Adidas's London Marathon World Record Comes With a Sold-Out Shoe

Adidas has just had one of its biggest product moments in running, and it all happened without a campaign.

On April 26, Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe crossed the finish line of the 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30.

He became the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an officially sanctioned race.

Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41, also under two hours, and Tigist Assefa set a women-only world record of 2:15:41.

All three were wearing the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, a 97-gram shoe that had launched in a limited drop just two days before the race.

For Adidas, the result handed the brand a credibility moment in running that years of R&D investment had been building toward.

The Shoe and the Records

The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is Adidas's lightest racing shoe to date, and the first in the brand's history to come in under 100 grams.

It features Lightstrike Pro Evo foam, a carbon-fibre ENERGYRIM running around the midsole edge, and a 39mm stack height.

The shoe is 30% lighter than its predecessor, delivers 11% more forefoot energy return, and improves running economy by 1.6%.

Patrick Nava, general manager at Adidas Running, addressed the result in an official statement.

"The Adidas family is incredibly proud of Sabastian and Tigist's historic achievements, marking the fastest times humans have ever run in a marathon," he said.

"This is a testament to the years of hard work and dedication they have made, alongside our innovation team."

The Resale Frenzy and the Share Price

Adidas released the Pro Evo 3 via its Confirmed app on April 28, and it sold out in minutes.

By Monday afternoon, the average resale asking price on StockX had reached $2,627, with some sizes listed as high as $5,500.

Resale listings carried a minimum asking price of $1,671, escalating beyond $3,000 for larger sizes.

Adidas shares also climbed nearly 2% in early Frankfurt trading on April 28, before settling at 1.4% higher at €138 ($162) a share.

The stock remains down more than 18% for the year, as the brand contends with U.S. tariffs and fewer sales in its Middle East stores alongside a competitive sportswear market.

Adam Cochrane, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, told CNN the marathon results are important for Adidas "given the visibility and popularity of running."

He added that the result "provides an important milestone for a successful rebuild of their running franchise."

Lastly, he noted that "the key will be taking the marketing boost and transferring this into customer demand amongst club and casual runners."

Adidas's London Marathon success story is a case study in performance-led marketing at its most effective:

• Let the product result do the talking: Adidas's own social posts after the race featured Sawe, the time, and the shoe with nothing else needed.
• A limited release amplifies earned media: Selling out in minutes and hitting $2,600 average resale keeps the shoe in press coverage for days after the race.
• Anti-doping investment is brand investment: Adidas covered €50,000 in testing costs for Sawe ahead of Berlin 2025, giving the London record extra credibility.

The Pro Evo 3 will have a wider release in autumn 2026, timed to the Berlin, Chicago, and New York marathons.

How Adidas manages the transition from limited hype item to widely available product will determine whether this moment generates sustained running category growth.

Our Take: Is This Adidas's Biggest Marketing Moment in Years?

We think it is, and it cost them less in paid media than almost any campaign of comparable impact.

The sub-two-hour barrier has been the symbolic frontier of marathon running for decades.

Adidas put its shoe on the feet of the man who broke it, on the weekend of that shoe's public launch, and then watched the resale market do its marketing for them.

The sequencing is almost too clean to be accidental, and based on the Deutsche Bank commentary, the investment community has noticed.

Sports brands building performance credibility through athlete partnerships need agencies that understand how to connect R&D investment to consumer demand at the right moment.

Explore the top sports marketing agencies in our directory.