Maybe the shoes did Kipchoge in? adidas goes 1-2-3 in Boston. Are adidas super shoes better than Nike's, especially in rain?

LRC: super shoe effect is a myth.

also, LRC: greatest marathoner on earth lost because of shoes.

unpopular opinion: Mantz is a 2:12 marathoner.

Yep, Nike shoes are terrible in the rain and adidas have been fantastic for year but puma soles are better.

Puma shoes are not as quick as adidas it seems or the pocket don’t run so deep for marathon sponsored athletes

Adidas have had great grip for years. I haven't used the Adizero Pro, but others I've run in have the same Continental rubber on the sole for amazing grip, especially in the rain.

yep adizero has the best grip with continental rubber in rain

I'm so glad this thread was started because I'm very susceptible to traction issues in the rain and was wondering about the fast Boston runners' shoes. From my own observations, Adidas and Puma tend to perform well in the rain whereas Nike, Saucony and some Asics models give me trouble. I wasn't sure if traction could be an issue for elites, but it definitely would have been for me.

Even the directional rubber on the Endorphin pro 3 doesn't help it much on smooth wet black top. The type of rubber makes a difference.

If I’ve learned anything in following a number of these threads, it’s that LRC speaks as one, so I expect unerring consistency.

What Nike shoes was he wearing? If you watch the long video of him coming to the finish line and compare his shoes to competitors, his looked noticeably bigger and clown-like.

I don't think it caused him to lose but it does perhaps show that Nike is stuck in the too much cushioning, too wide super shoe mindset while others moving to smaller and sleeker super shoes.

alpha 2

It’s funny I have a potentially rainy marathon on Sunday. I’m thinking I’ll audible to Adios Pros over Next %s.

It seems like the general consensus among people who have tried both is that the AF 2 is inferior to the AF 1. I've never worn the AF 1, but I raced in the AF 2 myself for the first time yesterday and I was a little disappointed in how they felt compared to the various versions of the VF I've used in the past. I didn't have any traction issues with the rain though. Of all the reasons why Kipchoge lost, I doubt the shoes make the top five.

I wore first generation Vaporflies for yesterday’s race and my feet have never gotten so wet, so quickly, in a relatively mild rain (the rain got a lot worse about 20 miles in, but wasn’t too bad early on). I was quite disappointed that such an expensive shoe is apparently useless against the weather. I could no longer feel my feet at the end of the course and wound up in a medical tent for the first time ever (hypothermia symptoms).

And it’s not like I intentionally sought out puddles to run through. But there was enough standing water on the roads that my feet were soaked almost from the very start.

As a trail running guy I can say without a doubt that Adidas has better rubber on their outsoles 100%. Thats been Nikes biggest problem with their trail line since forever.

Good move, always wise to try a new pair of shoes for a big race.

On won women's race

maybe he just had a bad race yknow maybe it wasn't the shoes

Agreed. Nike trail shoes are dangerous to wear on New England trails unless it's totally dry (which is almost never). Literally no traction on wet rocks/roots.

Watching the broadcast I also wondered about how the Nike shoes would perform in the wet. VF1s were notoriously bad in wet weather.

I’ve done a workout in them (5 miles of threshold) and already own them as you can gather. I have raced and trained more in the Next % (one marathon, a half, a mile time trial, 2 workouts and a long run). This was going to be the last hurrah for racing at least of over a 10K as it would land the shoes over 100 miles.

Ran in the Adidas yesterday. They were fine on the road, but noticeably slippy on road markings (lane lines etc.) Though probably nothing is going to do well on slick paint. Most others I know wore Nike, and I didn't hear any complaints from them.