.

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Tags: eliud kipchogemarathonNikeNike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%runningrunning shoes
5 years ago