Barnabas Kiplimo, a Kenyan Athlete, went into history books of running when he won the 20th edition of the Khon Kaen Marathon, on Sunday (19) in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
The 28 year-old wore the world’s first carbon-plated running sandals—the Nirun, designed by the Thai running brand VING, the “world’s first super sandal”.
Unlike most carbon-plated racing shoes which have uppers made of lightweight fabric or sewn material, the Nirun’s upper and midsole are both made of proprietary foam.
The sandal features a full-length carbon plate within the foam midsole, designed to enhance cadence and provide responsiveness.
Additionally, the super sandal has a traditional thong-style flip-flop design, but its foam heel strap adds some extra security, almost like a Croc.
Kiplimo who finished in position 43rd during last year’s Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, made a remarkable improvement on his time when he improved on his previous marathon best by eight minutes as he dominated the race in the second half to cut the tape first in a new personal best of 2:18.55 with his closest rival, Ebisa Kure Takele from Ethiopia coming a distant second almost three minutes later.
Ethiopian Tsega Desta Mehari wrapped up the podium three finishes in 2:52.11.
The race course record of 2:16.44 set 14 years ago by Kennedy Kiptoo Lilan from Kenya remains standing.
Kiplimo won Kshs 189,792 ($ 1,467) as prize money.
VING launched a product testing camp in Iten, Kenya, one of the world’s premier training destinations for long-distance runners and have been testing the super sandal on elite distance runners and marathoners in warm training conditions to evaluate its durability, performance and speed.
The brand has a few prototypes for sale but remains in the testing and development phase.
" We are planning to launch a Kickstarter project in February with an updated version of the sandals,” the brand wrote on Instagram.
They also plan to showcase their product at the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon in March.