As I wrote earlier, the Chicago Marathon was set to be a battle between the Nike Alphafly 3 and the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. The race proved to exceed all expectations as Kelvin Kiptum broke a superb new world record of 2:00:35, an average speed of 2:52 minutes per kilometre. There was also a top time in the women’s race when Sifan Hassan clocked the second fastest time ever run in a marathon at 2:13:44. How much did the new Nike Alphafly 3 super shoe affect these times? t’s hard to say, but there’s no question that there’s more interest than ever in the newest models of carbon fiber plate running shoes. The term “Kelvin Kiptum shoes” is already trending online.
Already in the London Marathon earlier this year, both runners showed what we could expect from the future from these runners. Kelvin Kiptum was already close to the world record and so was Sifan Hassan, in her first ever marathon.
The new world record in marathon for men comes less than a month after we saw Tigist Assefa break the world record in the women’s marathon in Berlin. It’s not surprising that there is a lot of interest in the new super shoes with a carbon fiber plate right now.
This was also the first time ever that we saw the Nike Alphafly 3 prototype in action on Sifan Hassan. Since then, the anticipation has been high for the launch of these shoes on the market. So far, however, Nike has been very secretive about the launch date of the Nike Alphafly Next% 3, but the fact that we now see the shoes on lots of top runners around the world suggests that they will soon be launched – probably already in October 2023.
Launch Date for Chicago Marathon’s World Record Shoe
As we previously wrote about, the running shoes that Kelvin Kiptum wore at the Chicago Marathon, the Nike Alphafly 3, are expected to be launched this month, i.e. October 2023. It will only be a matter of weeks or days before Nike presents the new shoes in a press release to announce the launch date to the public.
This will be huge news and the shoes are expected to sell out as soon as they go on sale in their online store. We’ve already seen examples of this when both the Nike Vaporfly Next% and Nike Alphafly were launched for the first time, so if you want to ensure you get a pair, you’ll need to post a notification via Nike’s website to have a chance to get the shoes.
What is the price of the new Nike Alphafly Next% 3? The previous price of the Nike Alphafly has been just over $300 or 300€, but we can expect these shoes to have a higher price tag.
The new Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 has a price tag of $500 and it would not be surprising if the price tag for the new Nike Alphafly Next% 3 is at least $400. So many changes have been made to the shoe model and obviously these super shoes sell despite the high price tag.
Chicago Marathon Running Shoes Podium
Most of the focus on the running shoes came to be on the Nike Alphafly 3 thanks to the world record, but when we look at the podium, we can see that some other super shoes also held their own.
Here is the shoe podium for men at the Chicago Marathon 2023:
About Kelvin Kiptum
Kelvin Kiptum Cheruiyot (born 2 December 1999) is a Kenyan long-distance runner and the Marathon World Record holder (2:00:35), the only person in history to run a marathon under 2:01:00 in a record-eligible race. Kiptum holds three of the top six fastest marathons ever run.
Kiptum began his running career at a young age, and quickly established himself as one of the most promising talents in Kenya. In 2018, he won the Eldoret Half Marathon in Kenya with a time of 1:02:01. He then debuted internationally at the Lisbon Half Marathon in March 2019, finishing fifth with a new personal best of 59:54. In December 2020, he set significant consecutive best in the event of 58:42, placing sixth at the Valencia Half Marathon.
Kiptum made his marathon debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, and immediately made history by running the fastest ever marathon debut, with a time of 2:01:53. This made him the third man in history to break two hours and two minutes.
In 2023, Kiptum made his debut at a World Marathon Major, winning the London Marathon in what was then the second-fastest time in history of 2:01:25, 16 seconds outside the then world record.
On October 8, 2023, Kiptum ran the world record time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon, becoming the first person in history to go under 2:01 on a record-eligible course.
Kiptum is still only 23 years old, and has already achieved incredible things in his running career. He is considered to be one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, and has the potential to break even more records in the years to come.
In addition to his individual accomplishments, Kiptum is also a member of the Kenyan marathon team, which is considered to be the best in the world. He has competed in several World Championships and Olympic Games, and has helped Kenya to win numerous medals.
Kiptum is a role model for young runners all over the world. He is proof that anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself.
