Running News Daily

Joe Klecker Plans His Half Marathon Debut

In a live recording of The CITIUS MAG Podcast in New York City, U.S. Olympian Joe Klecker confirmed that he is training for his half marathon debut in early 2025. He did not specify which race but signs point toward the Houston Half Marathon on Jan. 19th.

“We’re kind of on this journey to the marathon,” Klecker said on the Citizens Bank Stage at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon Expo. “The next logical step is a half marathon. That will be in the new year. We don’t know exactly where yet but we want to go attack a half marathon. That’s what all the training is focused on and that’s why it’s been so fun. Not that the training is easy but it’s the training that comes the most naturally to me.”

Klecker owns personal bests of 12:54.99 for 5000m and 27:07.57 for 10,000m. In his lone outdoor track race of 2024, he ran 27:09.29 at Sound Running’s The Ten in March and missed the Olympic qualifying standard of 27:00.00.

His training style and genes (his mother Janis competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the marathon and won two U.S. marathon national championships in her career; and his father Barney previously held the U.S. 50-mile ultramarathon record) have always linked Klecker to great marathoning potential. For this year’s TCS New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners had Klecker riding in the men’s lead truck so he could get a front-row glimpse at the race and the course, if he chooses to make his debut there or race in the near future.

The Comeback From Injury

In late May, Klecker announced he would not be able to run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June due to his recovery from a torn adductor earlier in the season, which ended his hopes of qualifying for a second U.S. Olympic team. He spent much of April cross training and running on the Boost microgravity treadmill at a lower percentage of his body weight.

“The process of coming back has been so smooth,” Klecker says. “A lot of that is just because it’s been all at the pace of my health. I haven’t been thinking like, ‘Oh I need to be at this level of fitness in two weeks to be on track for my goals.’ If my body is ready to go, we’re going to keep progressing. If it’s not ready to go, we’re going to pull back a little bit. That approach is what helped me get through this injury.”

One More Track Season

Klecker is not fully prepared to bid adieu to the track. He plans to chase the qualifying standard for the 10,000 meters and attempt to qualify for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. In 2022, after World Athletics announced Tokyo as the 2025 host city, he told coach Dathan Ritzenhein that he wanted the opportunity to race at Japan National Stadium with full crowds.

“I’m so happy with what I’ve done on the track that if I can make one more team, I’ll be so happy,” Klecker says. “Doing four more years of this training, I don’t know if I can stay healthy to be at the level I want to be. One more team on the track would just be like a dream.”

Klecker is also considering doubling up with global championships and could look to qualify for the 2025 World Road Running Championships, which will be held Sept. 26th to 28th in San Diego. To make the team, Klecker would have to race at the Atlanta Half Marathon on Sunday, March 2nd, which also serves as the U.S. Half Marathon Championships. The top three men and women will qualify for Worlds. One spot on Team USA will be offered via World Ranking.

Sound Running’s The Ten, one of the few fast opportunities to chase the 10,000m qualifying standard on the track, will be held on March 29th in San Juan Capistrano.

Thoughts on Ryan Hall’s American Record

The American record in the half marathon remains Ryan Hall’s 59:43 set in Houston on Jan. 14th, 2007. Two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp (59:47 at the 2018 Prague Half) and two-time U.S. Olympian Leonard Korir (59:52 at the 2017 New Dehli Half) are the only other Americans to break 60 minutes.

In the last three years, only Biya Simbassa (60:37 at the 2022 Valencia Half), Kirubel Erassa (60:44 at the 2022 Houston Half), Diego Estrada (60:49 at the 2024 Houston Half) and Conner Mantz (60:55 at the 2021 USATF Half Marathon Championships) have even dipped under 61 minutes.

On a global scale, Nineteen of the top 20 times half marathon performances in history have come since the pandemic. They have all been run by athletes from Kenyan, Uganda, and Ethiopia, who have gone to races in Valencia (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), or Copenhagen (Denmark), and the top Americans tend to pass on those races due to a lack of appearance fees or a stronger focus on domestic fall marathons.

Houston in January may be the fastest opportunity for a half marathon outside of the track season, which can run from March to September for 10,000m specialists.

“I think the record has stood for so long because it is such a fast record but we’re seeing these times drop like crazy,” Klecker says. “I think it’s a matter of time before it goes. Dathan (Ritzenhein) has run 60:00 so he has a pretty good barometer of what it takes to be in that fitness. Listening to him has been really good to let me know if that’s a realistic possibility and I think it is. That’s a goal of mine. I’m not there right now but I’m not racing a half marathon until the new year. I think we can get there to attempt it. A lot has to go right to get a record like that but just the idea of going for it is so motivating in training.”

His teammate, training partner, and Olympic marathon bronze medalist Hellen Obiri has full confidence in Klecker’s potential.

“He has been so amazing for training,” Obiri said in the days leading up to her runner-up finish at the New York City Marathon. “I think he can do the American record.”

Morgan Beadlescomb Withdraws From Manchester Road Race

Just hours after Manchester Road Race officials announced that Morgan Beadlescomb was set to defend his title, the elite runner withdrew from the 2024 field.

Race officials said Beadlescomb had committed to compete in Manchester several weeks ago, and his entry was announced by race organizers Monday. He notified the Manchester Road Race Committee later on Monday about his decision not to compete in this year's event.

The 26-year-old Beadlescomb ran in the USATF 5-Kilometer Championship in New York City on Saturday and finished in 10th place. He won that race in 2023.

"We've been informed that Morgan consulted with his coach after Saturday's performance at the national 5-K race, and they decided that he would not be able to compete at the required level to give a good showing in Manchester," said Dr, Tris Carta, the longtime president of the Manchester Road Race. "We’ll certainly miss having him with us this Thanksgiving, and we hope that he’ll be back here in the near future."

Beadlescomb, an All-American runner at Michigan State University, won the 2023 MRR in a close race with runner-up Conner Mantz. A year earlier, he finished a close second here behind Mantz, who set the MRR course record of 21:04. Beadlescomb recorded 21:05, the second fastest time ever run on the Manchester course.

Reigning Manchester road race champ Morgan Beadlescomb to defend title on thanksgiving

The reigning Manchester Road Race champion will be defending his title on Thanksgiving morning.

Morgan Beadlescomb, who won the 2023 event with an impressive finishing kick down the Main Street home stretch, has committed to return in 2024, race officials announced Monday. Beadlescomb, of Ann Arbor, MI, will be making his third straight Turkey Day appearance in Manchester. He broke the tape last year with a time of 21:12, edging runner-up Conner Mantz by three seconds.

The 26-year-old Beadlescomb's victory last Thanksgiving reversed the results of the 2022 MRR, when Mantz won with a course record time of 21:04, one second ahead of Beadlescomb, who was the runner-up. Beadlescomb's 21:05 clocking at the 2022 road race is the second-fastest time ever run on the Manchester loop. Beadlescomb was a seven-time All-American runner at Michigan State University, where he holds the indoor and outdoor records for 5,000 meters. His personal best time for the event is 13:03.57.

"We are very pleased that Morgan is returning," said. Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. "He is a terrific competitor, and we expect that his presence will mean that we are in store for another exciting road race finish."

Beadlescomb's entry means that both of last year's winners will be competing at the 2024 MRR. Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, AR, who holds the women's course record and has won the race for the past three years in a row, has also committed to the race.

The 88th Manchester Road Race is one of only 22 events in the United States, and 298 in the world, to be designated this year as a World Athletics Label Road Race. World Athletics is the international governing body for the sport of track and field.

The road race will be staged at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28 of this year). The race, which starts and finishes on Main Street in front of St. James Church, is run on a 4.737-mile course through Manchester’s central streets. Last year, 11,060 runners registered to run in the event, which is regarded as one of America’s largest and most popular turkey trots. As of early this morning, 8,096 entrants have signed up to run this year.

The MRR's principal financial sponsors are Pratt & Whitney, ECHN, and Hoffman Lexus. The road race is organized by more than 400 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the town of Manchester.

Tola and Obiri lead elite fields for New York City Marathon

Organisers of the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon have revealed a world-class line up for this year’s World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 3 November, led by defending champions Tamirat Tola and Hellen Obiri.

Since winning last year in a course record of 2:04:58, Tola won the Olympic title in Paris in a Games record of 2:06:26. What made his feat all the more impressive is that he was only drafted into the Ethiopian team two weeks before the Games, having initially been named as a reserve.

“I’m excited to defend my title in New York, especially coming off an Olympic-record marathon performance,” said Tola. “The hilly course and crowds in Paris definitely prepared me well for the bridges and spectators in New York, where maybe I can go even faster this year.”

Two-time Olympic medallist Bashir Abdi will also be one to watch; the Belgian earned silver at the recent Olympics, having taken bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and at the 2022 World Championships.

Three past winners – all from Kenya – are also in the field: 2022 champion Evans Chebet, 2021 winner Albert Korir, and 2019 and 2017 victor Geoffrey Kamworor. Chebet has twice won the Boston Marathon, and has finished first or second in 13 marathons. Kamworor has made it on to the podium in all four of his New York Marathon appearances.

Fellow Kenyan Abel Kipchumba, who won this year’s NYC Half Marathon, will be making his New York City Marathon debut.

The US charge is led by Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who finished eighth and ninth respectively in the Paris Olympic marathon.

Women’s Open Division

Obiri is a three-time Olympic medallist and seven-time world medallist. Last year the Kenyan became the first woman in 34 years to win both Boston and New York in the same calendar year. So far this year, she retained her Boston Marathon title and went on to earn bronze in the Olympic marathon.

“There’s no place like New York, and I am so ready to defend my title,” said Obiri. “I have been racing very well on the roads in the US, and I hope I can have another good day that sees me in contention once we enter the final stages in Central Park.”

Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 NYC Marathon winner, will return after finishing third last year and fourth in the Olympic marathon in Paris. The Kenyan delegation will also include 2010 champion Edna Kiplagat, four-time Olympic medallist Vivian Cheruiyot, and Sheila Chepkirui, who owns the fastest personal best in the field.

Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba will make her New York City Marathon debut and is one of the world’s most accomplished long-distance runners as a three-time Olympic and 16-time world champion. She will be joined by compatriot Senbere Teferi.

Dakotah Lindwurm, the top US finisher in the marathon at the Paris Olympics, will lead the US contingent.

Elite field

WomenSheila Chepkirui (KEN) 2:17:29Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 2:17:56Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:18:31Senbere Teferi (ETH) 2:19:21Dera Dida (ETH) 2:19:24Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:02Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:22:45Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:23:10Fatima Gardadi (MAR) 2:24:12Kellyn Taylor (USA) 2:24:29Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:24:30Aliphine Tuliamuk (USA) 2:24:37Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 2:24:40Lily Partridge (GBR) 2:25:12Jessica McClain (USA) 2:25:46Des Linden (USA) 2:25:55Tristin Van Ord (USA) 2:25:58Khishigasaikhan Galbadrakh (MGL) 2:26:32Maggie Montoya (USA) 2:28:07Katja Goldring (USA) 2:29:01Savannah Berry (USA) 2:29:13

MenEvans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:00Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:03:36Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:04:23Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:45Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:01Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:06:49Albert Korir (KEN) 2:06:57Conner Mantz (USA) 2:07:47Clayton Young (USA) 2:08:00Rory Linkletter (CAN) 2:08:01Callum Hawkins (GBR) 2:08:14Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50Elkanah Kibet (USA) 2:09:07Noah Droddy (USA) 2:09:09Jonny Mellor (GBR) 2:09:09Jared Ward (USA) 2:09:25Colin Bennie (USA) 2:09:38Futsum Zienasellassie (USA) 2:09:40CJ Albertson (USA) 2:09:53Nico Montanez (USA) 2:09:55Yuma Morii (JPN) 2:09:59

Another Marathon Already? Top Americans from Paris Will Run New York in 11 Weeks

On Tuesday, the New York Road Runners announced the elite fields for this year’s New York City Marathon on November 3. The reigning champions are returning—Hellen Obiri and Tamirat Tola—as are three of the top Americans from the Paris Olympics marathon in August: Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Dakotah Lindwurm.

Also running New York are Evans Chebet, the 2022 champion and a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon, and Bashir Abdi, who won the silver medal in Paris. Tola, a last-minute addition to the Ethiopian Olympic team and NYC course record holder, enters as the presumptive favorite after winning the gold medal in Paris. 

