The special shoes Eliud Kipchoge will use in New York City Marathon
Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge. He will wear a custom Nike Radical AirFlow top and new Nike "Dev 16141" shoes on his debut at the New York City Marathon.
Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya will wear a custom Nike Radical AirFlow top and new Nike "Dev 16141" shoes on his debut at the New York City Marathon on Sunday.
World Athletics added Nike-Dev 16141 to its list of shoes that athletes can wear in marathon races around the world, making them eligible for competition just days before the New York City Marathon.
Nike ‘Dev 16141’ is not a retail name – in the running world, such designations are standard for prototypes tested by elite athletes and key brand ambassadors.
Before the public sees a new generation, these shoes carry a “working” name under which new solutions and innovations are tested.
World Marathon Record Holder Eliud Kipchoge (right) receives a pair of running shoes from his coach Patrick Sang at Global Sports Communication Camp in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County on February 16, 2021.
Kipchoge, who has 11 World Marathon Majors victories since his 2014 Chicago Marathon victory, was seen training with the shoes during the shakeout run in New York City on Saturday.
The ‘Nike Radical AirFlow’ top was originally designed as a trail-running concept by Nike ACG, but the garment was later refined exclusively for Kipchoge after being tested at his training base in Kenya.
Following his detailed feedback on breathability, mobility, and fit, Nike’s design team made several modifications, adding side vents for improved airflow, tailoring the hemline for road performance, and refining the fabric drape to minimise movement across long distances.
Kipchoge received his running top in August and put it to the test on roads outside his training camp in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
His comments after these long runs kept returning to the notion that the sweat across his body was, somehow, being turned into a cooling agent, not a distraction. “The magic of this top,” said Kipchoge, “is how it evaporates the sweat.”
“The journey of how this project went from prototype to race-day ready for Eliud was very much in the spirit of just doing it,” Nike official Scott LeClair said.
“Serve the athlete and don’t let anything get in the way.”
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
