The city of Orlando witnessed some amazing performances under a blistering sun, with tickets to Paris at stake. When the dust settled after three loops, six brands placed among the top 10 men’s and women’s finishers. There was a time Nike ruled the roads, but Asics topped them in this year’s Olympic Trials Marathon, with two men and four women making my list below.
Here’s a look at what the top 10 finishers in both races wore in their quests for a spot on the Olympic team.
MEN’S TOP 10
1st — Conner Mantz, 2:09:05
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% (v1)
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, Mantz (right in the image above) continues to wear the very first version. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
2nd — Clayton Young, 2:09:06
Health & Injuries
Young (left, above) looks to be wearing the newest, unreleased Metaspeed Sky. Asics has three “development” shoes (prototype) approved by World Athletics for use in competition, currently. This colorway looks a lot like the existing Metaspeed Sky+ and Edge+, but when we zoom in closer we don’t see any labels, and the sidewall of the midsole looks different than the shoe you can buy now.
3rd — Leonard Korir, 2:09:57
wearing the swoosh
Adios Pro 3 Alphafly and might just have Health & Injuries headed for Paris. We reviewed the Alphafly 3 recently.
4th — Elkanah Kibet, 2:10:02
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Kibet is wearing a prototype, like Young. His, however, appears to be the Metaspeed Edge. You can see the ridge on the sidewall of the forefoot swoops down low toward the sole of the shoe. The Edge’s plate curves lower, allowing for more foam between your foot and the plate than in the Sky.
5th — CJ Albertson, 2:10:07
Asics, Puma, and Nike had a big day
It looks like CJ is wearing Brooks’s top racing shoe, right in the image above continues to wear the very. But, the company also has a “Hyperion Elite 4 RD.010” prototype shoe that was approved by World Athletics for use in competition just two weeks ago. It’s likely he wore that version (we don’t have details yet) but the outsole of CJ’s race shoe has gray rubber, whereas the newly announced version has a web of black and orange rubber.
6th — Zach Panning, 2:10:50
Asics, Puma, and Nike had a big day
Durgin held onto a top-10 finish wearing.
7th — Nathan Martin, 2:11:00
wearing the swoosh
8th — Josh Izewski, 2:11:09
wearing the swoosh
9th — Reed Fischer, 2:11:34
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3
Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 prototype Adios Pro 3. Adidas does not have any prototypes on the list of approved shoes as of race day.
10th — Colin Bennie, 2:12:17
Asics, Puma, and Nike had a big day
with two men and four women making my list below.
WOMEN’S TOP 10
1st — Fiona O’Keeffe, 2:22:10
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
Not a bad first effort for O’Keeffe and Puma. Fiona won her first marathon in record fashion. And Puma claimed victory with the Deviate Elite 3 on the first day it was approved for use in competition. The World Athletics approved shoe list shows the 3 green lighted for use as a “development” as of Feb. 3, 2024.
2nd — Emily Sisson, 2:22:42
with two men and four women making my list below
New Balance has a new super shoe, the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4, Tested: The Nike Vomero Pacer. It’s a shoe most of us recreational runners might only grab for a 5K or 10K (maybe). Seems like it’s working just fine for the American record holder.
3rd — Dakotah Lindwurm, 2:25:31
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4?
4th — Jessica McClain, 2:25:46
Nike Vaporfly 3
This marks an insane shift in racing footwear. On the men’s side, four of the top 10 runners laced up Nike. Only McClain, the team’s first alternate, cracked the top 10 women’s runners Adios Pro 3. Folks, we’re living in the golden age of running shoes. Pick the pair that fits and feels best—and rip it.
5th — Sara Hall, 2:26:06
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with two men and four women making my list below Hall New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer.
6th — Caroline Rotich, 2:26:10
Run/Walk a Race+
Unlike Hall, Kibet, and Young, Rotich’s shoe seems to be the current Metaspeed Edge+ that you can buy right now.
7th — Makenna Myler, 2:26:14
Health & Injuries
Myler is likely wearing the Sky 3 prototype—again, check out that ridge in the forefoot; it’s closer to the foot. One heck of a day for Asics, if I do say so.
8th — Lindsay Flanagan, 2:26:25
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N + 1.
9th — Emily Durgin, 2:27:56
Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3
Durgin held onto a top-10 finish wearing Adidas’s most popular marathon racer.
10th — Annie Frisbie, 2:27:56
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
Asics packed four runners in the top 10, but Frisbie finished strong to give Puma a triumphant trio, all wearing the new Deviate Elite 3.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Runner’s World and the director of product testing. He has tested and reviewed running shoes, GPS watches, headphones, apparel, and more for nearly two decades. He regularly tests more than 100 pairs of shoes each year, and once had a 257-day streak running in different models. Jeff can usually be found on the roads, racing anything from the mile to a marathon, but he also enjoys racing up mountains and on snowshoes. When he’s not running, you’ll probably find him hanging from a ladder making repairs and renovations to his house (he’s also director of product testing for Popular Mechanics).