In addition to Mantz and Young, the American men will be represented by Elkanah Kibet, CJ Albertson, and Futsum Zienasellassie, among others.

The biggest competition for Obiri, who took bronze in Paris, will likely come from Sharon Lokedi, the winner of the 2022 New York City Marathon. Lokedi was just off the podium in Paris, finishing four seconds behind Obiri in fourth (2:23:14). Lindwurm, who placed 12th in Paris, will lead the Americans, but Jess McClain, Kellyn Taylor, and Aliphine Tuliamuk are all experienced, as is 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden.

You can view the full elite fields here.

The two courses are both hilly, but the inclines in New York are more gradual. The Paris course had two major climbs, including a steep segment during mile 18 that averaged a 10.5 percent grade. In the men’s race, Tola made a strong move on the hill to separate from the field, which ended up getting him the gold medal. Although New York has 810 feet of elevation compared to 1,430 feet in Paris, it’s still a tough course—in fact, we ranked it the toughest of the six World Marathon Majors. 

There’s a relatively tight 11-week turnaround from Paris (after you factor in a week for rest). The men’s Olympic race was August 10 and the women’s race was August 11. The New York City Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, November 3.

Young, who placed ninth at the Olympics, knows 11 weeks isn’t ideal for a full marathon build—he took 16 weeks for Paris—but he’s confident he can run well in November. He’ll resume full-on training next week and is being careful to take a physical and mental break after Paris. 

“I think there can be this mentality that you want to hold onto that fitness from Paris, and that can be a debilitating mentality because if you try too hard to hang on to that fitness, you’re gonna be toast by race day by not taking a proper break,” he said. “It’s a tricky balance.”

Lindwurm, on the other hand, is used to running three marathons a year. The past two years, she’s raced the Boston Marathon in the spring, Grandma’s Marathon in June, and either the Chicago or New York City Marathon in the fall. 

“For courses like New York, I like to say it’s better to show up al dente than overcooked,” she said. “I have no issues looking at an 11 week build, especially because I’ve done Boston to Grandma’s, which I think is like seven or eight weeks, quite a few times. So that never really scares me. I feel like every marathon build you’re just building off of what you did last time, so even if I don’t get any more fit than I was in Paris, I think I’m still in a really good spot.”

In 2022, when she ran New York, she had a tough race and dropped out at mile 18. But Lindwurm said she’s a totally different runner now, so this time, she’s “back for revenge.” She’s coming in with ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ goals: C is to finish the race, B is to crack the top 10, and A is to get on the podium.

Young wants to be more competitive, too.

He ran a fairly conservative race in Paris, holding back slightly on the steep hill at mile 18, but his apprehension caused him to run most of the later miles by himself. “I missed the move,” he admitted. 

At New York, he hopes to race more aggressively, even if it comes with the risk of pushing too hard. “I’m excited to be able to cover more moves late in the race and to be more competitive towards the end, instead of finding myself in no man’s land,” he said. 

He’ll run the race alongside his training partner, Conner Mantz, who finished one spot ahead of him in Paris, in eighth place. The two are longtime friends, but, at the end of the day, they’re competitors. And Young is 0-4 against Mantz in marathons.

Young wants to chip away at the score.

“I love training with Conner every day, and he’s a big reason why I was able to have such a great day in Paris and at the [U.S. Olympic] Trials and previous marathons, but man, I gotta beat him sometime, right?” he said.

“I wanna be competitive with him, and so I’m excited to toe the line with him again and to have that rivalry continue, as well as our friendship.”

Chebet shrugs off threat from Tola as he seeks to recapture New York title

Two-time Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet is unfazed by the presence of Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola in his quest to recapture the New York Marathon title on November 3.

Tola secured the Olympic marathon crown with a record time of 2:06:26,  beating Belgium’s Bashir Abdi (2:06:47) and Benson Kipruto (2:07:00).

The Ethiopian is the reigning New York Marathon champion after setting a course record time of 2:04:58 during last year’s edition, edging out Albert Korir (2:06:57) and Shura Kitata (2:07:11).

However, Chebet is confident Tola will not pose a threat to him in New York. “Tola won’t be a threat to my New York ambitions. I’ve raced this course before and I know the strategies I need to secure another win,” Chebet said.

Chebet secured the New York title in 2022 after cutting the tape in 2:08:41 ahead of Kitata (2:08:54) and Netherlands Abdi Nageeye (2:10:31).

The 35-year-old also reckons Tola will not have sufficient recovery time which is instrumental ahead of the race.

“Tola just raced in Paris and with two months until New York, I don’t think he will have sufficient recovery time which is crucial,” Chebet explained.

After battling a ruptured tendon that cost him his Boston title earlier this year, Chebet assures that he’s back to full fitness.

“I have now fully recovered. My body is feeling fine and I am ready for the task ahead,” he noted.

Chebet walked into the April Boston Marathon as the reigning champion but failed to defend his crown after finishing third in 2:07:22— trailing the Ethiopian duo of Sisay Lemma (2:06:17) and Mohamed Esa (2:06:58).

To ensure he is in top form, Chebet revealed that his training consists of 32km runs daily. “I do 32km daily runs—20km in the morning and 12km in the evening,” he noted.

Joining Chebet on the New York startline will be Korir, two-time champion Geoffrey Kamworor and 2021 Valencia Half Marathon winner Abel Kipchumba.

Chebet believes the trio has the potential to deliver a Kenyan podium sweep. “Kamworor, Korir, and Kipchumba are strong competitors. We’re capable of a clean sweep through teamwork,” Chebet noted.

The men’s elite race will also see Olympic silver medallist Bashir Abdi and a strong American contingent, including Conner Mantz, Clayton Young and Noah Droddy, vying for top honours.

On the women’s side, Olympic marathon bronze medallist Hellen Obiri will defend her New York crown, leading a formidable Kenyan lineup that includes 2016 Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot, two-time Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, and 2022 champion Sharon Lokedi.

Obiri secured the title last year with a time of 2:27:23, beating Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia (2:27:29) and Sharon Lokedi (2:27:33). Their stiffest competition will likely come from Ethiopia’s three-time Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba.

There Are Going to Be People Walking:’ A Look at the Grueling Olympic Marathon Course

Getting to run by all those historic spots requires some epic climbs and descents.The final weekend of the 2024 Paris Olympics will host back-to-back days of thrilling marathons. These prestigious races, set against the backdrop of two of France’s most iconic landscapes—Paris and Versailles—will weave through a tapestry of history, culture, and breathtaking scenery. They begin on August 10 with the men’s race, and then, in a nod to the 40th anniversary of the first women’s Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles, the Paris Olympics will conclude on August 11 with the women’s race for the first time in history.

Here are some of the key details you’ll want to know:

What sites will the runners pass?

It’s not a bad way to tour the area, and it’s quite different than the Paris Marathon that is held each April. Athletes will find themselves tracing a route that dances through nine arrondissements (neighborhoods) of Paris along the banks of the Seine. The runners will begin at the Hôtel de Ville, or city hall, and then pass landmarks such as the Palais Garnier opera house, Place Vendôme, the Louvre museum, and past the Trocadéro. 

Next, they will leave the city to run through historic French towns, including Sevres, on their way to Versailles. The return to the city is a different route and will take them through the Forêt Domaniale de Meudon, a forest. When back in the city, they will be on the Left Bank and run past the Eiffel Tower as well as Parisian neighborhoods. The race ends at the Esplanade des Invalides, in which Napoleon is buried.

This route is based on significant French history. In October 1789, between 6,000 and 7,000 Parisian women, joined by men, marched from the Hôtel de Ville through the city to Versailles. It was because of that march that Louis XVI agreed to ratify the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. The marathoners are symbolically running in their footsteps. 

How tough is the course?

Unlike some more recent Olympics and U.S. Marathon Trials races, this course isn’t a circuit of repeated loops. Instead, it’s a full loop starting in Paris and loops down to Versailles outside of the city. 

While the elevation profile for the first nine miles looks fairly tame, once the runners are past the halfway mark the landscape changes. The most notable course feature is the three uphill stretches—they’re incredibly steep and very long. 

The first big hill comes just before the 10-mile mark, and it climbs at a 4 percent grade, which is roughly the same as Boston’s famed Newton hills. The difference with the Paris version is that it ascends for about 1.25 miles before it levels off for a bit. (Boston’s longest hill is less than half a mile, according to Sean Hartnett, emeritus professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who specializes in marathon routes and other running competitions.)

The next hill at the 12-mile mark is at 5 percent, steeper than anything on the Boston course and 900 meters long. But those two are just appetizers for the real challenge. That hits just after the 18-mile mark. 

Runners will have to climb for 600 meters, at an average grade of 10.5 percent. Yes, picture putting your treadmill at 10 percent and trying to run up it at marathon pace. Hartnett calls it a “doozy” and struggles to find courses to compare it to. The Bix 7 in Davenport, Iowa, perhaps? Then he gives up. “It’s unlike anything in any competitive road marathon,” he said. (You can view a detailed description of the 15K-33K section as mapped by Hartnett here.)

In total, the route will include 1,430 feet of elevation gain. Possibly more challenging is the 1,437 feet of descent. The make-or-break point for the route might be just after that final brutal uphill, when they are bombing downhill—at some points at a gradient of 13.5 percent. Runners will have to be efficient going down, without pounding so much they trash their quads before the final flat stretch before the finish. To put the course into some more perspective, the World Marathon Majors that are considered the hilliest—Boston and New York City—each have an elevation gain of a little over 800 total feet. And for one final nugget, the average grade of the Mount Washington Auto Road Race is 12 percent. The course record for that 7.4-miler is at around 8:00 pace. 

This course will make the fastest marathoners in the world look almost human at times.

How do the marathoners feel about the course?

Pat Tiernan, an Olympian for Australia who is running the marathon, made two trips to Paris from his training base with Puma in North Carolina to examine the course. His first trip, in early April, was just to get a feel for the course. The second, in late May, was to train on it. 

“The first thing you notice,” Tiernan said in a phone call with Runner’s World, “is that it’s going to be a brutal course. There are going to be people walking.” 

If you look closely at the official Strava route, you can spot some U.S. Olympic marathoners on the leaderboards of the course’s toughest segments.

On April 10, U.S. team member Clayton Young did a 12.80-mile run on the hilliest section of the course, where he “pushed the uphills, chilled the downhills.” During the steepest climb—right before the mile 18 split—Young tackled a .44-mile segment in 3:09, giving him a modest average pace (for a world-class marathoner) of 7:01 per mile. But if you look at Strava’s “grade adjusted pace,” which factors in elevation, that 7:01 converts to 5:03 mile pace. His average heart rate was 179 beats per minute.

Dakotah Lindwurm, a U.S. team member for the women, also previewed the course in April in a run she called, “Tour de La Olympic hills ?].” She racked up an impressive 16 “course records” during her 10.87-mile workout, and on the same steep segment that Young ran, she averaged 7:43 pace with a grade-adjusted pace of 5:21 per mile. 

Emily Sisson, the U.S. record holder in the marathon, has been training for both the hills and the flats. “We’ve been doing a lot of stuff on hills, because [we] want to come out of the hills into the last 10K feeling good,” she says. “That’s also why you don’t want to slack on 10K work, because it could be quite fast at the end. So kind of trying to do it all.” 

Tiernan agreed with Sisson on the unique challenge. If marathoners go too hard through the hills, they could struggle at the end, he said. If they go too easy through the hills and subsequent descents, they might be out of touch by the final 10K. He said the Paris course is as “if you were to do a 10K road race, then go and run a hard 10K hill cross country course, then a 10K road race.” 

If nothing else, it could make for some surprises on the podium.

When exactly are the races?

The men’s event happens on Saturday, August 10. If you want to watch live, get your favorite espresso ready. The event begins at 2 a.m. ET/11 p.m. PT in the U.S. The following day for the women’s race, the 2024 Paris Olympics fully conclude in honor of the 40th anniversary of the first women’s Olympic marathon event, won by Joan Benoit-Samuelson. The start time is also at 2 a.m. ET/11 p.m. PT.

Who are the major names in each race?

Both races are packed with star power in the form of returning Olympic champions, world record holders, and World Marathon Majors winners. The biggest storyline in the men’s race is whether Eliud Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic marathon gold medalist who many consider to be the greatest of all time, will be able to retain his crown in what may be his final Olympics at age 39.

