WEALTH April 27, 2026 0 Comments

How Adidas’ “Supershoe” Sparked a Kenyan Marathon Miracle—and Sent Shares Soaring Overnight

Who would have thought that a sneaker could cause a stock to sprint ahead faster than Wall Street itself? Adidas shares have just laced up a neat gain following Kenyan marathoner Sabastian Sawe’s mind-blowing sub-two-hour marathon—yes, under two hours—in the new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 “supershoe.” This isn’t just a win on the track; it’s a game-changer for Adidas in the brutal arms race among top athletic brands. Remember when Eliud Kipchoge broke two hours, but off the record? This time, it’s official, competitive, and it came with a $500 shoe taped with ‘WR’ and ‘sub-2’. Now here’s the kicker: in just one leap, Sawe shaved nearly three minutes off his own record in last year’s London Marathon wearing the previous version of these kicks. I mean, light and comfortable might be an understatement—these shoes redefine what fast really means. And as these technological marvels hit the shelves soon, I can’t help but wonder—how much faster will the market’s pulses race with this innovation? Adidas isn’t just selling sneakers; it’s selling future milestones, and investors are lapping it up. Ready to dig deeper into the story behind the stride? LEARN MORE

Shares in Adidas has risen today after Sabastian Sawe became the first person to run a competitive marathon in under two hours wearing the sporting goods giant’s ‘supershoe’.

Equipped with the brand’s Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 trainers, Kenyan runner Sawe won Sunday’s London Marathon in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, easily below the two-hour barrier, one of athletics’ white whales.

The previous record was set at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum, although Eliud Kipchoge has gone below two hours before, running in controlled conditions in an unofficial race in 2019.

After the race, Sawe runner held up the $500 shoe with ‘WR’ and ‘sub-2’ written on the side of the sole in black marker.

Wearing the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 at last year’s London Marathon, Sawe won in a time of 2:02:27, a difference of nearly three minutes.

“The big difference is it’s so light and very comfortable,” Sawe told reporters about the shoe, which is set to go on sale to the public on Thursday.

Also wearing the shoe was Yomif Kejelacha of Ethiopia, who went below two hours aswell (1:59:41) as he finished second in his marathon debut, and Tigst Assefa, who broke her world record for the women’s marathon with a time of 2:15:41.

“I’m very happy to have broken the record and to have won in London for a second time. It means a lot to me,” said Assefa, who put the win down to shoes that “allow me to run fast” – and years of discipline and hard work.

“I’ve trained hard, and because of all the hard work I’ve put in, I’ve achieved this level of success,” she said.

Adidas said Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 weighs 97 grams, 30% less than its predecessor, and improves running economy by 1.6%.

Patrick Nava, general manager at Adidas running, said: “The Adidas family is incredibly proud of Sabastian and Tigist’s historic achievements, marking the fastest times humans have ever run in a marathon.

“This is a testament to the years of hard work and dedication they have made, alongside our innovation team, who have built a super shoe which breaks new ground in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3.”

Adidas an arms race with traditional rivals Nike and Puma as well as upstart specialists Hoka and On to turn new technologies in design and manufacturing into more and more advanced shoes for a growing market of runners.

Nava said Adidas went through more than a dozen iterations of the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, testing out the shoe at its labs as well as at high-altitude camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Adidas shares have risen as much as 1.5% in trade on Monday and have settled around 0.8% up on Friday’s close at the time of writing, with the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 due to go on general sale later in the year.

Shares in the German group are down around 18% this year to date due to its exposure to US tariffs and the impact of the war in the Middle East.

Adidas reported a 5% uplift in revenues last year as it made record sales of €24,811m, driven by a 12% increase in footwear revenue.

Sabastian Sawe of Team Kenya celebrates with his adidas shoe after winning with a new World Record time during the Men’s 2026 TCS London Marathon on April 26, 2026 in London, England. (Pic: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

In its annual results in March, Adidas said growth in its running segment increased by more than 30% due to the popularity of the Adizero brand as the Adios Pro Evo 2 and Adios Pro 4 secured multiple major marathon wins.

Growth was geographically broad-based with sales increasing by double digits in Europe (+10%), North America (+10%), and Greater China (+13%), Latin America (+22%) and Japan/South Korea (+14%).

Photo: Sabastian Sawe of Team Kenya celebrates crossing the line and winning with a new World Record time of 1:59:30 during the 2026 TCS London Marathon at on April 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)