The Top Running Shoes on the 2025 Paris, Boston and London Marathon Podiums
Every spring, the biggest marathons on the calendar deliver incredible performances. In peak shape, the world’s best athletes put on a show at the World Majors, and one detail is attracting more and more attention: their shoes. As carbon-plated models continue to explode in popularity, elite runners are being scrutinized in the hunt for the ultimate racing shoe. The one that helps them run just a little faster. We took a close look at the top three shoe models from the 2025 Paris, Boston and London Marathons to see which shoes are truly ruling the roads this year. Spoiler: Nike’s monopoly is well and truly a thing of the past.
Boston Marathon: Asics and Under Armour take center stage
In Boston, Kenya’s John Korir turned heads with a blistering 2:04:45. Despite a fall at the start, he fought his way back and took control of the race. Wearing the new Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, the Asics athlete made a lasting impression. With this victory at one of the world’s most prestigious marathons, Asics confirmed the formidable performance of its Metaspeed racing range. For its fourth iteration, the Japanese brand has found the right formula: a carbon plate paired with the new, highly responsive FF Leap foam, combined with the FF Turbo Plus foam that has featured in its flagship models for several years.
Behind Korir, Alphonce Felix Simbu (2:05:04) and Cybrian Kotut (2:05:04) completed the podium after a spectacular sprint down Boylston Street, both wearing the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2, the German brand’s new flagship model. At just 138 grams, it is one of the lightest shoes on the market and will be available on August 28 for the modest price of… €500. It is no secret: the German brand remains a benchmark for innovation in running.
On the women’s side, new brands are emerging and already establishing themselves as serious contenders. Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi shone by smashing the course record in a superb 2:17:22 while wearing the Under Armour Velociti Elite 3, which is still in its launch phase and due to be released in fall 2025. It was a resounding victory for the American brand after several years of investment in running and in its athlete, who finished second in Boston in 2024. Hugely popular with younger consumers in the lifestyle space, Under Armour has developed a complete running range by drawing on its performance expertise. Under Armour is not yet the most widely established brand in running, still some way behind giants such as Nike, adidas and Asics. However, it deserves credit for producing high-quality models for several years. 2025 marks a genuine turning point for the brand with the launch of its new carbon-plated racer.
Locked together throughout the race, Hellen Obiri took second place. The Paris Olympic bronze medalist had won the previous two editions of the Boston Marathon. This year, the Kenyan athlete raced in On Running’s Cloudboom Strike LS. The Swiss brand has established itself as one of the running market’s key players over the past several years. Founded in 2010, the Swiss giant bet on innovation with distinctive models and a brand identity built around technical performance and a premium positioning. To develop the Cloudboom Strike LS, On patented a unique technology called LightSpray: a robot assembles the shoe’s upper in just three minutes. The result is striking: a laceless, ultra-light shoe with maximum energy return. The future of running is already here.
© Boston Marathon / Victah Sailer@PhotoRun
adidas and Nike put on a show in London
Every year, the London Marathon represents a major strategic opportunity for the brands. It is the biggest marathon in the world, where records are broken and trends are born. For the 2025 edition, the elite field was simply extraordinary with the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, Sabastian Sawe, Jacob Kiplimo, Tamirat Tola, Sifan Hassan and Tigist Assefa. A dream start list. Running fans were not disappointed, either, as a new world record was set. For the shoe brands, it was the perfect opportunity to unveil their latest road-racing models.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe was the standout, winning in 2:02:27. A remarkable performance in just his second marathon. On his feet were the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2, a model already well represented on the Boston podium. These results further cement adidas’ credentials in the performance market.
© Adidas
Nike was not to be outdone: the swoosh brand brought out its biggest marathon stars. Sifan Hassan, Jacob Kiplimo, Eliud Kipchoge and Abdi Nageeye all raced in Alphaflys. Hassan, Kipchoge and Nageeye were wearing an unreleased Alphafly 4 prototype, a version not yet available to the public. On the men’s podium, only Nike and adidas shared the spoils, with Kiplimo’s Alphafly 3 and Mutiso’s Adios Pro Evo 2.