The women’s event is even more stacked and should make for quite the event to cap off the 2024 Olympics. Newly ratified world record holder Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia will have to match speed and strategy against the likes of Hellen Obiri and Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya and the Netherlands’s Sifan Hassan, who is running the marathon after racing in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters on the track. 

Men’s Marathon Contenders

Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya (2:01:09)

Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia (2:01:41) 

Benson Kipruto, Kenya (2:02:16)

Tamirat Tola, Ethiopia (2:03:39)

Conner Mantz, USA (2:07:47)

Clayton Young, USA (2:08:00)

Women’s Marathon Contenders

Tigist Assefa, Ethiopia (2:11:53)

Sifan Hassan, Netherlands (2:13:44)

Peres Jepchirchir, Kenya (2:16:16)

Emily Sisson, USA (2:18:29)

Hellen Obiri, Kenya (2:21:38)

Rose Chelimo, Bahrain (2:22:51)

Fiona O’Keeffe, USA (2:22:10)

Sharon Lokedi, Kenya (2:22:45)

Did you know there is a mass participation race?

If not, now you do. It’s called the Marathon Pour Tous, and we’re pretty jealous we can’t run this one. There will be a full marathon and a 10K on the same route as the Olympic marathon on the evening of August 10. Yes, a night race in the City of Lights. More than 20,000 participants are expected for each event.

World champions to headline 2024 Chicago Marathon

As we inch toward the fall road racing season, the 2024 Chicago Marathon is the first Abbott World Marathon Major (AWMM) to announce its men’s and women’s elite list. Last year’s elite races in Chicago saw two course records and one world record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum—something that will be hard to beat. But the 2024 field does not lack talent or potential, with former world champion and fourth-fastest marathoner in history Ruth Chepngetich headlining the women’s field and world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo making his marathon debut in the men’s field.

The men’s race

Ebenyo has had a successful career on the track, winning multiple medals at World Championships and Commonwealth Games, but never individual gold. He is currently ranked by World Athletics as the top 10,000m runner in the world, holding a personal best of 26:57.80, which he set in 2023. The 28-year-old was not selected for the 10,000m by the Kenyan Olympic team for Paris 2024 after an eighth-place finish at the Kenyan Trials.

Although the Kenyan star has had success on the track, he has also flourished in his short career on the roads, winning silver in the half-marathon at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia. He holds a personal best of 59:04 for the half distance and a world best over 25 km (1:11:13).

Ebenyo’s potential over 42.2 km will be hard to predict; many people had high expectations for three-time world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, but he struggled in his marathon debut last December in Valencia, clocking 2:08:59 for 37th place.

Joining Ebenyo in the men’s field is 2022 London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto, who has the fastest personal best in the field (2:03:13 from the 2022 Tokyo Marathon). Kipruto has podiumed at three of the six AWMMs and is known as one of the best tactical marathoners in the world. Chicago will be Kipruto’s first marathon since his seventh-place finish in Berlin last year.

The lone Canadian in the men’s field is Phil Parrot-Migas of London, Ont. This will be the third marathon of his career. He holds a personal best of 2:15:53, set in Hamburg in April.

The women’s field

At the 2022 Chicago Marathon, Chepngetich was on a world-record pace until the final kilometre, ultimately missing it by 14 seconds (2:14:18). This capped off her second-straight Chicago victory, following in the footsteps of her compatriot, Brigid Kosgei. Last year, Chepngetich was second to Sifan Hassan’s course record-setting run, in 2:15:37. Her personal best is the fastest in the field by a minute and a half, and with her experience on the flat and fast course, she’s going to be a tough athlete to beat come Oct. 13.

Besides Chepngetich, there’s a strong American contingent, consisting of three of the country’s top five fastest marathoners: Keira D’Amato, Sara Hall and Betsy Saina. D’Amato had a rough go at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, and was unable to finish, due to injury. Months later, she announced a coaching change and a planned move to Utah to train under distance running guru Ed Eyestone, the coach of U.S. Olympic marathoners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young. D’Amato, who will turn 40 in October, told Runner’s World she made the switch because she wanted a different perspective on her training and a chance to learn from someone new.

Saina comes into the race as the strongest American athlete, placing in the top five of her last three marathons, including a win at the 2023 Sydney Marathon. Sydney is currently a candidate to be added as the seventh AWMM, joining Tokyo, Berlin, London, Boston, Chicago and NYC.

Meet USA men's athletics team for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Discover Team USA's men's track and field roster for Paris 2024, featuring stars like Noah Lyles and Rai Benjamin aiming for gold.

The Olympics are once again upon us, and Team USA is ready to make a mark at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

With a mix of returning medalists and fresh faces, the American men's track and field roster boasts exceptional talent across a variety of events.

Pulse Sports looks at the athletes representing the United States in each event, highlighting their recent triumphs and expectations for the upcoming games.

100m

The face of USA track and field Noah Lyles confirmed his top-tier status with a scorching 9.83 seconds in the men’s 100-meter final at the trials.

Alongside him, Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley, who previously clinched a silver medal in Tokyo, are all set to bring their explosive speed to the Paris tracks.

This trio’s combination of experience and raw power forms a formidable front for the U.S. in one of the Olympics' most iconic events.

110m hurdles

A familiar name in the hurdles Grant Holloway is eyeing gold after a near miss in Tokyo, where he took home silver.

At the trials, he showcased his readiness by clocking in at 12.86 seconds, a time that would have won him gold in the previous Olympics.

Joining him are Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts, the former making his Olympic debut, and the latter bringing experience from Tokyo, setting up a strong team for this high-stakes event.

200m

Noah Lyles demonstrated his versatility and sheer pace by also clinching the 200-meter at the trials with an impressive 19.53 seconds, narrowly edging out Kenny Bednarek.

With Erriyon Knighton rounding out the team, this event is likely to be a highlight for the U.S., with all three runners previously finishing in the top four at Tokyo 2021 behind Canada’s Andre De Grasse.

400m

Michael Norman returns with hopes of improving on his fifth-place finish in Tokyo.

He is joined by Quincy Hall, whose commanding win at the trials with a time of 44.17 seconds positions him as a strong medal contender.

Chris Bailey rounds out the team bringing fresh energy to the mix.

400m hurdles

Rai Benjamin, who captured silver in Tokyo, solidified his Paris bid with an impressive sub-47-second finish at the trials.

CJ Allen and Trevor Bassitt, both first-time Olympians, will join Benjamin as they aim to convert his previous silver into gold.

800m

Bryce Hoppel returns to the Olympics with an improved trial time that bested his Tokyo performance.

Hobbs Kessler, having already qualified for the 1500m, adds the 800m to his Paris challenges, showcasing his endurance and tactical racing prowess.

Brandon Miller completes the team, ready to make his Olympic debut.

1500m

Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Hobbs Kessler make up the U.S. team for the 1500-meter race.

All three athletes met the Olympic standard at the trials, demonstrating their readiness and resilience.

This event will test their strategic racing abilities and endurance on the Olympic stage.

5000m

Grant Fisher and Abdihamid Nur are set to represent the U.S. in this challenging race.

Fisher, doubling down after his 10,000m trial win, and Nur, making his Olympic debut, will need to bring their best to contend with the global competition.

10,000m

Grant Fisher leads the U.S. team again in the 10,000m, followed closely by Woody Kincaid and newcomer Nico Young.

This trio having demonstrated strong performances at the trials are prepared to face the long-distance challenge in Paris.

Decathlon

Heath Baldwin, Zach Ziemek, and Harrison Williams represent the U.S. in the decathlon an exhaustive series of ten track and field events that tests versatility and stamina.

Baldwin led the trials, while Ziemek brings experience from his sixth-place finish in Tokyo.

Discus

Andrew Evans and Joseph Brown look to improve the U.S.'s standings in the discus throw, both having shown strong potential at the trials with throws exceeding 65 meters. They aim to transform their trial success into Olympic medals.

Hammer

Daniel Haugh and Rudy Winkler, returning Olympians, have shown significant improvements since Tokyo.

Haugh, in particular, won the hammer throw final at the trials, indicating that he is a strong contender for a medal in Paris.

High Jump

Shelby McEwen and JuVaughn Harrison are set to return to the Olympics, aiming to surpass their previous performances.

Harrison, who finished seventh in Tokyo, looks to leverage his experience for a better outcome in Paris.

Javelin

Curtis Thompson leads the team in the javelin throw, hoping to build on his past Olympic experience.

He is joined potentially by Capers Williamson and Donavon Banks whose participation will depend on the final world rankings.

Marathon

Leonard Korir, Conner Mantz, and Clayton Young have secured their places on the marathon team, each bringing unique strengths and strategies to one of the Olympics' most grueling challenges.

Pole Vault

Chris Nilsen and Sam Kendricks, with past Olympic experiences of highs and lows, aim to dominate the pole vault.

Jacob Wooten joins them, making his first appearance on the Olympic stage.

Shot Put

Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, and Payton Otterdahl, all exceeding the 22-meter mark at the trials, form a powerful shot put trio.

Their aim is clear: to return with gold and silver medals.

3000m Steeplechase

Kenneth Rooks and Matthew Wilkinson will tackle the steeplechase, a race combining speed, stamina, and technique.

Both first-timers at the Olympics, they aim to make a significant impact in Paris.

Triple Jump

Donald Scott returns to the triple jump, along with newcomer Salif Mane, who impressed with a 17.52-meter jump at the trials.

Their sights are set on improving their standings and aiming for the podium in Paris.

Team USA Track and Field Team for the Paris Olympics

Here’s who will be representing the U.S. in Paris—so far.

The Team USA track and field team will compete at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris from August 1 to August 11. The first members were named on February 3 at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Florida. The rest of the squad will be determined at the Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, which are taking place now until June 30.

Here’s who has made Team USA—so far. 

100 meters

Women’s team

Sha’Carri Richardson

24 | First place in 10.71 | First Olympics

Melissa Jefferson

23 | Second in 10.80 | First Olympics

Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry

25 | Third in 10.89 | First Olympics

Multi events

Men’s decathlon 

Heath Baldwin

23 | First place with 8625 points | First Olympics

Zach Ziemek

31 | Second with 8516 points | Sixth at 2020 Olympics, seventh at 2016 Olympics

Harrison Williams

28 | Third with 8384 points | First Olympics

Shot put

Men’s team

Ryan Crouser

31 | First place in 22.84 meters | Olympic gold medalist in 2016 and 2020

Joe Kovacs

34 | Second in 22.43 meters | Olympic silver medalist in 2016 and 2020

Payton Otterdahl

28 | Third in 22.26 meters | 10th at 2020 Olympics

10,000 meters

Men’s Team

Grant Fisher

27 | First in 27:49.47 | 5th in 10,000 meters at 2020 Olympics

Woody Kincaid

31 | Second in 27:50.74 | 15th in 10,000 meters at 2020 Olympics

Nico Young

21 | Third in 27:52.40 | First Olympics

Marathon

Women’s Team

Fiona O’Keeffe

25 | First in 2:22:10 | First Olympics

Emily Sisson

32 | Second in 2:22:42 | 10th in 10,000 meters at 2020 Olympics

Dakotah Lindwurm

28 | Third in 2:25:31 | First Olympics

Men’s Team

Conner Mantz

27 | First in 2:09:05 | First Olympics 

Clayton Young

30 | Second in 2:09:06 | First Olympics 

Leonard Korir

37 | Third in 2:09:57 | 14th in 10,000 meters at 2016 Olympics

World Athletics Adds Ranking Spots to Olympic Men’s Marathon Field — American Leonard Korir Will Run in Paris

The United States will have three men in the 2024 Olympic marathon after all. Following months of uncertainty, World Athletics added one universality place and four rankings places to the Olympic marathon field on Tuesday. The four ranking spots were awarded to athletes from Chile, South Africa, the United States, and Australia, meaning that Leonard Korir will join Americans Conner Mantz and Clayton Young on the Olympic marathon start line on August 10.

Korir’s spot had been in jeopardy after World Athletics added 11 universality places on May 8, but the Road to Paris list of qualifed athletes has been updated and American CJ Albertson is now listed as qualified at spot #84. Per USATF selection procedures, Albertson’s place will pass to Korir, the third-placer at February’s US Olympic Marathon Trials. Korir’s coach Scott Simmons confirmed to LetsRun.com that Korir is now qualified and will compete in the Olympic marathon on August 10.

