Kenyan marathon sensation Sabastian Sawe is receiving major recognition in London after sportswear giant Adidas celebrated his historic London Marathon triumph with a billboard tribute in the city.
Sawe stunned the athletics world after clocking a groundbreaking 1:59:30 at the 2026 London Marathon, becoming the first man to run an official marathon under two hours in race conditions.
His extraordinary feat instantly became one of the biggest moments in modern sport.
Now, Adidas has moved quickly to honour the athlete whose performance also showcased the company’s newest racing innovation.
The brand erected a billboard in London celebrating Sawe’s achievement. The massive digital tribute for Sawe was displayed on the Piccadilly Lights at London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus.
This location is one of the world’s most famous advertising landmarks, located at the junction of five major streets in the West End. The billboard featured Sawe in full stride alongside his historic world-record time of 1:59:30
The London Marathon has seen legendary performances over the years, but few compare to what unfolded when Sawe crossed the finish line.
His victory also came against an elite field packed with top challengers, making the performance even more remarkable.
Sawe’s history-making performance came in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, a shoe already attracting huge attention in the running world.
The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is the first race-legal marathon shoe reported to weigh under 100 grams, making it one of the lightest elite racing shoes ever produced. At approximately 97 grams, it is around 30 percent lighter than its predecessor.
Adidas stripped away all non-essential materials to achieve the ultra-light build. The upper was inspired by kitesurfing sail material, helping reduce weight while maintaining race-day support.
For marathon runners, every gram matters over 42.2 kilometers. Less weight means lower energy expenditure and greater efficiency with every stride.
The shoe also uses Adidas’ new ENERGYRIM technology instead of a traditional full-length carbon plate.
Rather than placing carbon through the middle of the sole, the rim wraps around the perimeter, allowing the foot to sit directly on 39mm of foam.
This design aims to combine cushioning with a more aggressive propulsive feel during toe-off.
The Lightstrike Pro Evo foam inside the shoe is 50 percent lighter and more responsive than earlier versions, while delivering around 11 percent greater energy return.
That matters in a marathon where tiny efficiency gains repeated thousands of times can produce enormous performance differences.
The forefoot rocker also features an aggressive 6.5cm rise designed to trigger earlier forward roll and launch mechanics, helping runners conserve energy late in races.
The shoe was built for maximum speed.
