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Nike's latest design seeks to break marathon world record
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Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite was announced on Tuesday, closely following the announcement of the Breaking2 initiative, to have runners run a two-hour marathon. (Nike/File)
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s of right now, the fastest marathon ever run currently stands at 2:02:57. But that’s not good enough for athletic wear giant Nike, which wants to help bring that time down to under two hours.
The solution? The Zoom Vaporfly Elite.
The new shoe was announced on Tuesday, closely following the announcement of the company’s Breaking2 initiative, to have runners run a two-hour marathon. At Breaking2, world-class runners will wear the Zoom Vaporfly Elite in the hope that the shoe will propel them toward the next world record.
“It’s ones of those big barriers of human potential,” said Tony Bignell, VP of footwear innovation, to Wired.
Read also: Nike to release most cutting edge 'Air Max' series
The shoe will weigh around 198 grams, and according to Bignell, the sole is made up of foam never before used in the company’s history. But if Nike really wants to meet its goal of the two-hour marathon, the shoe will have to improve runner’s efficiency by 3 to 5 percent.
“We’re at a point where we now feel that we have the science,” said Matthew Nurse, VP of the Nike Sports Research Lab.
Two consumer versions of the Vaporfly will be released this June -- the Zoom Vaporfly 4% at US$250 and the heavier Zoom Fly at $150, so runners all over the world will also be able to test the new technology.
Athletes Eliud Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadese, and Lelisa Desisa are set to be wearing custom Nikes and running toward the record this spring. (sul/kes)