Australia’s Wide World of Sports reported that in recent weeks, World Athletics had been working on a solution to fit some highly-ranked athletes into the Olympic marathon while respecting Olympic sport quota limits set by the International Olympic Committee.

It was not immediately clear why World Athletics added four ranking places on Tuesday; this story will be updated as LetsRun.com learns more.

Bolder Boulder: Conner Mantz surges to second consecutive victory in pro race

Conner Mantz sure knows how to put on a show at Folsom Field.

A year after a dramatic finish to win the Bolder Boulder, he did it again on Monday. Mantz surged past Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea in the final 250 meters to claim the title in the International Pro Team Challenge for the second year in a row.

Mantz, running for the USA Red team, finished the 10K race in 29 minutes, 12.51 seconds to outlast Haileselassie by just 1.8 seconds.

“I think it’s a big deal for me just because this is such a prestigious race and getting the body to dig that deep is something I’m really trying to work on,” said Mantz, who had a strong final kick to win by only four seconds in 2023. “So this is a race that was good to get the best out of myself.”

Mantz’s USA Red squad finished second in the team standings, behind the USA White team, which was led by third-place finisher Sam Chelanga (29:21.16). This is the first time since 2017 that a USA squad finished atop the team standings.

Biya Simbassa (fifth, 29:37.39) and Reed Fischer of Boulder (eighth, 29:41.97) teamed with Chelanga on the USA White team. Mantz ran with fellow BYU alums Clayton Young (seventh, 29:38.47) and Jared Ward (14th, 32:05.50).

Mantz was at or near the lead throughout the race but had a tough time pulling away.

“I just started out really quick and it felt pretty easy, and I was, like, running fast,” he said. “But then as the race went on I started slowing down and I couldn’t speed up, which was getting a little frustrating because I kept trying to take the lead and kind of break that pack open. Every time I took the lead to push I couldn’t get anybody to break out that pack.”

Heading up the final hill on Folsom Street, Haileselassie took the lead

“I trailed all the way behind the group,” he said. “I tried pushing the uphill.”

As the race went into the downhill into Folsom Field, however, Mantz found a new gear.

“I could hear (Haileselassie) struggling breathing, really hard,” Mantz said. “So I was like, ‘I’m gonna stay as close as I can and try and get him on the inside of the stadium, but by the time he crested going to the left, I made a hard move down that little hill and I could tell he was not landing right. So I was like, ‘OK, maybe I need to go now.’ His form was kind of dying. He didn’t slow down that much, though.”

It was enough of a slowdown, however, for Mantz to take advantage and become the first repeat champion since Allan Kiprono of Kenya in 2012-13. He’s only the fifth male to win back-to-back titles.

“It was good race for me,” Haileselassie said. “He led all the way and I tried to push him. He’s strong. He caught me. He’s good in downhill.”

The final kick wasn’t easy, though.

“I was surprised how hard it hurt,” Mantz said. “I had a good workout on Friday and a good one on Tuesday last week. So I was pretty confident I could kick really hard. When I tried to kick, it didn’t feel as good as I would have thought. I expected to feel a lot better at the end.”

The result felt pretty good, though. Mantz will complete at the Olympics in the marathon later this summer, but it meant a lot to him to win the Bolder Boulder again and to feel the electricity of the Folsom Field crowd.

“It’s a blast,” he said. “The crowd was so loud and it was just fun to be in such a special environment. It’s tough, though, like trying to kick and you’re out of breath. It’s tough to really enjoy the crowd 100% but I enjoyed it as much as I could.”

Although he came up short, Haileselassie was in awe of the environment, as well.

“Amazing,” he said. “I’m so excited to see these people. I was hearing about this yesterday. It’s really nice. I like it. It’s a lot of people. Really amazing.”

U.S. Olympic Marathoners Will Race the Bolder Boulder 10K as a Pre-Paris Tune-Up

Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Leonard Korir will run in the International Pro Team Challenge on May 27.

Memorial Day is always an exceptional celebration for runners in Boulder, Colorado, but this year, it will have some extra special Olympic flair.

On Monday, May 27, more than 40,000 runners will run through the city that’s known for the iconic Flatirons rock formations, the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, and an exceptionally active population in the annual Bolder Boulder 10K. Now in its 44th year, it’s been one of the top road running races in the U.S. since its inception, and this year will serve as one of the final tune-ups for the men’s U.S. Olympic marathon squad before racing in the Paris Olympics later this summer.

Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Leonard Korir, the top three finishers in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials who will be racing the marathon in the Paris Olympics on August 10, will be competing as Team USA Red in the Bolder Boulder’s International Pro Team Challenge that follows the citizen’s races. (Korir is expected to officially be named to the U.S. team in early May based on final pre-Olympic international rankings.)

The pro race, which has a prize purse of $83,700 before potential bonuses, is one of the things that makes the Bolder Boulder so unique. After all the runners in 98 citizen waves have completed the race, professional men’s and women’s international teams from more than a dozen countries compete on the same course for team and individual titles. The races feature a staggered start, with women beginning 15 minutes before the men so the winners of each race will finish about 10 minutes apart inside the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field football stadium.

The finishing moments are among the thrilling spectacles in American running. By that point, the stadium is filled with a near-capacity crowd of roaring runners, family, and friends who have been watching the action play out on the massive video screens.

“The finish in the full stadium is like nothing else in the sport,” says Mantz, 27, who won the men’s race last year in 29:08 with a thrilling late-race surge to pass Kenya’s Alex Masai in the final 200 meters before the finish. “It was pretty electric. It took away all the pain you’re feeling mid-race. I was like, ‘Just race as hard as you can.’”

Team USA Red will have plenty of competition, from Team USA White, the secondary American team of Jared Ward, Futsum Zienasellassie, and Sam Chelanga, as well as teams from Kenya, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Rwanda. Teams are scored like a cross country race, with points awarded on the basis of finishing place, which means the team with the lowest combined score for all three runners is the winner. Ties are decided by the positions of the third-place finishers.

The women’s Team USA Red team will be led by defending champion Emily Durgin, along with Sara Hall and Boulder native Nell Rojas. Durgin finished ninth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in February and won the USATF 10 Mile Championships on April 7 in Washington D.C. At last year’s Bolder Boulder, she stormed to victory in 33:24, winning by 24 seconds over Kenya’s Daisy Kimeli.

Hall placed fifth in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 3 in a U.S. master’s record (2:26:06) and 15th in the Boston Marathon on April 15. The women’s Team USA White roster will be composed of an all-University of Colorado alumnae squad—Makena Morley, Sara Vaughn, and Carrie Verdon.

“I can’t wait to be back in Boulder for the best day of the year,” says Durgin, 29, who will compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meters on the track in late June with the hopes of making the U.S. Olympic team. “Competing with Nell and Sara will make the experience even better.”

The women’s U.S. Olympic marathon team of Fionna O’Keefe, Emily Sisson, and Dakotah Lindwurm were invited to race in the Bolder Boulder but each runner declined, citing scheduling timing conflicts or a disinterest in racing at Boulder’s lofty altitude (5,430 feet). All of the runners who are racing for the U.S. teams in Boulder live at 4,500 feet or higher.

An Olympic Legacy

Boulder is known as one of the top running  meccas in the U.S., in part because elite-level American and international runners have made it their training base since Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter arrived in the early 1970s. Emma Coburn, Jenny Simpson, Yared Nuguse, Joe Klecker, Jake Riley, Hellen Obiri, and Edna Kiplagat are among the many top-level runners who are currently training in Boulder.  Shorter, the 1972 marathon gold medalist, was a co-founder of Bolder Boulder 10K in 1979, and helped it grow into one of the country’s largest races. 

Since then, numerous U.S. Olympians have raced in the Bolder Boulder, including Deena Kastor (a three-time women’s champion), Aliphine Tuliamuk (the 2022 women’s winner), Alan Culpepper, Elva Dyer, Ryan Hall, Abdi Abdirahman, Jorge Torres, Shalane Flanagan, Amy Cragg, Magdalena Boulet, and Libby Hickman, as well as Korir (who won it in 2022), and Ward (who was fourth in 2022).

Thanks to Boulder’s robust running community and the prestige of the race, the Bolder Boulder has also always featured fast sub-elite runners competing in the early citizen waves. Yet, the race has also celebrated dedicated middle-of-the-pack runners, as well as the first-time runners and walkers in the later waves. It was one of the first races to have bands playing along the course (as well as belly dancers and other entertainers), runners dressed up in costumes, elite wheelchair races, and in recent years, it has been known for a mid-race slip-and-slide and unofficial bacon aid station.

For the past 25 years, the Bolder Boulder has organized a special Memorial Day tribute—one of the largest in the country—that honors military veterans and new cadets.

The U.S. men’s Olympic marathon team competing in this year’s Bolder Boulder will be a legacy moment for the race, says Bolder Boulder race director Cliff Bosley.

“Having the three men that will represent our country in the marathon at this summer’s Paris Olympic Games is something we are extremely proud of,” Bosley says. “All three ran here last year, and to have them back is just incredible for the race, the city of Boulder, and the sport of running.”

6 Ways to Be a Great Training Partner

These 2024 Olympians know how to help each other while keeping it fun.

Pianist Harold Mabern said that jazz is “competition without animosity.” He might well have been describing the running relationship of Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who finished first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February. 

That Mantz and Young are not just two guys who run together, but true training partners, became obvious over the second half of the Trials race. Zach Panning, who wound up finishing sixth, took the lead in the sixth mile and dropped the pace by more than 10 seconds per mile. Mantz and Young tucked in; by the 19th mile, when they were Panning’s only company, they slapped each other’s hands in an apparent celebration of making the team. 

When Panning started to slow a few miles later, Mantz and Young pushed on ahead. With two miles to go, Mantz was visibly struggling. Young, looking great by comparison, repeatedly talked to Mantz and stayed with him rather than running the faster pace he looked capable of. In the closing strides, Young eased back as an exhausted Mantz heaved himself over the finish line, one second ahead of his training partner.

Seven years earlier, their first run together was also memorable. Both are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), the largest Mormon denomination. Many LDS members go on a one- to two-year mission in their late teens to early 20s. Even for members who are top athletes, the mission is primary; most do little to no training and gain a significant amount of weight.

In 2017, Mantz returned from his mission weighing 150 pounds, compared to his usual 120. A little more than a month later, down to 140, he showed up for his first day of practice with the Brigham Young University team. The group was doing an 8-mile tempo run a little slower than 5:00 per mile. “I held onto the pack for as long as I could,” Mantz recalls. “I almost made it 5 miles until I had to slow down.”

Young, who was in the pack, says, “When Conner stuck with us past halfway, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s only a month and a half off his mission. Conner is the real deal.’”

They began training together regularly in 2019, the year when Young went pro after winning the NCAA 10,000-meter title. Young remained in Provo to train under BYU coach Ed Eyestone, a two-time Olympic marathoner. While at BYU, where he won two NCAA cross country titles, Mantz mulled going pro. He initially stayed in Provo, but thought that he would soon move and join the Oregon-based Bowerman Track Club or another group. Instead, a few months became several months, then several months became a year. After Mantz ran 2:08:16 at the 2022 Chicago Marathon in his debut, he thought, “Alright, this is working.”

That’s an understatement. Here are six takeaways about being good training partners from Mantz and Young, who will run the Olympic Marathon in Paris on August 10.

Find people with similar goals and outlooks

Since their build-up for the 2023 Chicago Marathon, where both PRed (Mantz 2:07:47, Young 2:08:00), they’ve had near-identical competitive schedules. Mantz and Young typically run together six days a week. They do their main run of the day in the morning. Depending on their schedules, the two, who live a few miles away from each other, sometimes also meet for their shorter afternoon run.

Why don’t they run together seven days a week? Both run their 100-plus-mile weeks while devoting Sundays to their faith. Being an outlier in that regard was one reason that Mantz decided not to join a more formal pro group. “I knew nobody else would be taking Sundays off,” he says, “and that added to the list of reasons to stay here.”

Good training partners help you get more out of yourself

Mantz is a notoriously hard trainer. Young is probably better aware of that than anyone else.

“My best workouts are keeping up with Conner, but Conner’s worst workouts are staying with me,” Young says. “I can’t remember the last time I dropped him in a workout or a long run. That’s one of the beauties about working out with Conner—you really do get pushed to your limit. My workouts with Conner are usually far better than they would be by myself. I just have to make sure I don’t go too hard.”

