The Fastest Runners Wore These Shoes at the 2026 IRONMAN World Championship
The IRONMAN World Championship run course has always brought us some late-race heroics and drama. This year, Kona was no different, with the winning move in the race not happening until after mile 20 of the run course. We almost had both winning moves in the men’s and women’s races happening at the exact same moment on course; this writer can’t remember a time when that’s ever happened in Kona. Alas, the race had other plans.
But we’re not here to relive the race itself. Instead, we’re here to look at the shoes that the fastest runners in the field used this past weekend. As a reminder, this is not the top 10 finishers at the IRONMAN World Championship; no, we’re looking specifically just at the time they took to run the marathon. As has been the case for a while, we see a lot of variety amongst our top 10 men and women runners, with Adidas, ASICS, HOKA, New Balance, Nike, On, and Puma all represented. ASICS had the most athletes wearing their shoes, followed by On and HOKA, respectively. Something interesting, though: there’s no real consensus on models worn even within these brands, outside of “part of the carbon racing line.”
Men’s Top 10 Runners and Their Shoes
Gustav Iden – 2:36:58
Shoe: On LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2
Price: $310 USD
Iden came up just short in his pursuit of Vincent Luis for the world title. He closed to within 39 seconds of the lead with 5 kilometers left to run, but that would be as near the front as he would get. Iden’s shoe of choice, the second generation of On’s carbon racer with the LightSpray upper, is one of the lightest shoes in the field, coming in at a published 5.6 ounces. There are intentional gaps in the foam construction, which On says allows for smoother, more responsive feel. That LightSpray upper, though, will cost you; it’s $60 more expensive than the standard Cloudboom Strike 2.
Vincent Luis – 2:38:36
Shoe: Nike Apex
Price: $350 USD
Luis, the long-time Nike sponsored athlete, is one of the first professionals to wear the latest Nike road racing shoe. The Apex is a departure from the geometry of the Alphafly and Vaporfly; namely, it’s a zero drop racer with double stacked Air Zoom units in the forefoot (that’s the orange and yellow upfront). There’s a familiar FlyKnit upper and the latest ZoomX LT foam here too. The shoe was only added to the World Athletics approved list earlier this month. For us mere mortals, availability starts in early January.
Pierre Le Corre – 2:38:50
Shoe: On LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2
Price: $310 USD
Le Corre, another On sponsored athlete, used the same LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2 that Iden did. Like Iden, it appears Le Corre opted to use the included-with-purchase Elite Run High Sock. According to On, the sock is meant to provide compression and reduce blistering and work with their racing shoes over long distances.
Matt Hanson – 2:40:34
Shoe: On LightSpray Cloudboom Strike 2
Price: $310 USD
Another Kona, another appearance on the top run splits for Matt Hanson. Unfortunately for Hanson, though, he was unable to use that run to launch himself into the top 15, missing out on an IRONMAN paycheck by 9 minutes. Hanson has been sponsored by On for a couple of years now, and he, too, wore the latest version of the top-end racer — though he opted for white and green instead of the more common yellow iteration.
Jonas Schomburg – 2:41:45
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Ray
Price: $300 USD
Schomburg finished 7th on the back of his marathon, and opted for the shoe that Hayden Wilde made famous for triathlon on its debut last year. The MetaSpeed Ray is the lightest weight option in the ASICS MetaSpeed line. It gets there with a thinner, lighter carbon plate than the rest of the line and a modified version of ASICS proprietary foam, FF Leap. Naturally, it’s also the most expensive option in the line.
Youri Keulen – 2:42:05
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Tokyo
Price: $270 USD
Keulen finished 90 seconds behind Schomburg in ninth place. Instead of the super lightweight Ray, Keulen used the MetaSpeed Edge Tokyo in the new aquarium color way. The Edge geometry and carbon fiber plate is, according to ASICS, intended for runners who get faster through increased cadence. Like the Ray, there’s a 5 millimeter drop and a relatively lightweight platform in exchange for your $270.
Sam Long – 2:42:57
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Sky Tokyo
Price: $270 USD
And here we find the third shoe in the MetaSpeed line-up. Long wears the Sky, which is intended for athletes who find speed through increased stride length. As one of the tallest athletes in the field and with long femurs to boot, it’s unsurprising to see Long in this particular model. (For what it’s worth, it’s my pick of the MetaSpeed line, too). Like all MetaSpeed shoes, it shares the 5 millimeter drop and general foam / plate construction.
Matthew Marquardt – 2:43:58
Shoe: Adidas Adios Pro 4
Price: $255 USD
Marquardt, who isn’t sponsored, used the prior generation of Adidas’ “traditional” carbon plated shoe, the Adios Pro 4. He released a reel on his Instagram the week of the race to detail his reasons for racing in the earlier generation shoe, which boiled down to not wanting to try anything new on race day. Like most racing shoes, it pairs a hypercritical foam and carbon plate to deliver maximum energy return. The newest version of the shoe, which came out in September, retails for $275 USD. You can find Marquardt’s prior generation at retailers for prices as low as $150.
