2026 Marathon Season: The Supershoe Wars Are Heating Up

The 2026 marathon season exploded into life in March under Tokyo’s cherry blossoms, and the world’s biggest running brands wasted no time deploying their most advanced supershoes. With carbon plates, next-generation foams, and ever more aggressive designs, the battle for podium dominance is fiercer than ever.

 

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Last year, adidas claimed the crown as the most successful brand in major marathons, narrowly ahead of ASICS and Nike. After the first major race of 2026, the German giant looks determined to defend its title. But the season is young, and the competition is razor-sharp.

Here’s a breakdown of the podium shoes from the biggest marathons so far in 2026. We’ll continue updating this piece after every major race.

Tokyo Marathon – March 2026

38,775 runners descended on the Big Mikan for the 2026 Tokyo Marathon, but only six athletes stood on the podiums that mattered.

 

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In the men’s race, Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele defended his 2025 title, storming to victory in 2:03:37 wearing the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 V2. It wasn’t a personal best, but it was enough for gold. Kenya’s Geoffrey Toroitich pushed him all the way, clocking an identical 2:03:37 in the ASICS Metaspeed Tokyo to take silver. Alexander Mutiso Munyaocompleted an adidas-heavy podium in bronze with the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2.

The women’s race belonged to legend Brigid Kosgei. The Kenyan icon not only won but demolished the course record with a stunning 2:14:29 in the Nike Vaporfly 4 — coming agonizingly close to her own personal best. Bertukan Weldeclaimed silver in the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2, while Hawi Feysa rounded out the podium in the Pro Evo 1 V2.

Tokyo Men’s Podium
Tadese Takele – 2:03:37 – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 V2
Geoffrey Toroitich – 2:03:37 – ASICS Metaspeed Tokyo
Alexander Mutiso Munyao – 2:03:38 – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2

Tokyo Women’s Podium
Brigid Kosgei – 2:14:29 (CR) – Nike Vaporfly 4
Bertukan Welde – 2:16:36 – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2
Hawi Feysa – 2:17:39 – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 V2

Boston Marathon – April 20, 2026

Over 30,000 runners from 130 countries and all 50 U.S. states took on the historic streets of Boston. Remarkably, the podiums mirrored last year’s results — but with faster times.

Kenya’s John Korir delivered a masterclass, smashing the course record by over a minute in an unreleased ASICS Metaspeed Sky prototype. Alphonce Felix Simbu took silver in the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, while Benson Kipruto secured bronze in the trusted adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2.

In the women’s race, Sharon Lokedi repeated as champion in her trusted Under Armour Velociti Elite 3, a model featuring a full-length carbon plate and UA’s Hovr Plus foam. Loice Chemnung secured silver in the ASICS Metaspeed Ray, and Mary Cooper took bronze in the much-anticipated Nike Alphafly 4 prototype.

Boston Men’s Podium
John Korir – 2:01:52 (CR) – ASICS Metaspeed Sky Prototype
Alphonce Felix Simbu – 2:02:47 – ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
Benson Kipruto – 2:02:50 – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2

Boston Women’s Podium
Sharon Lokedi – 2:18:51 – Under Armour Velociti Elite 3
Loice Chemnung – 2:19:35 – ASICS Metaspeed Ray
Mary Cooper – 2:20:07 – Nike Alphafly 4 Prototype

London Marathon – Historic Sub-2 Hour Breakthrough

London 2026 will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary days in marathon history.

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe became the first man to officially break the two-hour barrier in a competitive race, stopping the clock at 1:59:30 — a staggering 2:49/km pace. He did it in the brand-new adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. Even more astonishing, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha joined him under two hours with 1:59:41, also wearing the Evo 3. Jacob Kiplimocompleted a lightning-fast podium in 2:00:28 with a new Nike prototype.

 

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The women’s race was equally jaw-dropping. Tigst Assefa shattered her own world record with 2:15:41, powering through in the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. Hellen Obiri took silver in an On prototype, while Joyciline Jepkosgeiclaimed bronze in an ASICS prototype.

London Men’s Podium
Sabastian Sawe – 1:59:30 (WR) – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
Yomif Kejelcha – 1:59:41 – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
Jacob Kiplimo – 2:00:28 – Nike Prototype

London Women’s Podium
Tigst Assefa – 2:15:41 (WR) – adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3
Hellen Obiri – 2:15:53 – On Prototype
Joyciline Jepkosgei – 2:15:55 – ASICS Prototype

Early Season Verdict

After three Major marathons, adidas is dominating the podium count, driven by the impressive debut of the Adios Pro Evo 3. Nike and ASICS remain formidable contenders, while Under Armour and On are proving they can compete with the big three on the sport’s biggest stages.

The 2026 supershoe war is well and truly underway. With the Sydney Marathon on August 30 still to come — alongside several major races in between — the battle for brand supremacy will only intensify.

We’ll be tracking every podium and every breakthrough right here. The season is young, and the shoes are only getting faster.