But pace-pushing Mantz also benefits from having Young to gauge himself by. 

“For the most part, I would be way worse on my own,” Mantz says. “I can put a lot of pressure on myself and run too fast early on. I’m all about, ‘Let’s run faster than we did at this point last build-up.’ I see it as I want to get better every day. It’s a little difficult, because I may have gone a little too hard in workouts over the last few years, and so now to even match what I did a year or two ago is quite difficult.”

Compare yourself to you, not your training partners

“There are definitely workouts where Conner is totally trashing me the last interval,” Young says, “and I just have to say, ‘Okay, I did what Coach said and I’m faster in February 2024 than in February 2023. I just really need to compare myself with myself.”

If, like Young, you have a training partner who likes to hammer, do like Young and listen to what your body is saying on that day.

“Typically, Coach will give us some splits he thinks we should start at,” Young says about hard workouts. “But it’s not uncommon for Conner to go faster than those splits, and so I have to do these mental gymnastics of, ‘Do I go with Conner or do I do what Coach said?’ Conner and I are obviously really competitive, and you get a lot of confidence training with one of the best athletes in the marathon, so should I stick with what feels good and with what Coach said, or should I try to close this gap and run with Conner? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.”

Share both the joys and the struggles

As pros, Young and Mantz are unlikely to come up with reasons to blow off runs. But we all need an occasional pick-me-up.

“If I’m not feeling good during a workout, I turn to Clayton and say, ‘You’re leading the next one,’” Mantz says. “And he’s always like, ‘Alright, I’ll help out,’ even if he’s also having a bad day.”

For many of us, meeting our running partners doesn’t just help us get out the door. Doing so is often a dependable source of pleasure. That’s as true for Olympians as it for the regular runners. “I just get excited sometimes thinking about the camaraderie and that I get to run with Clayton today,” Mantz says.

Acknowledge irksome behaviors but keep them in perspective

Some days with your training partners won’t be exciting or fun. You might even find yourself wishing you were running alone. But as with a romantic partner, it’s the overall quality of the relationship that matters.

“There are times I’m like, ‘Conner, why did you go that fast? I thought Coach said to do this,’” Young says. “I can get frustrated. But at the end of the day, it’s making me faster. As long as I recognize that balance and look at the big picture, having Conner with me as a training partner far outweighs the little frustrations that I have every now and then.”

Use your time together to improve your lives

Like a lot of us, Young and Mantz spend a good amount of their running time talking about running—how their most recent workout went, what races they have coming up, how the BYU team and other top runners are doing, what the weather will be like on their next hard day. But, says Young, “we’re kind of unique professional runners in that we have a lot of stuff going on outside of running. So we’ll also talk about family, real estate, investments, taxes.”

Mantz, who at age 27 is three years younger than Young, has used a lot of their run time to discuss marriage. “That’s the biggest benefit of having Clayton as a training partner—asking questions and getting advice on things like adjusting to having somebody in your life at a new level,” he says.

Young, who had knee surgery less than a year before making the Olympic team, says, “We’ve gone through some tough stuff. We’ve been able to lean on each other a lot. Our runs together are often like a therapy session.”

Kenenisa Bekele, Connor Mantz & Clayton Young To Headline 2024 United Airlines NYC Half

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) has announced that the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half, taking place Sunday, March 17, will feature 11 Olympians, seven Paralympians, and several more professional athletes who have their eyes on the Paris 2024 Games this summer.

Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, fresh off finishing first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, will headline the men’s open division at the United Airlines NYC Half, while two-time U.S. Olympian Hillary Bor will race 13.1 miles for the first time in his career and the world’s most-decorated distance runner, Kenenisa Bekele, will return to New York for his second NYRR event. The women’s open division will be chock-full of established contenders, including Olympians Des Linden, Jenny Simpson, Edna Kiplagat, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal, and Malindi Elmore, in addition to World Championships marathon bronze medalist Fatima Gardadi.

These athletes will lead more than 25,000 runners during the United Airlines NYC Half, the world’s premier half marathon, organized by NYRR, which runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan, passing historic landmarks, diverse neighborhoods, and sweeping views of the city along the way before finishing in Central Park.

Men’s Open Division

Mantz and Young, training partners from Provo, Utah, will line up together at the start in New York less than two months after finishing one-two at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Games. Mantz was fifth in his first United Airlines NYC Half in 2022, and last year became the seventh-fastest American marathoner in history when running 2:07:47 to finish sixth at the Chicago Marathon. Young finished right behind him in seventh in 2:08:00 and will be making his United Airlines NYC Half debut.

“I think I have a lot of room to improve in the halfs,” Mantz said on the latest episode of NYRR Set the Pace, Feb. 22, 2024. “I want to get these halfs in so I can have more confidence heading into Paris. I ran [the United Airlines NYC Half] in 2022…which was probably one of the most special experiences and it was a huge learning [experience]. It was probably my first race where I was competing against a big international field…so it was a really good experience for me, and I think it’s one I want to repeat and take what I’ve learned in the last two years and use it.”

Ethiopia’s Bekele, a four-time Olympic medalist, 16-time world champion, and the third-fastest marathoner in history, will challenge the American duo, racing with NYRR for the second time after finishing sixth at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon. He will be joined at the starting line by Kenya’s Abel Kipchumba, the reigning champion of the B.A.A. Boston Half Marathon who owns one of the top-10 half-marathon times in history.

Malindi Elmore and Tristan Woodfine to run 2024 NYC Half

On Thursday, the New York Road Runners (NYRR) announced the field for the 2024 NYC Half on March 17, which will feature Canadian marathoners Malindi Elmore and Tristan Woodfine alongside 11 Olympians and one of the world’s most decorated distance runners, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.

This will be Bekele’s first time at the NYC Half and only his second career road race in New York City. (He finished sixth at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2021.) Bekele is one of the most prolific runners of all time, having been at the top of the sport for more than two decades. His personal best of 2:01:41 from the 2019 Berlin Marathon still stands as the Ethiopian national record, and makes him the third-fastest marathoner in history.

Bekele will headline the men’s race alongside top U.S. marathoners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who are fresh off finishing first and second, respectively, at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 3. Also joining the men’s field is Cobden, Ont.’s Woodfine, who is coming off an impressive 2:10:39 personal best and sixth-place finish at the 2024 Houston Marathon. The 30-year-old is currently training for the 2024 Boston Marathon, where he hopes to place in the top five to potentially secure a spot on the Canadian Olympic marathon team in Paris.

The women’s elite field will be full of established distance runners, including Olympians Des Linden, Jenny Simpson, Edna Kiplagat and Elmore, who was recently nominated to her third Olympic Games. Elmore secured her spot on the Canadian team last fall with a 2:23:30 clocking at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, the second-fastest Canadian women’s marathon time. Like Woodfine, Elmore is also training for the 2024 Boston Marathon, which she hopes will prepare her for the hilly marathon course at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is expected to be the hilliest Olympic marathon course to date.

The men’s and women’s elite field will lead more than 25,000 runners during the United Airlines NYC Half, the world’s premier half marathon, which runs from Brooklyn to Manhattan, passing historic landmarks, diverse neighbourhoods and sweeping views of The Big Apple before finishing in the middle of Central Park.

Meet the marathon guru behind three of North America's top runners

It’s been an exciting start to the year for Brigham Young University (BYU) cross-country and track head coach Ed Eyestone. In February, three athletes who once ran for Eyestone at BYU qualified for the Paris Olympics in the men’s marathon, including Canada’s Rory Linkletter, who hit the Olympic standard at last weekend’s Sevilla Marathon, running a two-minute-plus personal best of 2:08:01.

Eyestone, who coached Linkletter for five years at BYU before Linkletter turned pro (he is now coached by former U.S. marathoner Ryan Hall), knew he was ready for a breakout performance after watching Linkletter execute a top-20 finish in the marathon at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. “I was super excited for him, and told him he was next, after the U.S. marathon trials,” says Eyestone. “To see him execute on race day, and run a fast time, I was proud of him.”

“It turns out that the group of 10K runners we had in 2018 was special,” laughs Eyestone. Linkletter ran for BYU in Provo, Utah, from 2015 to 2019, and just happened to be a part of a special group of young runners who would turn out to be three of North America’s top marathoners. U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion Conner Mantz and second-place finisher Clayton Young also ran at BYU during this time; they helped lead the Cougars XC team to three top-three finishes and an NCAA championship title in 2019.

“Looking back on that 2018 team, we were second and now have three men who’ve run faster than 2:08:10… if only the NCAA’s was 26.2 miles,” Eyestone laughs.

“Every high school athlete we recruit has aspirations of running professionally or being an Olympian one day,” he says. “I know with Mantz, he was heavily recruited out of high school, and he wanted to go to a school that would one day prepare him for the marathon.”

Eyestone’s coaching philosophy for developing long-distance athletes is not rocket science. He believes in long-term progression, so his athletes aren’t maxing out in college, and are leaving the window open for higher mileage post-collegiately. “I’ll have my 5,000m and 10,000m guys run around 80 miles a week, with a long run of 90 minutes,” he says. Eyestone has continued to coach Mantz and Young at the professional level, and still swears by not having them do much over two-hour long runs. “We have a great program at BYU, and it’s not unusual for Mantz and Young to hop in and work out with the college kids.”

BYU is an altitude school, standing at 1,400 metres above sea level, and has a large recruiting pool and an extensive following, with its affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When Eyestone arrived as a coach at BYU in 2000, his goal was to build a culture to become a powerhouse program in the NCAA. “We wanted to recruit guys who wanted to challenge for an NCAA XC podium spot every year,” he says. “It all starts at the beginning of the year, with the team’s veterans setting the tone and getting younger athletes and recruits to buy in.”

Despite Linkletter choosing to part ways with Eyestone as his coach in 2019, the two remain close friends and share a level of respect for one another. “Rory is an incredible leader; he was our team captain,” says Eyestone. “He would always hold the team accountable for showing up on time and developing a healthy routine […] I remember he called it Ferrari fuel.”

Eyestone’s favourite thing about being a coach is being able to see the ripple effect of a good performance or win on an athlete’s family and personal life. “My son-in-law told me on Sunday after Rory’s race that four percent of the athletes in the men’s marathon in Paris will be former BYU runners,” Eyestone revealed. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

A Riveting New Series Shows the Insane Workouts of Elite Runners—Completely Unfiltered

Every week, TRACK: All-Access reveals the raw training of star athletes like Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Elle St. Pierre.

“You just watched an attempted murder,” says Graham Blanks as he catches his breath on a pole vault mat at the Harvard University indoor track. 

His coach, Alex Gibby, prescribed Blanks a lengthy session. Three sets of 12 minutes at threshold pace (4:49 to 4:40 mile pace), followed by four fast 300-meter reps on the track. Blanks ripped the last interval in 41.9 seconds.

The 2023 NCAA Cross-Country champion—along with his teammate, Maia Ramsden—is the subject of an episode of the new running YouTube channel TRACK: All-Access.

The channel is the latest project from Gordon Mack, who spent the previous decade working at FloTrack and MileSplit, where he wrote articles, covered meets on-site, and co-hosted the FloTrack Podcast. Last year, after a career change, Mack got the idea of doing weekly workout videos. Now, he’s diving head-first into the venture, traveling across the country to create content with some of the biggest names in running.

Mack posted his first video—3-mile repeats with marathoners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young—to popular reception. Since then, he’s been releasing at least one episode every week and has featured the likes of Stanford University stand-out Nico Young, high school star JoJo Jourdon, and 1500-meter Olympian Elle St. Pierre.

So far, he says it’s been a success. 

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised and blessed and happy and thankful that people are responding positively,” Mack says. “When you start something, you have in your head the idealistic response, but you actually don’t know if it’s gonna happen until you put it out there. And fortunately, people seem to really like the content.”

Mack plans on releasing videos every Tuesday morning, but for the first few weeks, he’s uploading another video on Thursdays to give the channel some momentum. So far, TRACK: All-Access has over 7,000 subscribers, and the workout video with Nico Young has racked up more than 83,000 views.

While YouTube comments can quickly become crude, viewers seem to welcome Mack’s content. Sometimes they’ll offer feedback or encourage Mack to film episodes with specific teams. Some users have even joked that workout videos are prophetic.

