Adidas Sweeps the 2026 Chicago Marathon: Here Are the Shoes Worn by the Fastest Runners
It was a hot one in the Windy City, but that didn’t stop elite runners from crushing it at the Chicago Marathon. We all know 34-year-old champion Amos Kipruto, who won with a blazing 2:01:09, gets his speed through conditioning, good genes, and iron will, but shoe nerds can’t help wondering what he was wearing on his feet. Turns out he and women’s champ Hawi Feysa, 27, who finished at 2:13:33, were both wearing the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. The shoe will be restocked on Adidas’s site October 29 at 3 p.m. That $500 shoe is hard to get, but the more attainable Adios Pro 5 is a speedy alternative for marathon racing and was recently released.
Here are the top five runners from the men’s and women’s races, their times, and the shoes they wore.
Men
🥇 1st Place: Amos Kipruto, 2:01:09
👟 Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
🥈 2nd Place: Tadese Bikila, 2:02:56
👟 Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
Both Amos Kipruto and Tadese Bikila raced in the Pro Evo 3, but it was Kipruto who took the lead, after coming in second at last year’s Chicago Marathon.
The Pro Evo 3 had a limited drop in April—and sold out in minutes following Sabastian Sawe’s sub-2 London Marathon win. The shoe is set for a wider release October 29. It is over an ounce lighter than the Pro Evo 2, at 3.4 ounces (sub-100 grams), and features a new carbon-fiber-infused EnergyRim embedded in its Lightstrike Pro Evo midsole.
🥉 3rd Place: Milkesa Mengesha, 2:03:46
👟 Nike Apex
The Nike Apex won’t be available to the rest of us until January, but it’s unlike any other Nike super shoe we’ve previously tested. The Apex has two stacked Air Zoom units in the forefoot, which promise 40 percent more energy return than the Alphafly 3. The shoe also has a zero-drop 40 mm stack height. With Mengesha’s podium finish, it has us rethinking Altra’s comment on crafting a non-zero drop Vanish Carbon 3 to compete with other shoe brands.
🔸 4th Place: Jacob Kiplimo, 2:04:18
👟 Nike Apex
Last year, Kiplimo raced Chicago wearing the Alphafly 3. This year, Kiplimo ran in the Apex and kept up with Kipruto until mile 22. Kiplimo eventually faded to fourth.
🔸 5th Place: Boki Diriba, 2:05:01
👟 Nike Apex
What Top American Men Wore
Clayton Young finished 7th racing in the Brooks Hyperion Elite 6. Young, who finished in the second-fastest U.S. time ever on a record-eligible course at 2:05:23, made the switch from Asics to Brooks earlier this year. The Hyperion Elite 6 is the brand’s most aggressive racer with a steeper carbon plate and PEBA midsole. Charles Hicks, who came in 8th at 2:05:35, wore the Alphafly 4, and Asics athlete Vinny Mauri, who finished 2:06:46 in 10th place, ran in an Asics Metaspeed Edge prototype.
Galen Rupp came in 11th at 2:06:54, shattered the American masters record by three minutes, and wore the Nike Apex.
Women
🥇 1st Place: Hawi Feysa Gejia, 2:13:33
👟 Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
It was an Adidas sweep with Hawi Feysa winning the women’s division in the Pro Evo 3. Feysa, who was last year’s champion, was neck and neck with Sharon Lokedi, but Feysa took the lead in the final mile.
🥈 2nd Place: Sharon Lokedi, 2:14:07
👟 Under Armour Velociti Elite 3 SL (DEV)
Lokedi wore a Velociti Elite 3 SL development shoe that can be raced in for 12 months even though it’s not available at retail. Details on how it differs from the Velociti Elite 3 are unavailable for now.
🥉 3rd Place: Brigid Jepchirchir Kosgei, 2:14:55
👟Nike Apex
🔸 4th Place: Mary Ngugi-Cooper, 2:17:23
👟 Nike Alphafly 4
🔸 5th Place: Joan Jepkosgei Kilimo, 2:18:39
👟 Nike Alphafly 4
The Alphafly 4, which Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate also wore to run the Chicago Marathon, is coming out the same day as the Pro Evo 3. Its Air units are 30 percent lighter. A top layer of ZoomX LT is 17 percent lighter than ZoomX foam and promises 8 percent better energy return.
From limited angles of photos we’ve seen, we’re guessing 5th place finisher Kilimo wore the same shoe as Ngugi-Cooper.
What Top American Women Wore
It was Emma Grace Hurley’s marathon debut and she led the charge, finishing 2:20:47 as the top American woman, coming in 7th place. She wore an Asics Metaspeed Edge prototype as she smashed the American debut record. Dakotah Popehn and Elena Hayday, who came in 12th (2:24:00) and 13th (2:24:57), ran in the Puma Fast-R Elite 3, which is on sale now.
Amanda Furrer, Editor, Running Reviews, studied journalism at NYU and writing at Emerson College. She has reviewed gear and covered other topics in the running space for almost 10 years. Since 2013, she has consecutively run the Boston Marathon. She also has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University and was formerly a professional baker for two years before hanging up her apron.
