These Custom Nikes Won The Berlin Marathon
Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge can be considered to be the world's best marathon runner: he's got three Olympic gold medals under his belt and holds the unofficial record for the fastest ever marathon time. In the lead up to this past weekend's Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge took some time away from track practice to dip his toe into the wild world of sneaker customisation.
With the help of – the athlete's official sponsor – Kipchoge worked on his own version of the Zoom Elite. The Swoosh have done the difficult work in this custom make-up, manufacturing a VaporFly that has a slightly more flexible carbon fibre plate than is found in the consumer version. Kipchoge then injected the design with some personal touches: his initials 'EK' are printed on the shoe's medial side and the sockliner bears the names of his wife and children.
Taking a leaf out of Virgil Abloh's book, Eliud took to the shoe with permanent marker – scribbling his personal mantra 'Beyond the Limits' on the lateral side of the sole. Once again, Abloh's design style proved to be a winner: Kipchoge took out first place in the race (and the founder celebrated the victory by presenting Kipchoge with a pair of his own custom ).
If you're looking to get your hands on these VaporFly Elites, Nike are offering up 99 pairs to European consumers who complete a Just Do It Sunday run anytime on September 24 using the Nike+ Run Club app. Check out for further info on how to secure your pair.