“Babe wake up! All Access just posted another workout video ? ?” @sofodachimp2776

“Thank you for the back stage pass. I feel so honored to be part of this team.” @deviljames

“I’m starting to think track all access has the script” @orangepeanutyguy6569

The essence of the channel is in its name: access. Mack believes that track and field fans—himself included—crave more behind-the scenes content from athletes, outside of competition or media appearances. “We love watching them race, run records, and win championships,” he says. “But we also really love to see how they did it. And a lot of that is not really shown.”

After working in the running industry for over a decade, Mack has accumulated a rolodex of contacts with professional athletes and coaches. So far, the videos have focused on distance runners, but Mack plans on incorporating sprinters and field events into the mix as well. 

Along with access, Mack wants the videos to be in-depth. Instead of editing the raw footage down into highlights, he prefers to show every rep of a session— even the more monotonous parts—to paint a full picture of training. The relationships between the athletes and their coaches are just as important, too. “[I’m] trying to give the user a viewpoint as if they got to watch the practice in full time for that full hour-and-a-half session,” he says.

Mack is a one-man show so far. He films and edits the entirety of the videos, and he has to get creative sometimes to keep up with the runners. When he was initially filming Conner Mantz for a workout in Provo, Utah, Mack sped alongside him on a bike—until he got a flat tire. He came back two days later with a car.

Although TRACK: All Access is still in its infancy, this isn’t a part-time job for Mack—this is his life for the foreseeable future. He plans on supporting the channel with YouTube advertising revenue, as well as working with brands on potential sponsorships down the line. Consistency is a cornerstone of the channel, and Mack plans to keep his output high.

“At the end of the day, it’s a very simple concept,” he says. “It’s workout videos with the best elite athletes in the varying degrees of our sport and the varying disciplines of our sport. And, hopefully, if I put out good content, people will like it.”

TRACK: All-Access tentative schedule

February 15—Boston University men (Distance) 

February 20—Sophia Gorriaran (Harvard)

February 22—Northern Arizona University men (Distance) 

February 27—BYU men (Distance)

February 29—Northern Arizona University women (Distance) 

March 5—Kenzie Doyle (UMass Lowell)

March 7—Arizona State University men (Sprints) 

March 12—Courtney Wayment/Anna Camp Bennett (Taylor Made Elite)

These were the Fastest Shoes of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials

Asics, Puma, and Nike had a big day.

The city of Orlando witnessed some amazing performances under a blistering sun, with tickets to Paris at stake. When the dust settled after three loops, six brands placed among the top 10 men’s and women’s finishers. There was a time Nike ruled the roads, but Asics topped them in this year’s Olympic Trials Marathon, with two men and four women making my list below.

Here’s a look at what the top 10 finishers in both races wore in their quests for a spot on the Olympic team.

MEN’S TOP 10

1st — Conner Mantz, 2:09:05

Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% (v1)

Despite two updates to the Alphafly, Mantz (right in the image above) continues to wear the very first version. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

2nd — Clayton Young, 2:09:06

Asics Metaspeed Sky 3 prototype

Young (left, above) looks to be wearing the newest, unreleased Metaspeed Sky. Asics has three “development” shoes (prototype) approved by World Athletics for use in competition, currently. This colorway looks a lot like the existing Metaspeed Sky+ and Edge+, but when we zoom in closer we don’t see any labels, and the sidewall of the midsole looks different than the shoe you can buy now.

3rd — Leonard Korir, 2:09:57

Nike Air Zoom Alphafly 3

Korir laced up the latest Alphafly and might just have run himself onto the squad headed for Paris. We reviewed the Alphafly 3 recently.

4th — Elkanah Kibet, 2:10:02

Asics Metaspeed Edge 3 prototype

Kibet is wearing a prototype, like Young. His, however, appears to be the Metaspeed Edge. You can see the ridge on the sidewall of the forefoot swoops down low toward the sole of the shoe. The Edge’s plate curves lower, allowing for more foam between your foot and the plate than in the Sky.

5th — CJ Albertson, 2:10:07

Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 prototype

It looks like CJ is wearing Brooks’s top racing shoe, which was just announced. But, the company also has a “Hyperion Elite 4 RD.010” prototype shoe that was approved by World Athletics for use in competition just two weeks ago. It’s likely he wore that version (we don’t have details yet) but the outsole of CJ’s race shoe has gray rubber, whereas the newly announced version has a web of black and orange rubber.

6th — Zach Panning, 2:10:50

Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 prototype

Panning seems to be wearing the same prototype of the Hyperion Elite 4 that CJ wore.

7th — Nathan Martin, 2:11:00

Nike Air Zoom Alphafly 3

8th — Josh Izewski, 2:11:09

Nike Air Zoom Alphafly 3

9th — Reed Fischer, 2:11:34

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

Fischer rolled to a top-10 finish with an all-white version of the Adios Pro 3. Adidas does not have any prototypes on the list of approved shoes as of race day.

10th — Colin Bennie, 2:12:17

Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 prototype

Bennie seems to be wearing the same prototype as Albertson and Panning.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

1st — Fiona O’Keeffe, 2:22:10

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3

Not a bad first effort for O’Keeffe and Puma. Fiona won her first marathon in record fashion. And Puma claimed victory with the Deviate Elite 3 on the first day it was approved for use in competition. The World Athletics approved shoe list shows the 3 green lighted for use as a “development” as of Feb. 3, 2024.

2nd — Emily Sisson, 2:22:42

New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer

New Balance has a new super shoe, the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4, out. But Sisson laced up the thinner, lighter Pacer. It’s a shoe most of us recreational runners might only grab for a 5K or 10K (maybe). Seems like it’s working just fine for the American record holder.

3rd — Dakotah Lindwurm, 2:25:31

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3

Lindwurm also wore the new Puma racer. Hey, Puma, need me to re-send my address? 

4th — Jessica McClain, 2:25:46

Nike Vaporfly 3

This marks an insane shift in racing footwear. On the men’s side, four of the top 10 runners laced up Nike. Only McClain, the team’s first alternate, cracked the top 10 women’s runners wearing the swoosh. Folks, we’re living in the golden age of running shoes. Pick the pair that fits and feels best—and rip it.

5th — Sara Hall, 2:26:06

Asics Metaspeed Edge 3 prototype

Like Kibet, it appears Hall wore the Metaspeed Edge prototype.

6th — Caroline Rotich, 2:26:10

Asics Metaspeed Edge+

Unlike Hall, Kibet, and Young, Rotich’s shoe seems to be the current Metaspeed Edge+ that you can buy right now.

7th — Makenna Myler, 2:26:14

Asics Metaspeed Sky 3 prototype

Myler is likely wearing the Sky 3 prototype—again, check out that ridge in the forefoot; it’s closer to the foot. One heck of a day for Asics, if I do say so.

8th — Lindsay Flanagan, 2:26:25

Asics Metaspeed Edge 3 prototype

N + 1.

9th — Emily Durgin, 2:27:56

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3

Durgin held onto a top-10 finish wearing Adidas’s most popular marathon racer.

10th — Annie Frisbie, 2:27:56

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3

Asics packed four runners in the top 10, but Frisbie finished strong to give Puma a triumphant trio, all wearing the new Deviate Elite 3.

Conner Mantz, Clayton Young Finish 1-2 At U.S. Olympic Trials Mens Marathon

Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, the two former BYU teammates and training partners, took the top two spots with Mantz winning in 2:09:05 and Young finishing in 2:09:06 at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando.

Leonard Korir finished third in 2:09:57.

As of right now, only the Mantz and Young have guaranteed their spots on the team. Mantz, who ran a 2:07:48 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, and Clayton Young, who tallied a time of 2:08:00 in Chicago, earned their qualifying times prior to the Trials.

Because Korir did not finish under the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:08:10, he can qualify achieving a high enough world ranking on the World Athletics list by May 5, or via that third spot becoming unlocked by a U.S. men's Top 5 finish in any of the remaining platinum-level marathons (Tokyo, Seoul, Boston) within the qualification window.

Zach Panning controlled the race from its early stages. The three-time NCAA Division 2 champion from Grand Valley State took a group of eight men through the half in 64:07. The pack remained tight through 17 miles when things started to string out. Defending champion Galen Rupp was among those who began falling back at this point as a five-second gap formed between the top five and sixth place.

Panning pushed the tempo a bit more at Mile 19 and with Mantz and Young in tow, the trio pulled away from the field and established themselves as the prime contenders for the team. The three ran together for the next three plus miles until Mantz and Young made their move to the front at the 23 mile mark and quickly opened a 20-meter gap on Panning that continued to swell. 

With a mile to go in the race, Panning faded badly. Now gapped by Mantz and Young by almost a minute, the chasers had a target to focus on again within striking distance of a shot at the Olympics. Elkanah Kibet and Korir were the first to pass Panning and dueled over the final mile for that third-place spot. With a half mile to go, Korir emerged as the stronger of the two and held position.

Kibet finished fourth in 2:10:02. CJ Albertson moved up in that final mile and finished fifth in 2:10:07 while Panning wound up sixth in 2:10:50.

Rupp, who was attempting to make a fifth Olympic team, placed 16th in 2:14:07.

Scott Fauble, the top American at the last two Boston Marathons, dropped from the lead pack in the eighth mile and pulled out before the half marathon mark.

Five-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 47, dropped out of the race around the same time. 

2024 U.S. Olympic marathon trials: Conner Mantz and Fiona O'Keeffe race to victory

Mantz crossed the finish line just in front of training partner Clayton Young in the men's race. Fiona O'Keeffe dominated the women's race in a record-breaking debut marathon.

Conner Mantz and Fiona O'Keeffe raced to victory at the 2024 U.S. Olympic marathon trials on 3 February in Orlando to secure their spots on this year's Olympic team ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.

In the men's race, Mantz crossed the line in 2:09:05, directly in front of training partner and close friend Clayton Young, who crossed the line in second place just one second later. Young has also secured a quota for Paris having previously run the Olympic entry standard at the 2022 Chicago Marathon. Leonard Korir ran 2:09:57 to finish in third. 

In her first marathon ever, O'Keeffe took a hugely impressive win in the women's race, breaking the U.S. Trials record with a time of 2:22:10.

She was comfortably in front of second-place finisher and American record holder Emily SIsson who ran through the line in a time of 2:22:42.

Dakotah Lindwurm couldn't believe her 2:25:31 third-place finish and looked around in shock as she crossed the line.

The largely fat course near Lake Eola Park was made up of an approximately 2.2-mile (five-and-a-half kilometer) loop followed by three eight-mile (12-kilometer) loops to the finish line. It was a sunny but humid 55˚F (13˚C ) at the 10:10 am start.

Women's winner Fiona O'Keeffe: "I'm so excited about this team" 

“The goal has always been to make an Olympic team,” Mantz said in a post-race interview.

His mental strategy had been to run each mile for a different person - his mom, his dad, Clayton, with the final lap being for his wife.

“Let’s go to Paris, let’s make this happen,” second-place Young smiled after a close-to-ideal race that unfolded alongside his friend and fellow Utah native Mantz.

Zach Panning had led the way for the majority of the race before Mantz and Young took over the lead and pulled ahead with less than four miles to go. Panning fell back further as Korir took over in the final stretch to secure third.

In the women's race, O'Keeffe detailed the excitement she had felt with eight miles to go, having to remind herself not to "freak out."

"The past couple years I’ve been clawing my way through things," she said, before adding of her victory that she is now "so excited about this team."

Sisson, the women's American record holder in the marathon, has previous experience of the Olympics, having come 10th in the 10,000m at Tokyo 2020.

"I'm elated," she said, reflecting on making her second Olympic team in front of her friends and family.

Lindwurm was still in disbelief as she laughed with the press after the race, revealing ”I’m such an underdog… I was a walk on to my Division II team."

Conner Mantz And Clayton Young Lead Charge At U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

The months leading up to the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials have been anxiety-inducing, but race day is nearly upon us.

From the intense back-and-forth exchanges between the Athlete Advisory Board and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, to the uncertainty on exactly how many American men will be toeing the line this summer in Paris, the build-up to the trials has been nothing short of newsworthy.

That being said, we are just a few days out of the Trials, and there are certainly a few storylines at play.

The Young Guns

Conner Mantz, 27, and Clayton Young, 30, will step to the line on Saturday as the two fastest men in the field during the qualifying window. Mantz, a two-time national champion while at Brigham Young University, finished sixth at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon back in October. He was the top American and crossed in 2:07:47, which is tied for fourth on the all-time U.S. list.

