As athletes and spectators marveled at not one but two people breaking the unthinkable two-hour barrier at this year’s London Marathon, German clothing manufacturer Adidas also had reason to celebrate.
Adidas shares rose 2 percent in early Frankfurt trading on Monday. They are down about 18 percent so far this year, amid investor concerns about the impact of economic and geographic uncertainty on the sportswear industry.
Sawe pulled away from Kejelcha in the final minutes of the race to set a world record of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, more than a minute faster than the previous best for the event. Kejelcha finished just 11 seconds back, a remarkable feat in his first ever race over a distance of 42.2 kilometers (26.2 miles).
In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa pulled away from Kenya’s Hellen Obiri in the last 2 kilometers to win in 2:15:41, slightly faster than last year, when she broke the “women only” world record, set in a race without any male runners in the competition.
For all three, the common denominator was Adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, a shoe the company debuted on Thursday that weighs just 97 grams (3.42 ounces) in regular size. It’s the lightest version of the type of running shoe that has changed the game of distance running over the past decade.
