Kenyan marathoner Barnabas Kiplimo sets a new record by winning a marathon in innovative carbon-plated sandals.
Kenyan marathoner Barnabas Kiplimo has defied the odds to become the first athlete to win a marathon wearing sandals and the second to wear the shoes competing in the race, breaking the Guinness World Record with his explosive time.
Derrick Ho of Kuala Lumpur was the first to wear the shoes and delivered an astonishing performance at the Twincity Marathon in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.
He wore a par of white flip-flops and black socks to finish the full marathon in 3:04 and finished ninth in the race. The winner crossed the finish line in 2:50:43.
Gabby Thomas 300m school record had stood for seven years but has now been broken by the fast-rising Canadian sprinter.
His time unofficially beat the current Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in flip-flops (3:37:27) that was held by Australian runner Alistair Kealty but the Kenyan marathoner has since broken that record.
Kiplimo crossed the finish line in a time of 2:18:55 and took the new Thai brand to a new level when it comes to running with sandals. He was competing at the Khon Kaen Marathon in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
He wore the first carbon-plated running sandal in the world, the Nirun, that has been designed by Thai running brand VING. There has been a rise in the innovations of running shoes but the sandals are a discovery.
The main reason for the development of the sandals is to avoid complicating footwear and the aim was to claim the bragging rights for the world’s first super sandal.
The shoes have an upper part and midsole made up of proprietary foam and it also features a full-length carbon plate within the foam midsole designed to enhance cadence and provide the athletes with responsiveness. It has a thong-style flip-flop design and almost looks like a Croc.
Having tried it out, Kiplimo has shown the world that the shoe has the ability to propel an athlete to top honours as he also improved his previous personal best time by eight minutes. The company has launched a camp in Iten, Kenya, for testing the shoes since the area has some of the best long-distance runners.
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Elaine Thompson-Herah has been a victim of injuries and at one point in her career, she felt like there was no need to keep trying.
The brand has a few prototypes for sale, but remains in the testing and development phase and the developers plan to showcase their prduct at the 2025 L.A. Marathon in March.
