The 2025 World Athletics Championships Marathon featured thrilling races for both men and women. Held in exceptionally warm and humid conditions, both races came down to a sprint for the finish line.

…the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2…got there first.

In each race, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2, the newest R10 000+ super shoe, got there first. Surprisingly, not a Nike was seen among the first five finishers. Here are the running shoes that were on the feet of the top finishers.

MEN’S MARATHON:

1. Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 – Alphonce Simbu (TAN) 2:09:48.
2. Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 – Amanal Petros (GER) 2:09:48. The Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 made waves earlier this year when a study showed it improved running economy by up to 3.6 per cent. The racer has been hard to get a hold of, as it’s mostly been sold out since launch.
3. Asics Metaspeed Ray – Iliass Aouani (ITA) 2:09:53. The Asics Metaspeed lineup got a third model, the Ray. It’s all about reducing weight, as it checks in at about 75 per cent of the weight of the Sky and Edge Tokyo models. The FF Leap midsole foam is exceptionally soft and bouncy.
4. Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo – Haimro Alame (ISR) 2:10:03. The Metaspeed Sky is the shoe Asics designed for “stride” runners – those who speed up by taking longer steps. The unisex racer costs in excess of R5 000.
5. Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 v2 – Abel Chelangat (UGA) 2:10:11. Chelangat was out front early, but settled for a fifth-place finish. He laced up version 2 of the Pro Evo 1. The shoe has a slightly thinner forefoot than the newly updated Pro Evo 2.

WOMEN’S MARATHON:

1. Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 – Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:24:43. Like Simbu in the men’s marathon, Jepchirchir rode the newest lightweight marathon racer from Adidas to a first-place finish.
2. Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 v2 – Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:24:45. Not a huge surprise that Assefa laced up the Pro Evo 1. It’s the same model she wore when she ran a 2:11:53 at Berlin in 2023 to set the world record at that time.
3. Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 – Julia Paternain (URU) 2:27:23. Paternain was a surprise third-place finisher. The Saucony pro wore the company’s bounciest marathon racing shoe.
4. Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB – Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:28:17. Sullivan wore the Hyperion Elite 4 PB, even though version 5 is out. Jess McClain, who finished eighth, wore the same shoe, but the third American, Erika Kemp, rolled with v5.
5. Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo – Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:28:32. The Sky makes another top-5 appearance.

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