The Fastest Shoes of the 2023 NYC Marathon

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A year ago, the New York City Marathon was a sea of Vaporfly and Adios Pro, as Nike and Adidas ruled the road among competitive runners. But this year, there was far more parity in the elite fields, with Adidas, Nike, On, and Under Armour all making podium appearances. Just behind them, a slew of competitors were nipping at their heels wearing speedy racing shoes from even more brands.

Here are what the top 10 men and women laced up to race through the city’s five boroughs.

MEN’S TOP 10

1st — Tamirat Tola, 2:04:58

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1

The men’s race featured a new course record, as Tola ran away from the field wearing the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1. The $500 racing shoe has garnered a ton of attention since it was released a couple months ago and set a world record at the Berlin Marathon. One of our shoe testers, an Olympic Trials hopeful, wore the Evo 1 at the Chicago Marathon.

2nd — Albert Korir, 2:06:57

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

Korir opted for the more traditional super shoe, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3, seen first in the video above. That shoe is firmer and more durable than the Evo 1. It uses carbon-fiber rods to stiffen the shoe, rather than the more conventional plate method from other brands.

3rd — Shura Kitata, 2:07:11

Nike Vaporfly 2

Curiously, Kitata laced up an older racing shoe, the Nike Vaporfly 2. Its replacement, the Vaporfly 3, came out last spring. But when you know what you like, you keep rocking it.

4th — Abdi Nageeye, 2:10:21

Nike Vaporfly 3

The Vaporfly 3 and the Adios Pro 3 were the only models to have three runners crack the top 10 of both races. We reviewed the Vaporfly 3 when it was first announced.

5th — Koen Naert, 2:10:25

Asics Metaspeed Edge+ (possible prototype)

Naert laced up what looks like the standard Asics Metaspeed Edge+ but, when pixel peeping, it appears the sidewalls of the midsole may be different from the current production model. Asics currently has five prototypes approved for racing by World Athletics, including two cryptically-named “ME3 TYPE -A0” and “ME3 TYPE-P.”

But, the brand was tight-lipped when we pressed for any details about those shoes, or what its NYC Marathon athletes would be wearing. (You can see the list of approved shoes on the WA site under the “athletic shoes” dropdown.) For non-sponsored athletes, the best Asics option remains the existing Metaspeed Edge+ shoe.

6th — Maru Teferi, 2:10:28

Nike Alphafly 3

Teferi was wearing the Nike Alphafly 3, a shoe that we’re eagerly awaiting to receive for testing. Nike posted on Instagram that the shoe is coming in January 2024. Farther behind the elites, we saw a lot of pairs of the current Alphafly 2.

7th — Iliass Aouani, 2:10:54

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

Aouani donned a blacked-out version of the Adios Pro 3. We don’t see this color on the Adidas website, but there are other great colors available now.

8th — Edward Cheserek, 2:11:07

Skechers Speed Elite Hyper

King Ches, a 17-time NCAA champ at Oregon, wore the Speed Elite Hyper in his debut marathon. That shoe has been out for ages; I first wore it in February 2020. In the age of thick, bouncy super shoes, it’s the thinnest and firmest among all the shoes you see here.

9th — Jemal Yimer, 2:11:31

Asics Metaspeed Edge+ (possible prototype)

It looks like Yimer wore the same shoe as Koen Naert (above).

10th — Futsum Zienasellassie, 2:12:09

Hoka Rocket X 2

The top American at the NYC Marathon wore the Rocket X 2, a shoe with a PEBA-based midsole and a carbon-fiber plate. It’s Hoka’s fastest road racer, and you can get your hands on it now.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

The women’s race was a weird, tactical affair for the first 20 miles, as the pack seemed content to jog through Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Five runners were still in contention when the race entered Central Park near the 24-mile mark, where we camped out.

1st — Hellen Obiri, 2:27:23

On CloudTri 1

Obiri is two-for-two in the On CloudTri 1, a shoe that’s built for triathletes. She won the Boston Marathon earlier this year wearing the same model. It’s included on the World Athletics list of approved shoes for road racing, but we typically see runners wearing the On Cloudboom Echo 3.

2nd — Letesenbet Gidey, 2:27:29

Nike Alphafly 3

Like Teferi in the men’s race, Gidey wore the unreleased Nike Alphafly 3.

3rd — Sharon Lokedi, 2:27:33

Under Armour Velociti Elite v2

Lokedi won this race last year while wearing a prototype of the Under Armour Velociti Elite v2. That shoe still hasn’t been released, but she wore it again this year to earn a spot on the podium. Key updates to the shoe were focused on how to make it have more energy return and more propulsion compared to v1, which you can purchase now.

4th & 5th — Brigid Kosgei, 2:27:45, and Mary Ngugi, 2:27:53

Nike Vaporfly 3

Both the former marathon world record holder and Ngugi (pictured), who finished 2nd at the 2021 Boston Marathon, opted for the Vaporfly 3 on Sunday.

6th — Viola Cheptoo, 2:28:11

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

Cheptoo was in the lead pack when the race entered Central Park, but faded to 6th. She wore the Adios Pro 3.

7th — Edna Kiplagat, 2:29:40

Puma Fast-R Nitro 2

Peep that toe: The black bit of carbon fiber you can see is where the plate extends even farther out the front of the Puma Fast-R 2, a shoe that’s not yet released. We also saw Hendrik Pfeiffer, who placed 12th in the men’s race, wear this forthcoming model. The debut version of the Fast-R is also speedy, and currently available.

8th — Kellyn Taylor, 2:29:48

Hoka Rocket X 2

Hoka scored a second top-10 finish. It was Taylor’s first time racing a marathon in super shoes.

9th — Molly Huddle, 2:32:02

Saucony Endorphin Elite

Huddle finished her first marathon since 2019, wearing the Saucony Endorphin Elite. It’s a shoe we liked so much that we included it in our 2023 Gear of the Year Awards.

10th — Fantu Zewude Jifar, 2:34:10

Xtep 160X 3.0 Pro

Jifar wore the Xtep 160X 3.0 Pro, the top marathon racer from the Chinese shoe brand. Unfortunately, it’s not available here in the States, and we have not tested it.

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