Most of us can’t run a marathon in 2:28 in the best shoes money can buy. On Sunday, Iskander Yadgarov ran one in jeans. Six weeks earlier he ran Berlin in Crocs. Here’s what happened in Porto, who he is, and whether any of it counts as a world record.
- Who: Iskander Yadgarov, 35, Russian marathoner with a 2:14:07 best
- Race: Porto Marathon, Portugal, Sunday 8 November 2026
- Time: 2:28:29 in jeans, about 3:31 per kilometre
- Place: 11th man, in a field of about 15,000
- Last stunt: 2:30:03 in Crocs at the Berlin Marathon on 27 September
- Record?: self-declared: we couldn’t find a Guinness title for a marathon in jeans
What happened in Porto
Yadgarov lined up in Porto in a pair of jeans and finished in 2:28:29, 11th man home, at an average of about 3:31 per kilometre (Marathon Handbook; BroBible). That’s roughly 5:39 a mile, for 42.2 km, in denim.
It didn’t feel like a party. “The Porto Marathon absolutely destroyed me in the second half,” he said, adding that he reached the finish “with almost no energy left”. Then he laid down the challenge: “now try to take it away from me” (Marathon Handbook).
A post shared by Iskander Yadgarov (@i.yadgarov)
For scale: the women’s winner, Ergat Kahsay Heshe, crossed the line in 2:28:07, just 22 seconds ahead of him, and the men’s race went to Vincent Kipkorir Kigen in 2:11:00 (Marathon Handbook).
Who is Iskander Yadgarov?
He’s a genuinely fast runner, not a costume act. World Athletics lists his marathon best as 2:14:07, set in Valencia in December 2023, and his birth date as 2 March 1991, which makes him 35 (World Athletics). He’s also a two-time winner of the Moscow Marathon (Marathon Handbook).
The stunts are newer. At the Berlin Marathon on 27 September he ran 2:30:03 in a pair of Crocs, three seconds outside the 2:30 he was aiming for (Marathon Handbook; BoxLife). His advice afterwards: “Don’t try to replicate that” (BoxLife).
Is it a world record?
Only by his own count. Yadgarov is claiming 2:28:29 as the fastest marathon in jeans, but we couldn’t find a Guinness World Records title for a marathon in jeans, and nothing we found says Guinness has ratified the run. Until someone official keeps a list, it’s the fastest jeans marathon anyone has publicly claimed.
If you’re thinking of going after it, the number to beat is 2:28:29, set by a man who can run 2:14 in shorts. Good luck.
Our read: the jeans weren’t the problem
Our read is that the denim makes the headline, but Yadgarov’s own post-race note is the useful bit. He said the jeans weren’t the issue: he ran Porto “without proper preparation” (Instagram). Even a 2:14 marathoner pays for it in the second half when the training isn’t there.
That’s the lesson for the rest of us, whatever we’re wearing. If you’ve got a marathon coming, our free 16-week beginner marathon plan and sub-4-hour plan build the miles before race day, and what to eat on race day covers the morning itself. For a marathon stunt that went the other way, see the influencer who rode a bike in Berlin.
Marathon in jeans FAQ
What’s the fastest marathon in jeans?
The fastest we know of is Iskander Yadgarov’s 2:28:29 at the Porto Marathon on 8 November 2026. It’s his own claim; we couldn’t find a Guinness title for it.
Who is Iskander Yadgarov?
A Russian marathon runner, born in 1991, with a 2:14:07 best. He ran Berlin 2026 in Crocs (2:30:03) and Porto in jeans (2:28:29).
Can you run a marathon in jeans?
You can, but our read is: don’t. Yadgarov finished “with almost no energy left”, and he’s a 2:14 runner. Wear kit you’ve trained in.
Sources: Marathon Handbook; BroBible; World Athletics; BoxLife; Iskander Yadgarov on Instagram. Images: АлексИзз, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Checked 12 November 2026.
