Six Weeks After Running Berlin in Crocs, Iskander Yadgarov Just Ran a 2:28 Marathon in Jeans

Iskander Yadgarov crossed the finish line of the Porto Marathon on Sunday, November 8, in 2:28:29. He did it wearing a pair of jeans.

That works out to roughly 3:31 per kilometer, or about 5:40 per mile, for 42.2 kilometers of denim. He finished 11th overall, according to Canadian Running.

If the mark holds up, it is the fastest marathon anyone is known to have run in jeans. It also lands just six weeks after he ran the Berlin Marathon in a pair of bright yellow Crocs.

His Instagram caption after the race was not about records at all. "Fried eggs for breakfast today," he wrote.

Three Runners, 19 Months, and a Denim Record That Keeps Falling

Running a marathon in jeans used to be a novelty. Over the past year and a half, it has turned into a genuine race between fast runners.

April 2025, Truett Hanes Runs 2:34:45

American runner Truett Hanes ran 2:34:45 in denim at the Eugene Marathon, according to BoxLife Magazine. He did it six days after running Boston.

Hanes is the runner most people picture when they hear "jeans guy." He has raced in denim for years, and he also ran 2:36:56 in jeans at Austin in February.

August 2026, Matt Fox Runs 2:33:38

Australian Matt Fox, host of the Sweat Elite podcast, took the mark down at the Sydney Marathon. His 2:33:38 beat Hanes by just 67 seconds.

November 2026, Yadgarov Runs 2:28:29

Then Yadgarov took more than five minutes off the record in one go. His 2:28:29 beat Fox by 5 minutes and 9 seconds.

That single jump is more than four times the 67 seconds Fox shaved off. It moves the denim record from "fast amateur" territory into a time most club runners would be thrilled to run in proper racing shoes.

He Told Everyone He Was Coming for It

Yadgarov did not stumble into this. He announced the target weeks before Porto, in an October interview with Sports.ru quoted by Canadian Running.

"I saw an American running fast in jeans. I should take that record from him," he said.

He went further than that. Yadgarov said that "all the crazy running records should belong to me."

Jeans Turned Out to Be Faster Than Crocs

Yadgarov ran Berlin on September 27 in neon-yellow Crocs and was reported at 2:30:03. A World Athletics listing reportedly shows 2:30:08, a small discrepancy that several outlets have noted.

Either way, Porto was quicker. His denim marathon beat his Crocs marathon by about 94 seconds.

The Crocs Were Not a One-Off

Berlin capped a full season of running in foam clogs. Before it, he was reported running 31:18 for 10 kilometers in Barcelona and 1:09:08 for the half marathon in Valencia, all in Crocs, per BoxLife Magazine.

He has since said the Crocs were painful and that he would not recommend them. His advice after Berlin was short, "Don't try to replicate that."

What a 2:28 in Jeans Actually Costs

To understand how good this run was, compare it to what he can do in normal kit. Yadgarov's personal best is 2:14:07, set in Valencia in December 2023, according to his World Athletics profile.

So the jeans cost him about 14 minutes and 22 seconds. That is roughly 10.7 percent slower than his best, which tells you how much a heavy fabric adds over 42 kilometers.

Why Denim Is So Hard to Run In

Cotton denim soaks up sweat and gets heavier as the kilometers go by. It also restricts the stride and rubs at the inner thighs and knees with every step.

Most marathoners spend months testing shorts and socks just to avoid chafing. Yadgarov did the opposite and chose the one fabric almost every running coach warns against.

If you have ever jogged for a bus in jeans, you know the feeling. Now picture holding sub-3:32 kilometers in them for nearly two and a half hours.

Who Is Iskander Yadgarov?

Yadgarov is a 35-year-old Russian runner, originally from Moscow, who now lives in Portugal. By day, he works as a software developer.

He is a two-time Moscow Marathon champion, winning in 2019 and 2022. His half marathon best is 1:02:35, which he ran in Valencia in October 2024.

That pedigree is what makes his stunts land. These are not times from someone jogging to the finish.

They come from an elite-level amateur who deliberately picks the hardest possible outfit.

He is also refreshingly honest about the distance itself. "I love half-marathons, but I hate marathons," he told Sports.ru.

Is It an Official World Record?

Not yet. Canadian Running describes the time as the fastest known marathon in denim, pending verification.

Guinness World Records has published other clothing records at big marathons this year, but it has not announced a denim mark from Porto. Fox himself called his Sydney run the fastest known marathon in jeans rather than an official record.

For now, it is best understood the way runners already treat it. It is the fastest jeans marathon on record, until someone proves otherwise or Guinness rules on it.

The Odd-Outfit Marathon Is Having a Moment

Yadgarov is part of a wider wave of runners chasing records in the least practical clothing they can find. This site has covered a sub-three marathon in Crocs and a teacher who broke a record running a marathon in a saree.

There was even a runner who set a national record in Crocs and pajamas while chasing his dog. The joke outfits keep getting faster, because the people wearing them are increasingly serious athletes.

What You Can Take From It

You probably will not be racing in denim any time soon. But Yadgarov's year shows how far a strong aerobic base can carry you, even in the worst possible kit.

Long, steady mileage built the engine that let him hold 3:31 per kilometer in the wrong clothes. Gear can save you seconds, but fitness is what buys you minutes.

If you are building toward your own marathon, focus on the training before the gear. And whatever you do on race day, maybe leave the jeans at home.