Held on April 27, the adidas adizero: Road to Records 2024, saw 12 records reset, including a new World Record in the men’s 1 Mile race, two U20 World Records in the 5km race and 1-mile respectively, and nine national records. This exciting race event held at the brand’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, did not disappoint.
New in 2024, the 1-mile race quickly made history. Emmanuel Wanyonyi from Kenya came in first in an astonishing 3:54:50, (that’s under 2 minutes 50 seconds for 1 kilometre!) remarking “being surrounded by all of my peers and the determination to push beyond boundaries of what’s been achieved previously – is an indescribable sight. Today was a tough one and I was up against a lot of great athletes, so I’m pleased to able to walk away with this win and will hopefully be able to come back next year and uphold my title.”
Wanyonyi’s record was not the only set in the 1-mile race. Ryan Mphahlele of South Africa set a new national record with a time of 3:56.4, and fellow Kenyan Collins Kibiwott Koech broke the previous U20 world record with his impressive time of 4:00.10.
Records were also broken in the women’s 1-mile race, in which Emine Hatun Tuna Mechaal set a national record for her country of Turkey with a time of 4:41.40, and Alexandra Bell set a new national record for England in 4:32:60.
Interestingly, all athletes competed in the Takumi Sen 10, in a design inspired by the shoe worn by the late Agnes Tirop when she broken the women’s 10km world record at the Road To Records 2021. With a distinctive leopard print design and bright accents of Lucid Lemon, the shoes were an iconic and eye-catching element of the Road To Records.
Defending her record in the 5km women’s race, Medina Eisa set a groundbreaking pace and maintained the lead until finish, breaking the U20 World Record in an astonishing time of 14:38. Several national records were also broken, including Anastasia Marinakou, who set the fastest time for Greece in 15:50, concurrently knocking 26 seconds off her PB.
More impressive records were broken in the men’s 5km race, Thierry Ndikumwenayo set the Spanish record in 13:17, and Shim JongSub ran 15:29, setting a new record for Korea.
With the Italian national 10km men’s record broken by Yeman Crippa with a time of 27:08, the Road To Records had well and truly lived up to its ambitious name – there were records being smashed consistently, by these incredible athletes.
Just weeks after Agnes Jebet Ngeticht broke the women’s 10km world record in Valencia, the athlete returned to the roads to seal her title as the world’s leading female road competitor. That she did, taking the win in a time of 30:03. (That’s three minutes a kilometre!) The achievements didn’t stop there, the women’s 10k race saw Karoline Grovdal set a new national record for Norway in 30:52, and Joan Chelimo break Romania’s national record with 30:52, knocking 29 seconds off her PB.
The adidas adizero: Road to Records 2024 was an unforgettable event celebrating the oustanding achievements of both seasoned and youthful athletes striving beyond the imaginable.