Young, an NCAA champion himself while also attending BYU, was just a few spots behind his former college teammate and training partner, finishing seventh in 2:08:00, which was good enough for a U.S. No. 7 standing all-time among American men. 

Both of Ed Eyestone's former studs left the 'Windy City' with lifetime bests, and most importantly, unlocked two American spots for Paris 2024.

Following superb performances in Chicago just months ago, the Provo-based training partners would love nothing more than to claim the spots they earned on Saturday and officially punch their ticket to the Olympics.

However, they are both well-aware that nothing is earned in the sport, especially when the marathon is the distance of choice. Both are looking more than prepared, just check out the workout video:

The Veterans

While some of the field is preparing for their first-ever U.S. Olympic Trials, there are more than a few experienced marathoners that have been here before and are accustomed to the pressure.

One of those men is none-other than Galen Rupp, the two-time Olympic medalist and current/former American record holder.

Rupp has run his fair share of marathons, with the 2024 Trials marking his 15th attempt on the brutal race. 

Not only is he a veteran at the distance, but he's also qualified for two Olympic marathons -- Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 -- and competed at the 2022 World Athletics Championship. 

After battling a nagging back injury, Rupp returned to the marathon in October, was one of four Americans under 2:09 and ran 2:08:48 in his return. 

Rupp will see some familiar faces in Orlando, as fellow marathon veterans Sam Chelanga, Scott Fauble and CJ Albertson are all jockeying for a spot as well. 

The 38-year-old Chelanga is coming off a 2:08:50 from the 2023 Chicago Marathon, which shaved over six minutes off of his previous best along the way. 

Fauble's most recent marathon unfortunately ended with a 'DNF', but a seventh-place finish at Boston last year paired with a 2:08:52 personal best from 2020 says he's in the mix as well. 

For Albertson, this will be his fourth marathon since April. After finishing 12th in Boston, he ran and won both the California International Marathon (CIM) and the Baja California California on back-to-back weekends in December, running 2:11:09 and 2:11:08, respectively. 

Any of these four men could see themselves in the final three come Saturday, but despite none of them having the Olympic Standard, they could still snag one of two guaranteed spots thanks to their sub-2:11:30 performances during the qualifying window. And a third auto-spot could get unlocked if an athlete runs 2:08.10 or faster on the day. 

A few of the many notable names to keep an eye out include Elkanah Kibet, Zach Panning, Leonard Korir, and Futsum Zienasellassie.

The gun goes off for the men at 10:10 a.m. EST on Saturday, with the women following close behind at 10:20 a.m. EST. 

You can tune in live on Peacock, with coverage starting at 10:00 a.m. EST, and NBC will begin broadcasting at noon.

Paul Chelimo is set to make marathon debut at Olympic Trials

Paul Chelimo, an Olympic 5000m silver and bronze medalist, will make his marathon debut at the U.S. Olympic Trials on Feb. 3 in Orlando.

“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of running a marathon… The day has come- this is it!” was posted on his social media Friday.

Chelimo, 33, qualified for the marathon trials by running a 1:02:22 half marathon last April 2, safely quicker than the 1:03:00 minimum to get into the field.

He didn’t publicly commit to racing the marathon trials until now. He could still contest the track trials in June.

“Let’s start by Orlando... then we will see!” Chelimo’s agent wrote in an email when asked about track trials.

At marathon trials, the top three finishers on Feb. 3 are likely to make up the team for Paris. Since Chelimo has never raced a marathon, he also must run 2:11:30 or faster to hit a minimum qualifying time for Olympic eligibility.

Chelimo made five of the last six Olympic or world outdoor championships teams on the track in the 5000m. He won Olympic silver in 2016 and bronze in 2021, the latter being the lone U.S. men’s distance medal at the Tokyo Games.

Now, he joins a recent list of American global track medalists to move up to the marathon after Kara Goucher (2007 World 10,000m silver), Shalane Flanagan (2008 Olympic 10,000m silver), Galen Rupp (2012 Olympic 10,000m silver) and Bernard Lagat (world 5000m medals in 2007, 2009 and 2011).

Jenny Simpson, a world champion and Olympic bronze medalist at 1500m, also plans to make her marathon debut at the Feb. 3 trials.

Rupp made the 2016 Olympic marathon team in his debut at the distance at those trials. Molly Seidel did the same for the Tokyo Games. Each won a bronze medal in their first Olympic marathon.

Rupp, eyeing a fifth Olympics, headlines the men’s trials field along with Conner Mantz, the fastest American marathoner in 2022 and 2023 going for his first Games.

Men's Record-Holder To Defend Title At Manchester Road Race

Defending Manchester Road Race men's division champion and course record-holding Conner Mantz will return for the 2023 race. 

Mantz, who won two NCAA Division 1 cross country titles when he ran for Brigham Young University, rocketed around the 4.748-mile course in 2022 with the time of 21:04.  He knocked 12 seconds off the prior mark of 21:16 that Edward Cheserek set in 2018.

Also expected to be at the starting line will be last year’s runner-up, Morgan Beadlescomb.

Beadlescomb, a former Michigan State All-American, shadowed Mantz across the finish stripe last November with a time of 21:05.

Beadlescomb’s time is the second fastest-ever run on the Manchester course. Last year’s elite field was so strong that the first five runners to finish all eclipsed Cheserek’s former record, according to race officials.

“We are extremely pleased that last year’s top two finishers, Conner Mantz and Morgan Beadlescomb, are returning this year,” said Dr. Tris Carta, president of the Manchester Road Race Committee. “It is going to be another very exciting race."

Mantz placed sixth last month at the Chicago Marathon with the personal record and Olympic standard qualifying time of 2:07:47. Beadlescomb, 25, ran a personal best time of 13:08.82 for 5000 meters at a meet in Los Angeles in May and won the USATF national 5-K championship at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in 13:44 on Nov. 4th.

 The 87th Manchester Road Race, which was recognized as a 2023 World Athletics Label Event, will be held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, at 10 a.m. It starts and finishes on Main Street in Manchester, in front of St. James Church. The road race is organized by 500 volunteers from the Manchester Road Race Committee, with support from the Town of Manchester. 

Two American men achieve the Olympic standard at Chicago Marathon

The American contingent was led by Conner Mantz, who finished sixth overall and ran a personal best of 2:07:47. His former BYU teammate Clayton Young placed seventh in 2:08:00. Both athletes dipped under the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:08:10. 

Running his first marathon since the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Galen Rupp finished eighth in 2:08:48.

Three American women crack the top 10

A year after breaking the national record in Chicago, Emily Sisson returned as the top American with a seventh-place finish in 2:22:09. Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel finished eighth overall in 2:23:07, and Sara Vaughn placed 10th in 2:23:24. 

After turning 40 in July, Des Linden broke the American masters record by running 2:27:35, beating the previous record (2:27:47) set by Deena Kastor.

Kiptum smashes world marathon record with 2:00:35, Hassan runs 2:13:44 in Chicago

Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum became the first athlete to break 2:01 in a record-eligible marathon, clocking a tremendous 2:00:35* to take 34 seconds off the world record at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday (8).

On a remarkable day of racing, Dutch star Sifan Hassan moved to No.2 on the women’s all-time list, running 2:13:44 to triumph in the World Athletics Platinum Label road race. The only woman to have ever gone faster is Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, who set a world record of 2:11:53 to win the BMW Berlin Marathon last month.

Less than six months on from his 2:01:25 London Marathon win, which saw him become the second-fastest marathon runner of all time, Kiptum improved by another 50 seconds to surpass the world record mark of 2:01:09 set by his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin last year.

In the third marathon of his career, which began with a 2:01:53 debut in Valencia last December, Kiptum even had enough energy to celebrate his historic performance on the way to the finish line – pointing to the crowds and the tape on his approach.

The 23-year-old broke that tape in 2:00:35, winning the race by almost three and a half minutes. Defending champion Benson Kipruto was second in 2:04:02 and Bashir Abdi was third in 2:04:32.

Kiptum pushed the pace throughout the 26.2-mile race. He broke away from a seven-strong lead group after reaching 5km in 14:26, joined only by his compatriot Daniel Mateiko, who was making his marathon debut. They were on world record pace at 10km, passed in 28:42, but the tempo dropped a little from that point and they reached half way in 1:00:48.

Kiptum had been running in a hat but that came off as they entered the second half of the race. After 30km was passed in 1:26:31, Kiptum kicked and dropped Mateiko. He was glancing over his shoulder but running like he still had the world record – not only the win – in his sights.

A blistering 5km split of 13:51 took him to the 35km checkpoint in 1:40:22 and he was on sub-2:01 pace, 49 seconds ahead of Mateiko.

Continuing to run with urgency, he passed 40km in 1:54:23 – after a 27:52 10km split – and sped up further, storming over the finish line with the incredible figures of 2:00:35 on the clock.

"I knew I was coming for a course record, but a world record – I am so happy,” he said. “A world record was not on my mind today, but I knew one day I would be a world record-holder.”

Despite only having made his marathon debut 10 months ago, Kiptum now has three of the six fastest times in history to his name. Only Kipchoge (with 2:01:09 and 2:01:39) and Kenenisa Bekele (with 2:01:41) have ever gone faster than the slowest of Kiptum’s times.

Mateiko had helped to pace Kiptum to his 2:01:25 win in London, running to the 30km mark. The pair stayed together until that point in Chicago, too, but Mateiko couldn’t maintain the pace and dropped out after reaching 35km in 1:41:11.

Kenya’s Kipruto used his experience of the course to leave the chase group behind after 35km and was a comfortable runner-up in 2:04:02, finishing half a minute ahead of Belgium’s world and Olympic bronze medallist Abdi.

Kenya’s John Korir was fourth in 2:05:09, Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura fifth in 2:05:29 and USA’s Conner Mantz sixth in 2:07:47.

In the women’s race, Hassan returned to marathon action just six weeks on from a World Championships track medal double that saw her claim 1500m bronze and 5000m silver in Budapest.

She was up against a field including the defending champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, who was on the hunt for a record third win in Chicago following her 2:14:18 victory last year.

It soon became apparent that it would be those two athletes challenging for the title. After going through 5km in 15:42 as part of a pack that also featured Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu and Ababel Yeshaneh, Chepngetich and Hassan broke away with a next 5km split of 15:23 and reached 10km in 31:05 – on pace to break the recently-set world record.

They ran a 10km split of 30:54 between 5km and 15km, that point passed in 46:36, and they maintained that world record pace to 20km, reached in 1:02:14.

Chepngetich had opened up a six-second gap by half way, clocking 1:05:42 to Hassan’s 1:05:48, but Hassan would have surely felt no concern. On her debut in London in April, after all, she closed a 25-second gap on the leaders despite stopping to stretch twice, and went on to win in 2:18:33.

In a race of superb depth, Alemu, Jepkosgei and Yeshaneh were still on 2:14:52 pace at that point as they hit half way together in 1:07:26.

Hassan soon rejoined Chepngetich at the front and they ran side by side through 25km in 1:18:06. Then it was Hassan’s turn to make a move. Unable to maintain the pace, Chepngetich had dropped 10 seconds behind by 30km, reached by Hassan in 1:34:00, and from there the win never looked in doubt. The Dutch athlete was half a minute ahead at 35km (1:50:17) and she had more than doubled that lead by 40km (2:06:36).

Hassan was on track to obliterate her PB and also the course record of 2:14:04 set by Brigid Kosgei in 2019, which had been the world record until Assefa’s 2:11:53 performance last month.

She held on to cross the finish line in 2:13:44, a European record by almost two minutes. With her latest performance, the versatile Hassan is now the second-fastest woman in history for the track mile, 10,000m and marathon.

"The first group took off at a crazy pace, but I wanted to join that group,” said Hassan. “The last five kilometres, I suffered. Wow ­– I won again in my second marathon in a fantastic time. I couldn't be happier.”

Behind her, Chepngetich held on for second place in 2:15:37 as the top four all finished under 2:18 – Alemu placing third in 2:17:09 and Jepkosgei finishing fourth in 2:17:23. Ethiopia’s Tadu Teshome was fifth in 2:20:04, her compatriot Genzebe Dibaba sixth in 2:21.47 and USA’s Emily Sisson seventh in 2:22:09.

