In a field dominated by carbon-fiber plates and $250 shoes, one runner stood out — by skipping them entirely. X user @BowTiedRunning combed through over 800 Boston Marathon race photos to award the top finisher without what he calls a “mechanical advantage.” His 2025 crown goes to Scott Lipp of Washington, who finished in 2:42:33 wearing Topo Atmos trainers.
Why it matters
Super shoes are now nearly universal among marathoners, especially at majors like Boston. As racing technology becomes the norm, efforts like this tongue-in-cheek “non-mechanical advantage” division spotlight those still opting for traditional gear — and raise deeper questions about tech, performance, and the spirit of competition.
What’s happening
- The 2025 Boston Marathon saw tens of thousands of finishers, most in high-tech carbon-plated shoes like Nike’s Vaporfly, Saucony’s Endorphin Pro, or Asics Metaspeed Sky.
- But one social media sleuth set out to find the outliers.
- “I sifted through 800+ race day photos (ignored top pros) and every time a runner like Scott popped up it was like Christmas morning,” @BowTiedRunning posted.
- Scott Lipp placed 1002nd overall with a time of 2:42:33 — “1st in our division,” the tweet reads.
- He wore the Topo Atmos, a shoe confirmed by the user to feature a “full EVA midsole with zero plate and a maximum stack height of 38mm.”
Congrats to Scott Lipp out of the great state of Washington for winning the 2025 non-mechanical advantage division at this year’s Boston Marathon.
— Runner (@BowTiedRunning) May 19, 2025
Scott finished in 2:42:33, which was good for 1002nd place in the overall, but 1st in our division.
He wore the Topo Atmos, which… pic.twitter.com/iZveBWvDvl
How it was done
The user manually examined hundreds of race day photos, looking for non-plate footwear while skipping professional runners. The project, now in its second year, originated as a kind of micro-research into the prevalence of “super shoes.”
“In a sea of guys that all wear same combo of 5 panel Hat + sunglasses + singlet + coros armband + arm sleeves + half tights + vaporfly, you start to get real excited when someone breaks the mold,” he wrote.
The bigger picture
- Last year’s “winner,” Joshua Tysor, ran 2:34:39 in Hoka Clifton 9s, also a non-super shoe.
- “Unfortunately this was not good enough to take down Joshua Tysor’s inaugural mark,” @BowTiedRunning noted about Lipp’s run, “but it’s still a great time nonetheless!”
- The user also noted trends from comparing 2024 and 2025: “TONS of endorphin pro/elites. Saucony is doing a great job of getting these to people… ASICS had a great showing as well, meta speed edge + Paris were everywhere.”
I present to you, the winner of the Non-Mechanical Advantage 2024 Boston Marathon: Joshua Tysor bib #3583
— Runner (@BowTiedRunning) April 24, 2024
Josh ran a 2:34:39 at this year’s Boston Marathon wearing Hoka Arahi 7s, coming in at $145. This placed him 225th overall, but 1st in our new division!
This daily trainer… https://t.co/xVk1hmspJA pic.twitter.com/l725mUc56J
Context: What makes a “super shoe”?
- Typically: carbon or nylon plate embedded in the sole + supercritical foam + high stack height.
- These designs aim to increase energy return and reduce fatigue, with proven effects on race times.
- World Athletics allows up to 40mm stack height and plates — but for purists, that’s already too far.
In their own words
“I look forward to this every year.”
— @BowTiedRunning, replying to a follower who asked if this would become an annual tradition.
