adidas Adizero Racing To Close Out Dominant 2026 at NYC Marathon

Come Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, adidas has the chance to close out a historic year of Abbott World Marathon Majors if winners of the Men's and/or Women's New York City Marathon cross the finish line while wearing a pair of the innovative Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 racing shoe as it'll mean that a single brand took home more than 20 out of 42 potential podium spots.

In September, the Three Stripes made history with its Adizero racer when the Berlin Marathon's Top 3 Men and Top 3 Women crossed the finish line in the Pro Evo 3. No other Marathon Major had previously seen a clean sweep before.

adidas' shot at closing out a monster year in NYC arrives just weeks after the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026—thanks in large part to it being the footwear style of choice for both Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, the first two athletes to complete a sanctioned marathon in under 2-hours (1:59:30 and 1:59:41, respectively, at the 2026 London Marathon). Their training was undoubtedly crucial in making the previously-unthinkable possible, but the ultra-lightweight and painstakingly fine-tuned adidas shoe also played a role in getting the best out of Sawe and Kejelcha on that day.

The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 re-releases on Thursday, Oct. 29, through adidas.com, DICK'S Sporting Goods, and select retailers for a price of $500, democratizing the performance tool.

What makes the German sportswear brand's 2026 Marathon Majors dominance more impressive is that the Pro Evo 3 only surfaced after Tokyo and Boston races had taken place. Versions 1 and 2 of the Adizero racer still took home five out of 12 podium spots between both events, showcasing that adidas innovation from over the last couple of years could still compete.

And yet, could anyone have guessed just how ahead the brand would be over the next several races?

Looking at podium results from the first six Marathon Majors, adidas has a total of 20 top results: 11 in the Men's category (four gold, four silver, three bronze) and nine in the Women's (four gold, two silver, three bronze). By comparison, Nike and ASICS have seven and five total podium results, respectively, over the last six races.

Furthermore, adidas Athletes hold seven out of the 10 fastest marathon times in 2026. Sawe ran London in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, setting a new world record in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. Ethiopia's Foyten Tesfay ran the Barcelona Marathon in 2:10:51 while wearing the Pro Evo 1 V2.

adidas isn't an official sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon (that would be New Balance), but the Three Stripes will be represented by a strong cohort of elite runners on both the Men's and Women's side.

The former is spearheaded by Benson Kipruto, who is the defending champion after having won the 2025 race in a photo finish. Sheila Chepkirui and Viola Cheptoo will be looking to get more podium spots for the Three Stripes on the Women's side.

All elite adidas Athletes are expected to wear the retail edition of the Pro Evo 3, although there may be some runners who wear prototype versions of the shoe (as the brand begins tweaking it for 2027) or the more-accessible Adizero Adios Pro 5.

Now, there's certainly a chance the European juggernaut goes 0/6 on Nov. 1, but that won't change the strong showing over the course of 245 days.

Prior to the 2026 Berlin Marathon, adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden told a group of about 100 media members, "I love sports, and everybody who works [at adidas] should love sports because if not, you’re in the wrong company." He continued, "We are celebrating sports again...we are spending more money than ever," and shared that the adidas Running business was up 28% in the first-half of the year (currency-neutral net sales).

The marquee Adios Pro Evo franchise has been crucial to the company's growth in the Performance category, but so have other, more democratic products—including Evo SL, HyperBOOST Edge, and the Supernova series.

As the brand continues to innovate, it's almost guaranteed that athletes from around the world, across a range of levels will continue breaking records—global and personal.

November's New York City Marathon might be the year's final Marathon Major to allow elite runners and top sportswear brands prove themselves again, but the grind continues.

Will adidas dominate once more? Tune in on Sunday, Nov. 1.