There are records that will not be forgotten. The legendary two-hour mark was crossed on Sunday at the London Marathon by two athletes. A performance due to improvements in training and nutrition, but also to the technological contribution of shoes with carbon plates and ultralight foam, which have revolutionized the discipline in recent years.
Under bright sunshine, 18°C and no wind, the Kenyan Sabastian Sawe, 31, crossed the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace in 1 h 59 min 30 sec., ahead of the Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, who also did less than 2 hours, erasing the mark established by Kelvin Kiptum in October 2023 in Chicago. Both Sawe and Kejelcha wore an Adidas model on their feet, the first shoe weighing less than 100 grams (97 g) with a 39 mm thick sole.
Strict rules for “magic” shoes
If improving training, recovery and nutrition methods are essential, the appearance in 2016 of shoes with thick soles and equipped with carbon blades has made it possible to achieve extraordinary performances on the road. The carbon blade acts like a spring and can help reduce fatigue over long distances. Coupled with the foam, the plate optimizes the cushioning effect on the ground and improves the athlete’s comfort.
Studies have validated an efficiency gain estimated at 4% thanks to these new “tires”. After a series of personal records in 2019 thanks to the use of these “magic” shoes, the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics) was for a time overwhelmed by this phenomenon before legislating in 2020 by setting the maximum thickness of soles at 40 mm and prohibiting the insertion of more than one plate of another material (carbon blade, plastic, etc.).
A risk of distorting the sport?
“Athletics was built on the records broken in the 1950s and 1960s in the middle distance. There were 30 per decade, then 10, then 5, and finally fewer and fewer. The arrival of these carbon and foam shoes was a blessing for World Athletics. The economic stakes are such that it is impossible to go back,” said Jean-Claude Vollmer, French marathon training specialist, to AFP.
“Technology should not distort the sport and it becomes a spectacle,” assures Frédéric Fabiani, marathon referent at the French Athletics Federation (FFA), still to AFP. I am from a generation where we were stunned when we saw a marathon in less than 2h10. It seems so far away today. » The shoe model used by Sawe and Kejelcha will be marketed on Thursday, for the “modest” sum of 500 euros. Some people may feel themselves growing wings.
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