But adidas was unquestionably the brand that made the biggest impact on the streets of London. Legendary Ethiopian athlete Tigist Assefa delivered a masterclass, breaking the women’s marathon world record in 2:15:50 in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. If it works, why change it? In 2023, Assefa had already taken the world record and lowered it by two minutes to 2:11:53 at the Berlin Marathon in this model, before winning silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics, still wearing the same shoes.
adidas crushes the competition on the podiums
The Paris Marathon delivered a great spectacle and, once again, adidas swept the board. In the men’s race, Benard Biwott (2:05:25) and Sila Kiptoo won in the Adizero Adios Pro 4. In the women’s race, Bedatu Hirpa took the win in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, ahead of two other runners… also in adidas, wearing the Adizero Adios Pro 4. Once again, the three stripes were everywhere. On every podium.
Puma joins the big leagues with the Fast-R 3 and Project 3
Among the brands gaining momentum, Puma is attracting more and more attention. With the launch of the Fast-R 3, the German brand offers an ultra-light carbon-plated racing shoe weighing 170 grams, paired with its highly responsive Nitro Elite foam. Worn by elite athletes such as Canadian Rory Linkletter (2:07:02 in Boston) and American Annie Frisbie (2:23:21), the Fast-R 3 did more than shine at the starting line: it also caused a stir among recreational runners. Puma claims that its new rocket could take several minutes off a marathon, backed by scientific research. The claim is a 3.15% improvement in running economy compared with an Alphafly 3, equivalent to nearly four minutes for a three-hour marathon. It is an ambitious promise.
To put these figures to the test, Puma launched an unprecedented program: Project 3. Designed for passionate runners looking to smash their PBs, the initiative gave 180 amateur runners from 13 countries a professional-style build-up to the Boston and London Marathons, including a personalized training plan, race kit and a $3,000 reward for every personal best improved by more than three minutes.
The result: 69 runners set new personal bests in the Fast-R 3 , including 38 who improved by more than three minutes. Promise kept: Puma paid out $132,000 in bonuses. A significant jackpot for these athletes, and an unprecedented initiative that highlights the commitment of amateur runners, who manage to balance demanding training with work and family life. Through this marketing operation, the German brand has brought the elite and amateur sides of the sport a little closer together, showing that with commitment and passion, anything is possible. A smart move from Puma.
Trends and what comes next
adidas is out in front: With its Adizero Adios Pro and Adizero Pro ranges, the German brand is everywhere on the podiums at major competitions. Wherever there is elite performance, adidas is never far away. To bring its technological innovations to life, the three-stripe brand relies on exceptional athletes such as Sabastian Sawe and Tigist Assefa.
A more diverse brand landscape: Nike’s monopoly belongs to the past. With historic players such as adidas and Asics making a comeback, and ambitious challengers such as Puma, Under Armour and On Running emerging, the running landscape has diversified considerably, much to runners’ delight.
Technological innovation: Every super shoe observed in the marathons’ top 10 featured a carbon plate, responsive foams and aerodynamic designs made with ultra-light materials.
Accessibility: Some of these prototypes, although designed for elite athletes, are gradually becoming available to the wider public. But be warned, quality comes at a price… New models now cost up to €300, or even €500 for the Adizero Pro Evo range.
The striking thing about 2025 is that no single brand dominates anymore. The Boston podium proves it: three different shoes on the top three steps. Asics, Under Armour, Puma, On, Brooks… they all now have a model capable of taking on adidas and Nike. That is great news for runners. More brands are bringing something new to the table, and road-running fans can finally choose based on feel and aesthetics from a much wider range of options.
✔ So, which shoes will you lace up as you chase your PB this season?