A sub-2 in his marathon debut — Kejelcha's earth-shattering result is bound to write a legendary chapter in marathon history. In this unprecedented feat, what gear did Kejelcha choose?
Shoes: adidas ADIZERO ADIOS PRO EVO 3
Race apparel: Techfit+ Endurance Suit
Sports watch: 高驰 PACE 3
Smart monitoring wearable: WHOOP MG Bands
Compared with 萨维, the biggest difference for 伦马上科杰查 was choosing the Techfit+ Endurance one-piece. This type of one-piece has previously appeared more often on track athletes, while marathoners typically still opt to wear a singlet and compression shorts separately.
Besides Koech, 'Tiedan' Li Jian at this London Marathon, 'President' Wu Xiangdong at the Shanghai Half Marathon and the Paris Marathon's 'dark horse' champion Crippa and Suguru Osako in Valencia also chose one-piece suits, and more marathon runners may appear on the roads in one-piece suits going forward.
Compared with separate top and shorts, the one-piece suit's advantages are very clear: the integrated design reduces friction at seams, the fabric's elasticity is continuous, avoiding fabric rubbing that can occur when a top is tucked into shorts, as well as the pressure the shorts' waistband places on the waist.
adidas's Techfit+ endurance one-piece suit provides targeted pressure support in key areas such as the core, giving athletes the support they need to help improve performance.
In addition, Yomif Kejelcha had one more equipment highlight — he wore a smart device on each wrist: besides the runners' familiar sports watchCOROS PACE 3 outside of that, he also wore a WHOOP MG Bands smart band. You may not be familiar with WHOOP, but it has received investment from Abbott and sports stars such as LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo, giving it substantial backing.
This band can monitor core metrics and, combined with intelligent systems and an AI coach, provide athletes with guidance on training and recovery scheduling. Yomif Kejelcha chose to wear it in a major event like the London Marathon despite the 'extra weight' cost, which shows the smart band has become an important part of his setup — and it's likely given a significant boost to Yomif Kejelcha's excellent performance.
Do you think you'll ever run a marathon wearing a full-body suit? Would you use AI to guide your training? Leave a comment below and share with everyone.