Gregory Barnaby – 2:44:44
Shoe: Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3
Price: $500 USD
And here we find the most expensive shoe of the day. Barnaby’s wearing the ultra limited Adios Pro Evo 3, which is the shoe taking down all of the current run records (including the sub 2 hour marathon). Your $500 buys you a shoe that weighs less than 100 grams, Lightstrike Pro EVO foam, and a new carbon plate that wraps around the perimeter of the shoe. We’re yet to get a pair in for wear testing, but we’re excited at the prospects.
Mikel Ugarte Ramos – 2:45:30
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Tokyo
Price: $270 USD
You’d be forgiven if you’d never heard of Ugarte Ramos prior to the race; his best finish in an IRONMAN event came with a third in Lanzarote in 2024. But his tenth best marathon helped carry him to a 13th place finish on Saturday. He, like Keulen, opted for the stride increasing Edge over the Sky or Ray in the ASICS line-up.
Women’s Top 10 Runners and Their Shoes
Laura Philipp – 2:50:43
Shoe: New Balance SuperComp Elite v5
Price: $275 USD
Philipp, the long sponsored New Balance athlete, once again unleashed a powerful run that earned her a boatload of cash in Hawaii. However, like Marquardt for men, Philipp isn’t in the latest and greatest version of New Balance’s racer. She uses the prior generation SuperComp Elite v5, which errs slightly on the plusher and heavier side (all of 7.6 ounces, but still). It also features one of the higher heel-toe drops of the shoes listed out here at 8 millimeters. The new generation has a revised fit and lighter weight, which may be why Philipp held off of trying the new one.
Kat Matthews – 2:52:50
Shoe: On Cloudboom Strike 2
Price: $250 USD
Unlike the men, who opted for the Lightspray version of the shoe, Matthews went for the traditionally upper version of the Cloudboom Strike 2. It is otherwise the same shoe; carbon plate, openings in the foam to allow for greater deflection, and a ride oriented towards smooth.
Taylor Knibb – 2:57:46
Shoe: HOKA Rocket X 3
Price: $250 USD
Knibb has long worn HOKA, and her weapon of choice has almost always been the Rocket X series. HOKA’s longest tenured carbon shoe features a dual-density PEBA foam and a new geometry on the carbon fiber plate. For this third generation, HOKA also removed the gusset, revised the upper, and gave the shoe more tacky rubber on the outsole to improve traction.
Julie Derron – 2:58:54
Shoe: On Cloudboom Strike 2
Price: $250 USD
Derron, like Matthews, wore the standard issue upper Cloudboom Strike 2. Like Matthews, she also opted for the white and pink color way that makes the shoe pop in person.
Marta Lagownik – 3:01:22
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Edge Tokyo
Price: $270 USD
Lagownik is another unsponsored athlete. She, like Ugarte Ramos on the men’s side, opted for the MetaSpeed Edge Tokyo. Looking through Lagownik’s Instagram posts, it appears she’s shoe agnostic; you can find her in a variety of brands throughout training, though it looks like she’s consistently worn the Edge as the race day shoe of choice for at least most of the Pro Series events this year.
Elisabetta Curridori – 3:02:03
Shoe: Puma FAST-R NITRO Elite 3 Digitokyo
Price: $300 USD
Curridori is another athlete who has a panoply of shoes dotting her Instagram. For Kona, though, she was the fastest athlete in a Puma, opting for the Digitokyo edition FAST-R Nitro Elite 3. Beyond the 95 gram weight savings and improvement in running economy over the prior generation, the Digitokyo edition also features a unique upper print meant to resemble the Tokyo skyline. Like the three other shoes with uniquely manufactured uppers, it’s one of the only ones to crest the magical $300 barrier.
Anne-Sophie Pierre – 3:02:25
Shoe: Nike Alphafly 4
Price: $280 USD
Pierre was able to snag one of the few pairs of the Alphafly 4 that released in late August. The rest of us are forced to wait until a full release later this fall. The Alphafly 4 retains the familiar 8 millimeter drop and sub 7 ounce weight, but the new version is apparently smoother and quieter than prior generations thanks to a revised forefoot Zoom unit and a revamped plate geometry.
Grace Thek – 3:02:41
Shoe: HOKA Rocket X 3
Price: $250 USD
Thek’s eighth fastest run was good enough to land her a top 10 finish in Kona. Another athlete who has worn HOKA for a bit, she too opted for the familiar Rocket X platform over HOKA’s allegedly fastest shoe, the Cielo.
Sara Svensk – 3:05:21
Shoe: ASICS MetaSpeed Ray
Price: $300 USD
Svensk opted for the lightest shoe in the MetaSpeed line-up, which promises a high rate of energy return despite a more minimal plate compared to the “mortal” Sky and Edge.
Imogen Simmonds – 3:07:45
Shoe: HOKA Rocket X 3
Price: $250 USD
Last but not least, we find Simmonds. Another athlete in the HOKA pro stable, Simmonds too chose the Rocket racing platform over the Cielo.
