There’s An Astonishing New 100km World Record!

Sibusiso Kubheka has become the first person to run 100km in under six hours, completing the distance in 5:59:20.

In a time trial set up by adidas called Chasing100, five of the world’s top ultrarunners came together to chase the 100km world record, powered by the company’s latest innovations in speed and endurance apparel.

Taking place at the Nardò Ring in Southern Italy – a 12.6km circular track used by Porsche for testing their cars – the target was to beat Aleksandr Sorokin’s world record of 06:05:35.

Lithuanian Sorokin was one of the five runners alongside USA’s Charlie Lawrence (50 mile world record holder), Japan’s Jo Fukuda, Ethiopian Ketema Negasa, and South African Sibusiso Kubheka.

Both Sorokin (6:04:10) and Lawrence (6:03:47) ran inside the previous world record, but it’s Kubheka who gets the headlines and becomes the first person to break the six-hour barrier over 100km.

Running 5:59:20 for 100km (62.2 miles) requires an average pace of 3:36 per kilometre or 5:47 per mile, and all the runners wore adidas Adizero Evo Prime X as well as being head-to-toe in bespoke kit for the record attempt.

WHAT ARE THE ADIDAS ADIZERO EVO PRIME X?

Each runner wore adidas Adizero Evo Prime X tailored specifically for them, with the stack height calibrated to the force each runner generates in order to give them their optimum responsiveness and cushioning.

The shoe was precision-engineered for speed over an extremely long distance. It featured an ultra-responsive midsole and precision-fit upper designed to maximise running economy.

The Evo Prime X also featured an innovation called Ultracharge. The race day shoes were put into a high-pressure vessel five days prior to the race with air bubbles pumped into the empty gaps of the midsole foam. Adidas explains that as the pressure increases there is an improvement in the energy return of the shoes.

It hasn’t been confirmed whether a version of this shoe will be available for runners, but given the bespoke fit, extreme geometry and the Ultracharge, it seems unlikely they will be commercially available.

WHAT KIT WHERE THEY WEARING IN CHASING100?

As well as the Evo Prime X, runners were also utilising other tech innovations:

CLIMACOOL Pre-Cooling & Per-Cooling System. Inspired by Formula 1, before the race, athletes used a combination of cooling and insulating technology to enhance thermal regulation. This had the aim of minimising athletes’ core temperature and heart rate in the first hour of performance. During the race, each athlete had their own set of cooling necks ergonomically moulded to the main arteries and veins for maximum cooling, and these were swapped out and refreshed during the run.

Clima 3D singlet. This features a newly developed CLIMACOOL 3D embossed material technology, body-mapped to areas with the highest skin contact and sweat production for improved airflow, accelerated sweat evaporation and enhanced cooling. This new CLIMACOOL 3D technology will be available in 2026, according to adidas.

TechFit short tight. These feature stiffening bands strategically placed for each athlete’s body composition, stabilising the hips to support running economy and endurance performance under fatigue. This will also be available in 2026.