What Eliud Kipchoge will be wearing at this weekend’s London Marathon

Whenever Eliud Kipchoge is set to race, Nike seems to come out with a cool new shoe for him to debut. This weekend will be no different, and he will line up at the London Marathon in a pair of custom shoes from Nike. Aptly named the Alphafly NEXT% Kenya, these shoes are designed with the colours of the Kenyan flag to represent Kipchoge’s nationality. They also include different markings to commemorate his sub-two-hour marathon, which he ran last October in Vienna. 

The Nike “Alpha fly N% Kenya” that ⁦@EliudKipchoge⁩ will wear for ⁦@LondonMarathon⁩ on Sunday. nice,very nice! ?
Your move @NNRunningTeam , a black yellow red would look extra good on @joshuacheptege1 in Valencia! ?@Nike #legendsclub ?? pic.twitter.com/qjlXm6bSHU

— aisha nassanga (@AishaSports) September 30, 2020

The Alphafly NEXT% is the same shoe Kipchoge wore in Vienna and ran a 1:59:40 marathon. His custom shoes for the weekend have that incredible finishing time on the back of the left shoe and on the insole of the right. The back of the right shoe and left insole are inscribed with “E:K,” Kipchoge’s initials. The shoe’s midsole is where most of the Kenyan colour scheme comes in, with red and green layering near the heel.

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The insoles are also coloured, with one red and one green, and the uppers have faint hints of colour as well. There’s also an inscription on the midsole that says “Engineered to the exact specifications of Eliud Kipchoge.” If Kipchoge proved anything in Vienna last year, it’s that the Alphafly is the perfect shoe for him, and it was engineered to get him through 42.2K in 1:59:59 or quicker. The shoes would have been fast regardless of any customization, but now Kipchoge will toe the line in a slick and colourful pair that will have a bit more of a personal touch and sentimentality.

"I am feeling well and I am happy to be back. I think the race will be beautiful on Sunday. My message to all fans: please start the race, finish it, feel it and enjoy it. In spirits we are together. Together we can rise up against this COVID-19."

?@LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/LEIhgZUrrr

— NN Running Team (@NNRunningTeam) September 30, 2020

Kipchoge and the rest of the men’s field will start their run in London on Sunday at 5:15 a.m. EDT, sandwiched between the women’s race — which begins at 2:45 a.m. — and the wheelchair races at 8:12 a.m. The races can be streamed on FloTrack (for a fee) or streamed on the BBC for anyone in Europe.