ActiveRunningEliud Kipchoge ran a world record in the Nike Alphafly 2 – Could he have run that fast in different running shoes?How much of Kipchoge’s performance rely on the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveRunningEliud Kipchoge ran a world record in the Nike Alphafly 2 – Could he have run that fast in different running shoes?How much of Kipchoge’s performance rely on the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
How much of Kipchoge’s performance rely on the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
On 25 September 2022, Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge crossed the finish line of the Berlin Marathon 2022 with a new world record time of 2:01:09, beating his own previous world record time of 2:01:39 set in 2018 also in the German capital. And he did it running in theNike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2, some of thebest Nike running shoesto date. Could he have won the marathon without wearing a different running shoe, though?
Then, Kipchoge broke the 2-hour marathon distance record – unofficially, as it wasn’t achieved in a race – using the original Alphafly (a prototype of it), sparking even more controversy about mechanical doping. Runners around the world started talking more and more about how unfair it was that people who used Nike’s super shoes enjoyed an unfair advantage and how we should go back to the good old days of running barefoot, naked, like our ancestors.
How much tech is too much tech in running shoes?(Image credit: NURVV)
How much tech is too much tech in running shoes?
How much tech is too much tech in running shoes?
(Image credit: NURVV)
Well, this might be a bit of an exaggeration but explains my point beautifully: where would those who say it’s unfair to use super shoes might draw the line? There is no point in trying to stop running shoe advancement; the cat is out of the bag. Yes, stack height is currently limited to 40 mm, and companies can only have one plate in the midsole, but there are plenty of other avenues to discover, avenues I have no doubt will be discovered in the near future.
But back to Kipchoge and his superhuman performance – how much of it can be pegged on the shoes? Is he so fast because used the latest Nike running tech? Would he be able to go this fast if he wore different running shoes, maybe theAdidas Adizero Adios Pro 3, theASICS METASPEED SKY+or maybe theSaucony Endorphin Pro 3?
Would Kipchoge be as fast as he is in the Adizero Adios Pro 3?(Image credit: Adidas)
Would Kipchoge be as fast as he is in the Adizero Adios Pro 3?
Would Kipchoge be as fast as he is in the Adizero Adios Pro 3?
(Image credit: Adidas)
Eliud could outrun 99% of the world population barefoot, I’m sure of it; he’s just that skilled as a runner. His world record pace at the Berlin Marathon 2022 was 2:52 min/km (that’s 4.05 min/mile), which isinsane. I sometimes sprint slower than that. Normal human beings can’t run that fast at all, let alone for two hours. But could he run that fast without wearing the Alphafly?
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In 2013, Kipchoge won his first marathon title in Hamburg with a time of 2:05:30 – that’s four minutes slower than his current world record time. Throughout the last decade, his times got better gradually, and needless to say, there wasn’t a massive jump when he started using the Alphafly. Shaving off four minutes of your marathon PB over a period of 10 years while training almost religiously hasn’t got anything to do with shoes.
Eliud Kipchoge + Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 = Match made in heaven(Image credit: Nike)
Eliud Kipchoge + Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 = Match made in heaven
Eliud Kipchoge + Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 = Match made in heaven
(Image credit: Nike)
Of course, at Eliud’s level, we’re talking about marginal gains, and people might argue that to take a whopping 30 seconds off his own best time from a few years ago, he needed top gear. I agree, but I also think that if Adidas or ASICS sponsored Kipchoge, we would be having this conversation about the Adios Pro or the Endorphin Pro. Eliud doesn’t need the Alphafly to beat his records – he ‘only’ needs a super shoe.
That said, we might never know how he’d perform in other shoes, as at this point, I see no reason why he or Nike would end their relationship, as it works equally as well for all parties involved. Eliud can use one of thebest running shoestoday in his races, and Nike can use his insight and image to create and sell the shoes. Why would anyone disturb this status quo?
Today’s best Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 deals$445.08ViewNo price informationCheck AmazonWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 deals$445.08ViewNo price informationCheck AmazonWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 deals
$445.08ViewNo price informationCheck Amazon
$445.08View
$445.08View
$445.08View
$445.08
$445.08
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price informationCheck Amazon
No price information
No price information
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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