Camille Naredo

Article (news)

Sabastian Sawe

Reuters Wires

As new marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe basks in the glow of becoming the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an official race, the discussion has turned to suggestions his Adidas &quot;super shoes&quot; amounted to &quot;mechanical doping&quot;.The 31-year-old Kenyan shattered one of athletics&#x27; most elusive barriers in storming to victory at the London Marathon on Sunday (April 26) in one hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds.Running in Adidas&#x27;s 97-gram Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, he also obliterated the world record of 2:00.35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/4/27/sawe-makes-history-with-first-sub-two-hour-marathon-in-london-2046">READ: Sawe makes history with first sub-two-hour marathon in London</a></div>Sawe&#x27;s run was the most dramatic marker yet of a technological arms race that has transformed distance running over the past decade.The two-hour men&#x27;s marathon was once treated as a natural physiological ceiling, with athletes moving towards it in small increments. This century, records had fallen by seconds until the past nine years when they have plummeted by minutes.The turning-point came with the arrival of Nike&#x27;s high‑stack shoes built around ultra‑responsive foams and stiff carbon elements designed to improve running economy.Independent studies showed gains in running economy of 2 to 4% - trivial on paper, but monumental over 42.195 kilometres, where seconds usually decide medals and minutes are the difference between eras, and the latest generation of shoes have made those 2016 models obsolete.World Athletics tried to regulate the revolution in 2020, capping sole thickness and limiting plates rather than banning the technology outright. The aim was compromise: allow innovation, but stop shoes becoming mechanical aids, and rival shoe companies immediately hurried to get their own versions to the market.Sunday&#x27;s race suggested that compromise has still left the sport in a very different place.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/4/29/how-remarkable-sawe-made-marathon-history-in-london-0631">READ: How remarkable Sawe made marathon history in London</a></div>Almost lost amid Sawe&#x27;s historic win was the fact that Ethiopia&#x27;s Yomif Kejelcha became distance running&#x27;s &quot;second man on the moon&quot; as he finished second in 1:59:41 on his marathon debut.A barrier that only a few years ago many believed would never fall was beaten twice in the space of 11 seconds.Defenders of the super-shoe era point out that innovation has always shaped athletics as cinder tracks were replaced by synthetic surfaces and lighter, responsive racing spikes helped modern athletes rip past some long-standing records.Critics counter that shoes now operate too close to the body&#x27;s mechanics, storing and returning energy in ways previous generations never had access to and say historical context has gone and the ability to compare performances across generations has been wiped out.On a spring morning in London, the goalposts moved further than almost anybody thought possible, undoubtedly carried forward by legs, lungs, talent, training and belief, but also by foam, carbon and design.<div>(Production: Conal Quinn)</div>

As new marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe basks in the glow of becoming the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an official race, the discussion has turned to suggestions his Adidas "super shoes" amounted to "mechanical doping".

As new marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe basks in the glow of becoming the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an official race, the discussion has turned to suggestions his Adidas "super shoes" amounted to "mechanical doping".

Sawe's 'super shoes' redefining distance running barriers

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Sawe's 'super shoes' redefining distance running barriers

Reuters

Published April 29, 2026 05:50 PM PHT

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marathon

adidas

super shoes

London Marathon

Sabastian Sawe

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