Sibusiso Kubheka pushed faster and beyond early Tuesday morning as he shattered the six-hour mark at the 100 kilometer distance in a time trail in Southern Italy in 5:59:20.
The Adidas-curated event, “Chasing 100,” used the Nardò Ring track in Lecce, Italy as the stage where Kubheka and four other ultrarunners — Aleksandr Sorokin, Jo Fukuda, Charlie Lawrence and Ketema Negasa — set out in the twilight hours to push beyond existing times at the distance.
Kubheka clocked a 5:47 mile pace and took off an impressive 6 minutes and 15 seconds from the sanctioned world record that Sorokin set at 6:05:35 in 2023 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“I’m so proud of my performance out there today,” Kubheka said in a statement. “Breaking this record and becoming the first person to run 100km in under 6 hours was not easy – but thanks to adidas’ partnership, belief and bespoke technologies, we made it happen. When we combine the best athletes, the right preparation and sports Innovation, anything is possible.”
And while Kubheka’s efforts at the distance are a marvel in itself, his time will not be recognized as a world record since the run was performed on an uncertified course, pacers were used at several points in the attempt and his shoes — at 50mm stack height — far exceeded World Athletics’ limit of 40mm for footwear.
But the trial showcased what Adidas was capable of engineering, as the brand outfitted each runner and the pacers with custom jackets that had fans installed in order to cool body temperatures before the attempt. Neck cooling devices were available, shorts that promoted hip stability were produced and singlets using 3D embossed materials helped with airflow.
Ultracharge foam underpinned the Adizero Evo Prime X shoes — at just 4.7 ounces — which were placed in pressurized chambers days before the race and would feel more responsive during the run.
Much of the footwear and apparel technology featured in Tuesday’s race will likely be incorporated in future Adidas products, like the singlets and tights each of the runners used.
And while Kubheka cracked 100 kilometers under six hours, Lawrence took second in 6:03:47 and Sorokin finished third in 6:04:10 — with all three times being faster than Sorokin’s officially ratified 6:05:35 from 2023.
