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Many shoe brands vie for visibility at the finish line of the TCS New York City Marathon each year. But this year, an unexpected brand made headlines for its role in the race.
According to an Instagram post from Citius Run Club, a Denver-based run club, Kevin Leimkuhler broke the world record for running the fastest marathon while wearing a pair of Crocs. He finished the 2024 New York City Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2:51:27.
Crocs Inc. confirmed to FN that Leimkuhler completed the race while wearing the brand’s classic clog in the Starfish colorway. According to an image of Leimkuhler, he wore socks along with the clogs.
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According to Citius Run Club, British runner Chris Howett held the prior world record for the fastest marathon in Crocs when he finished the Manchester Marathon in 2:58:24.
Other shoe brands had big moments in the race as well. Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s race on Sunday in the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 super shoe. The Kenyan runner — who competed in her first-ever NYC Marathon — finished in 2:24:35, besting fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri, who won in 2023. And the Nike Alphafly 3 Super Shoe carried Abdi Nageeye to victory at the marathon. He finished the race in 2:07:39, beating Adidas runner Evans Chebet in a close finish.
More than 50,000 runners from around the world participated in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. Olympic gold medalist and New Balance star Gabby Thomas, who appeared on FN’s November 2023 cover, served as grand marshal for the race.
