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Kelvin Kiptum has officially broken the men’s marathon world record.
On Saturday, Kiptum won the 2023 Chicago Marathon with a final time of 2 hours and 35 seconds. The Kenyan wore a pair of prototype of the Nike Alphafly 3 sneakers. A spokesperson from Nike confirmed to Footwear News that the sneakers will release to consumers in “early 2024.”
Kiptum’s time beat that of previous record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who held the men’s world record with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 9 seconds, according to ESPN. As previously reported in Footwear News, this is the latest running record to be broken in 2023, following Tigst Assefa’s record-setting win of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds at the women’s world marathon in September.
Nike first released its Air Zoom Alphafly sneaker in 2020. As previously reported in FN, the line has expanded with a range of styles — including the Air Zoom Alphafly Next 2% sneakers, which were made with input from Nike runners including Kipchoge.
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Nike’s Alphlafly sneakers have grown rapidly popular in the running field. In the past, the line’s been worn by athletes including Kipchoge — who wore an Alphafly prototype in 2019 when he recorded an unofficial sub-two-hour marathon for the Ineos 1:59 Challenge. In 2022, Kipchoge also wore the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 2 running shoes while breaking his own record at the Berlin Marathon, which stood until today.
Nike’s Alphafly sneaker range is renowned for being lightweight and balanced, thanks to features like knit Flyknit uppers and notched laces. The shoes also feature Nike’s signature ZoomX foam within their thick soles, creating a comfortable base with added cushioning. Carbon fiber plates enhance these styles with high energy return as well, making the shoe both easy to wear and efficient for racing.
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About the Author:
Aaron Royce is the Digital Editor for Footwear News, where he writes stories on trending news, celebrity style, collaborations and in-depth profile interviews. Prior to joining Footwear News, Aaron wrote and interned for publications including PAPER, Grazia and the Daily Front Row. He currently holds a B.S. in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.
