Adidas enters New York City Marathon weekend after reporting a 14% currency-neutral increase in Performance revenue, giving its growing Running business a prominent test at one of the sport’s major races.
Adidas reported third-quarter revenue of €7.252 billion, 9% higher than a year earlier and up 7% on a currency-neutral basis. Performance revenue increased 14% on that basis, with double-digit gains in Running, Training and Football, according to the company’s Oct. 29 results release.
On the same day, an analyst cited 19% Running growth during an earnings call, and CEO Bjørn Gulden agreed with the figure. The exchange did not specify the comparison period. Gulden said the Adizero range and its design direction had driven recent gains.
A shoe tally from Marathon Handbook credits Adidas athletes with winning eight of the 12 men’s and women’s title events completed at major marathons before New York this year. Seven of those victories came in the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. The count is a media tally, not an official World Marathon Majors brand ranking.
New York Road Runners (NYRR) named Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri as the defending champions in the men’s and women’s open divisions. Obiri is an On athlete. NYRR said more than 240,000 people from over 160 countries entered this year’s drawing, nearly 20% more than in 2025; about 1% of applicants received places in the general drawing, according to its March announcement.
CNA reported that Adidas Running general manager Patrick Nava told Reuters, “Running as an industry is having a little bit of a heyday.” The outlet described elite athletes as a way for footwear brands to showcase technical work and strengthen consumer trust. CNA also reported that recreational runners sometimes pay hundreds of dollars for shoes in hopes of better performance.
Nike introduced the Zoom Vaporfly Elite in 2017 for Breaking2, its project to test whether a marathon could be run in under two hours. CNA reported that Nike athletes won 10 of the 12 gold medals available across six Majors in 2019. The five-borough New York course debuted in 1976, making this year’s race its 50th anniversary. The 2026 marathon is scheduled for Nov. 1.