So I’ve tried on the Cielo x1 3.0 and although I felt like I could be fast in it, the heel is pretty narrow for a Hoka and significantly more narrow than the Rocket x 3.0. So it’s probably a bit better for when form breaks down on the marry.
The 2.0 was flat out stupid downhill and flat, but unwearable for anything beyond a 10K.
The new one I could see being used in an IM, but like the Alphafly, probably best suited for those who don’t suffer from much form breakdown.
The Rocket is far more forgiving. Not as fast, but forgiving. And if you respond well to carbon, still in the conversation.
I was interested in the 3.0…but I haven’t bought a shoe full price in the last year…I know, hard when my rules are gotta be green. So I might be buying a Metaspeed Ray…but. They almost got me to buy that shoe. Still not sure if I’ll go with a carbon shoe for my Half-Marathon. But given the success of On here I might grab the green shoe from them instead of Craft.
I need to test new Sky, new Strike, new Endorphin Elite, and probably an Alphafly 4.
All ideally in green, seeing as I live in Ducks country now.
For the shoe specific sock, I wonder if there is a legit aero penalty versus having on the aero calf sleeve from the bike.
At their run pace their shins are going forward 25mph.
I’m very interested to see how folks get along with the new Nike Apex with it’s zero drop. My achilles couldn’t handle the 4mm drop of the AF 1 & 2’s, but love the 8mm of the AF 3’s. Also looking forward to trying the AF 4’s and hoping Nike didn’t ruin a good thing.
You should say “Consumer Price” or “MSRP” because the athletes certainly didn’t pay for them /p
There’s a whole lot of pro athletes who pay for their shoes. Right now the big sponsorship deals come from On, HOKA, and ASICS. Vincent and Laura Philipp are pretty unique with their brands and deals. There’s a couple of European athletes with Adidas deals.
Marquardt’s probably the biggest example – no deal, has stuck with that same Adidas shoe since it released.
It’s not like when Nike gave away a pair of Alphafly’s to everybody who OTQ’d.
Just a matter of time before someone rocks the Feidian 6 Elite or some other Chinese supershoe out there!
Alanis Siffert does.
Xtep 160X for Alana Siffert! I understand she trains in China under Sutto’s guidance, so it makes sense she’d have access and testing to these shoes which I’m sure can be bought a lot more cheaply in China that abroad with international shipping.
Interestingly, not a lot of love for this shoe on youtube. Very few reviews on it, compared to the deluge on the other top ones like Feidian, Qiaodan Plaid 3.0, and others.
Ultimately I think it will take someone winning a WMM or Kona in one of those shoes for it to start getting mainstream attention.
TIL Nike has a zero-drop shoe.
I thought their Zegama might be my last shoe. Maybe not.
Ohhh, you’re definitely wrong about that. These Chinese shoes are already here, in the US, in numbers. Sure, it’s just the running community that really knows about them now, but the word is out and despite having to buy them from Aliexpress, Taobao, etc. and having them shipped all the way here, people are definitely onto it.
The last shoe I bought was a great example of this. Pretty new shoe, the Leili 2.0 GT. It’s an uptempo trainer, with a superfoam (no carbon plate). Youtube reviewers of very respectable caliber (2:30 marathon, or 2:50 marathon at age 50, and countless others) rave about it, which is how I found out about it. I’m not even a shoe nerd, I rarely watch shoe videos, but the positive reviews were just too many to ignore.
I got the shoe a few weeks ago, and even raced a half marathon in it already. It’s the real deal - for sure the fastest, most comfortable uptempo trainer I’ve ever used. Definitely in supertrainer territory. I usually race in Alphaflys and other carbons, but gave this one a spin and it lived up to the hype. I haven’t done an official timed test of the speed, but others have, and this one is fast. For sure, my training runs in these are just as fast as when I do them in Alphafly 3s, AND these are more comfortable and softer (and don’t SLAP!)
Here’s the real kicker - I got it SHIPPED for $135. If you go on Taobao and get through the chinese language barrier, you can get it for close to $100 often. Word gets out quick with prices this low for quality this high. And this is just one of many shoes (Red Hare 9 Ultra which I have and also love, Dynafish Xiaonian, etc) that are rated top of class even against western shoes that people are buying right now. Comparable Western shoes are Superblast/Megablast per reviewers, which are $175-$225.
You know it’s going mainstream when on youtube, even mainstream outlets like The Run Testers are doing multiple reviews of these bangers (and confirm that they are indeed, bangers.)
If these chinese shoes don’t win at Kona, it’ll be more an issue of sponsorship dollars rather than shoe quality or even shoe obscurity in the next few years.
I like looking at a couple of things:
1.) What runners who share my general body shape are running in / choosing out of their sponsorship, and
2.) what the unsponsored folks are choosing to run in.
For me, that has narrowed the field of this year to:
ASICS MetaSpeed Sky Tokyo
HOKA Rocket X 3 (Jan has used this shoe, and we share femur length)
HOKA Cielo X1 3.0 (what Ditlev was wearing pre-meltdown)
Adidas Adios Pro 4/5