The Chinese professional sportswear brand Xtep is launching the 160X 8.0 Ultra, its new flagship range of marathon running shoes. These shoes incorporate the high-end GT1200 carbon sole produced by the Chinese carbon fibre manufacturer Zhongfu Shenying. The two companies joined forces in October 2025 to transform specialised, aerospace-grade materials – previously reserved for space exploration, aircraft construction and high-end medical devices – into materials suitable for marathon running shoes.
Xtep 160X8.0 Ultra’s carbon plates (source: Xtep)
The carbon fibre filaments used in the GT1200 – and therefore in the 160X 8.0 Ultra – are thinner than a human hair, weigh a quarter of the weight of their steel equivalent, and yet offer ten times the strength of that metal, according to Xtep. Furthermore, the brand claims the shoes provide powerful rebound. The carbon plate is protected by an outer layer of poliyimide (PI) fibre, which is designed to prevent fibre breakage and enhance the stability and durability of the carbon plate.
Xtep signed runners group portrait (source: Xtep)
Over the years, models from Xtep’s 160X series have been worn at major marathon events worldwide, and more than 140 runners have won over 620 titles with them, Xtep states.
