On the hottest day in the London Marathon's history, Eliud Kipchoge glided to victory on Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite running shoes. The footwear featured new 3D-printed textile uppers created with a technology called Flyprint. The uppers are produced through solid deposit modelling (SDM) that involves a process where TPU filament is unwound from a coil, melted and deposited in layers. Kipchoge, from Kenya, is known as the fastest man to run a marathon. He is one of Nike's brand stars and considered by many to be the best 26.2-mile runner of all time. After his victory at the rain-swept Berlin Marathon in September 2017, he complained his VaporFly Elites absorbed too much water. Nike then began development of a more waterproof upper, without adding extra weight to the runner's shoes. The rapid prototyping enabled Nike to produce thousands of possibilities and send the best versions to Kipchoge to test. His feedback was used to create a version 11-grams lighter than the pair he wore in Berlin. The shoes are not only lighter but are more breathable and boast a better moisture-wicking ability. Kipchoge ran the course in London in just 2:00:24, an impressive result given that temperatures climbed to 24C. Then again, it was his third victory there and the 10th in 11 marathons.

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