Kenyan runner disqualified from marathon for wearing unapproved shoes – Canadian Running Magazine
Kenyan marathoner Paul Matheka broke one of running’s golden rules: “nothing new on race day,” and it ended up costing him.
Before the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon on Oct. 5, Matheka did not have a pair of shoes for the race, so he purchased an off-brand pair at the event’s expo.
Despite the last-minute gear change, Matheka finished seventh overall in just under 2:20, enough to earn US$1,000 in prize money.
But when officials inspected his shoes after the race, they noticed the 32-year-old had been wearing a pair of Voltra JET carbon-plated racing shoes, a model not listed on World Athletics’ approved shoe list.
Because the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label event, it must follow the governing body’s competition rules, which include its footwear regulations. As a result, Matheka was disqualified.
Voltra, a Malaysian running shoe brand, quickly stepped in to take responsibility.
The company said Matheka had purchased the shoes at Voltra’s booth during the marathon expo, and both parties were unaware at the time that the shoes needed approval to be used for a World Athletics Label race.
For a shoe to be added to the approved list, brands must submit the model and its technology to World Athletics for evaluation.
The governing body reviews each shoe to ensure it complies with regulations on stack height, carbon plates and availability.
“It was an honest mistake by both sides,” Voltra wrote in a social media post.
“We couldn’t sit still knowing that a passionate runner’s effort was left unrewarded because of a technicality.”
To make things right, Voltra compensated Matheka with the prize money he lost.
“Sometimes, rules stop a winner. But we want to keep him running,” the brand wrote.
The Voltra JET is a lightweight, carbon-plated racing shoe designed for speed and performance.
It weighs just 209 grams and features a full-length carbon plate embedded in Pebax foam.
The shoe is available online only, but reviewers say it compares to other top marathon models on the market.