Leading results

Women1 Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:13:44 2. Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:15:37 3. Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:17:09 4. Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:17:235 Tadu Teshome (ETH) 2:20:046 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:21:477 Emily Sisson (USA) 2:22:098 Molly Seidel (USA) 2:23:079 Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:23:2110 Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:23:24

Men1 Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) 2:00:352 Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:023 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:04:324 John Korir (KEN) 2:05:095 Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:05:296 Conner Mantz (USA) 2:07:477 Clayton Young (USA) 2:08:008 Galen Rupp (USA) 2:08:489 Samuel Chelanga (USA) 2:08:5010 Takashi Ichida (JPN) 2:08:57

The Road to the Paris Olympics and here is What You Need to Know.

American runners are about to begin training for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon

It’s early October, which means it’s the peak marathon season for many runners. But with an Olympic year on the horizon, it also means America’s top marathoners are about to hit the road to Paris.

More specifically, the men’s and women’s 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon races—scheduled for February 3 in Orlando, Florida—are just four months away. And that means the top U.S. runners hoping to represent their country at  next summer’s Olympics are about to begin preparing for the all-or-nothing qualifying race that decides which six runners will represent Team USA next summer on the streets of Paris.

Although several top American runners are racing the Chicago Marathon on October 8, even they have their eyes on a much bigger prize next February.

“There’s nothing in my mind that compares with being an Olympian and being in the Olympic Games,” says 26-year-old Utah-based Nike pro Conner Mantz, who returns to Chicago after finishing seventh last year in 2:08:16 in his debut at the distance. “So putting that first has been the plan for a long time. We’re just putting that first and we’re working backwards through the season with other races.” 

Registration will open for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in early November for runners who have surpassed the qualifying times in the marathon (2:18:00 for men, 2:37:00 for women) or half marathon (1:03:00 for men, 1:12:00 for women). The qualifying window extends through December 3—the race date of the last-chance California International Marathon, which for decades has been one of the most popular Olympic Trials qualifying races.

In 2020, a record 708 runners—465 women and 243 men—qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Atlanta just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. But USA Track & Field lowered the women’s qualifying standard by eight minutes from the more attainable 2:45:00 plateau, which means there will most likely be a much smaller women’s field this year.

But even so, amid the handful of runners who have a legitimate shot at making the Olympic team, there will also be dozens of dreamers, wannabes, and just-happy-to-be-there elite amateurs who have worked hard, put in the miles, and earned the chance to be on the start line of the deepest and most competitive U.S. distance-running races that only happen once every four years.

The men’s and women’s races will run simultaneously with the men beginning at 12:10 P.M. EST. and the women starting 10 minutes later. Runners have complained that a high noon start means they will be forced to race in hot, humid conditions. Over the past decade, the average temperature on February 3 in Orlando has been 69.6 degrees Fahrenheit at noon, rising to 73.3 at 4 PM. But actual temperatures have varied drastically, from 81 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 P.M. last year to 56 at the same time the year before. USATF officials have responded by saying that the start times are to accommodate live coverage on NBC and to match the expected conditions in Paris.

Here’s an update and overview of what’s next, who the top contenders are, the course, and what to expect in the next four months.

The 26.2-mile U.S. Olympic Trials course runs through downtown Orlando and consists of one 2.2-mile loop and three eight-mile loops. The marathon course will run through several neighborhoods, main streets, and business districts in Orlando, including Central Business District, City District, South Eola, Lake Eola Heights Historic District, Lake Cherokee Historic District, Lake Davis Greenwood, Lake Como, North Quarter, Lawsona/Fern Creek, SoDo District, and the Thornton Park neighborhood. It will then head east to and around The Milk District neighborhood and Main Street. (Notably, the course will come close to Disney World, which is about 15 miles to the southwest.)

Unlike the Olympic Marathon course in Paris, which will challenge runners with significant hills in the middle, the Orlando course is mostly flat. Each loop has a few minor variations in pitch, but only 38 feet separate the high and low points on the course. Ultimately, though, it’s a spectator-friendly route with chances for family, friends, and fans of runners to see the action several times. 

The top women—based on personal best times and recent race results—are Emily Sisson, Emma Bates, Keira D’Amato, Betsy Saina, and Lindsay Flanagan. But the U.S. Olympic Trials races almost always produce surprises with a few great runners having off days and a few good runners having exceptional days, so there is reason to expect the unexpected.

Sisson lowered the American record to 2:18:29 last year when she finished second in the Chicago Marathon. She’s running Chicago again on October 8 along with Bates, who has said she’s hoping to break the American record. In January, Sisson, 31, chopped her own American record in the half marathon in Houston with a 1:06:52 effort, and most recently won the U.S. 20K Championships (1:06:09) on September 4 in New Haven, Connecticut. Bates, also 31, hasn’t raced at all since her sterling fifth-place effort at the Boston Marathon in April, when she slashed her personal best to 2:22:10. 

While Chicago will be another good place to test themselves, both have unfinished business after Bates was seventh at the 2020 Trials and Sisson dropped out near the 21-mile mark.

The same goes for Flanagan, 32, who has been one of America’s best and most consistent marathoners for the past five years. She placed 12th at the trials in 2020. She had a breakthrough win (2:24:43) at the Gold Coast Marathon in 2022 followed by a strong, eighth-place finish (2:26:08) at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year. In August, she ran perhaps the best race of her career, when she finished ninth (2:27:47) at the world championships in Budapest amid hot, humid conditions.

The 38-year-old D’Amato, meanwhile, just capped off another strong season with a 17th-place showing (2:31:35) at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, a year after finishing eighth in the world championships and setting an American record 2:19:12 at the 2022 Houston Marathon. She was 15th at the Trials in 2020 in 2:34:24, just two years into her competitive return to the sport after having two kids and starting a career in real estate in her early 20s.

“It’s such a huge goal of mine to become an Olympian,” says D’Amato, who lowered Sisson’s U.S. record in the half marathon with a 1:06:39 effort at the Gold Coast Half Marathon on July 1 in Australia. “It’s really hard for me to put words into this because my whole life, wearing a Team USA jersey has been like a huge dream. And when I left the sport (temporarily), I felt like I said goodbye to that dream and I kind of mourned the loss of being able to represent my country. I feel like it’s the greatest honor in our sport to be able to wear our flag and race as hard as possible.”

Saina, a 35-year-old Kenya-born runner who ran collegiately for Iowa State University, became a U.S. citizen in late 2021. She placed fifth in the 10,000-meters at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro while competing for Kenya. She’s spent the past several years splitting time between Kenya and Nashville, Tennessee, where she gave birth to a son, Kalya, in December 2021.

She’s returned with a strong fourth-place 1:11:40 result at the Tokyo Half Marathon last October and a fifth-place 2:21:40 showing at the Tokyo Marathon in February. In May, Saina won the U.S. 25K Championships in Michigan. Two weeks ago she broke the tape at the Blackmores Sydney Marathon in Australia in 2:26:47.

Other top contenders include but are not limited to Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Molly Seidel (who’s personal best is 2:24:42), 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk (2:24:37, 11th in Boston this year), Susanna Sullivan (2:24:27 personal best, 10th in London this year), two-time Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden (2:22:38), and Sara Hall (2:20:32, fifth at last year’s world championships), plus Kellyn Taylor (2:24:29), Nell Rojas (2:24:51), Sarah Sellers (2:25:43), Lauren Paquette (2:25:56), Dakotah Lindwurm (2:25:01), Annie Frisbie (2:26:18), Sara Vaughn (2:26:23), Tristin Van Ord (2:27:07), and Jacqueline Gaughan (2:27:08).

The list of potential men’s top contenders isn’t as clear-cut, partially because there are so many sub-2:11 runners and several fast runners who are relatively new to the marathon. But all that suggests a wide-open men’s race where more than a dozen runners are legitimately in the mix for the three Olympic team spots. That said, the top runners on paper, based on both time and consistent results over the past few years, are Scott Fauble, Jared Ward, Galen Rupp, Conner Mantz, Leonard Korir, Matt McDonald, and C.J. Albertson.

The 31-year-old Fauble, who was 12th in the Olympic Trials in 2020 and owns a 2:08:52 personal best, has finished seventh in the Boston Marathon three times since 2019 and also finished seventh in the New York City Marathon in 2018. Ward is a 2016 U.S. Olympian and has three top-10 finishes at the New York City Marathon and a 2:09:25 personal best from Boston in 2019. He’s 35, but he just ran a 2:11:44 (27th place) at the Berlin Marathon in late September.

Rupp, who won the past two U.S. Olympic Trials Marathons and earned the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics, is nearing the end of his competitive career. He boasts a 2:06:07 personal best and has run under 2:10 more than any American in history, including when he finished 19th at the world championships (2:09:36) last year. He’s a bit of a wild card because he’s 37 and hasn’t raced since his lackluster 17th-place showing at the NYC Half Marathon (1:04:57) in March, but the world will get a glimpse of his fitness in Chicago this weekend.

Mantz followed up his solid debut in Chicago last fall with a good Boston Marathon in April (11th, 2:10:25) and solid racing on the track and roads all year, including his recent runner-up showings at the Beach to Beacon 10K in August and the U.S. 20K Championships in September.

McDonald, 30, who was 10th in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, has quietly become one of the best marathoners in the U.S. while serving as a postdoctoral associate in chemical engineering at M.I.T. His last three races have clocked in at 2:10:35 (Boston 2022), 2:09:49 (Chicago 2022), and 2:10:17 (Boston 2023). The only other runner who rivals that kind of consistency is Albertson, 29, who has run 2:10:23 (Boston 2022), 2:10:52 (Grandma’s Marathon 2022) and 2:10:33 (Boston 2022) in his past three marathons and was seventh in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2020 (2:11:49).

The men’s race will likely have a mix of veteran runners and newcomers who have run in the 2:09 to 2:10 range since 2022. Among those are 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials runner-up Jake Riley (2:10:02 personal best), who is returning from double Achilles surgery; 2016 U.S. 10,000-meter Olympian Leonard Korir (2:07:56), who ran a 2:09:31 in Paris in April; Zach Panning (2:09:28, plus 13th at the world championships in August); U.S. 25K record-holder Parker Stinson (2:10.53); Futsum Zienasellassie who won the California International Marathon last December in his debut (2:11:01) and then doubled-back with a new personal best (2:09:40) at the Rotterdam Marathon in the spring; Abbabiya Simbassa, who ran a solid debut marathon (2:10:34) in Prague this spring; and Eritrean-born Daniel Mesfun (2:10:06) and Ethiopian-born Teshome Mekonen (2:10:16), who both received U.S. citizenship within the past year; and solid veterans Nico Montanez (2:09:55), Elkanah Kibet (2:10:43) and Nathan Martin (2:10:45).

Additional sub-2:12 runners who will  be in the mix are Andrew Colley (2:11:26), Clayton Young (2:11:51), Brendan Gregg (2:11:21), Josh Izewski (2:11:26), Jacob Thompson (2:11:40), and Kevin Salvano (2:11:49).

As noted previously, some top contenders will season their marathon legs one final time at the flat and fast Chicago Marathon on October 8. An even more select few will opt for the New York City Marathon on November 5. After that, nearly every American with eyes set on an Olympic berth will double-down over the holiday season for that one final, critical marathon training cycle. Expect to see a wide range in heat training, from sauna protocols, to warm weather training trips, to simply an adjusted race day strategy.

Of course, with the Olympic Marathon falling under the purview of World Athletics, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon team is not quite as simple as finishing on the podium in Orlando. Any American looking to have a breakout performance and finish within the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon will need to have run under 2:11:30 for men and 2:29:30 for women within the qualification window, which spans from November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024. Given the possibility of oppressively hot and humid temps on February 3 in Orlando, they’re best bet is to secure that time now.

These qualification standards are in accordance with a new rule from World Athletics, which allows national Olympic committees to circumvent the typical Olympic qualification process of running under 2:08:10 for men and 2:26:50 for women, or being ranked among the top 65 in the world on a filtered list of the top three athletes from each country. The catch, though, is that three other runners from said country must have met one of these two standards. If this sounds complicated, that’s because it is.

For the hundreds of elite amateurs on the cusp of hitting that coveted U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying time, it’s do or die mode. While a few made the cut at the Berlin Marathon on September 24, one of those opportunities was lost when the Twin Cities Marathon was canceled on October 1 because of excessive heat. Temperatures are shaping up for an auspicious day in Chicago this weekend, and many more will give it a final shot at the Columbus Marathon on October 15; Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on October 28; the Philadelphia Marathon on November 18; and the last-call California International Marathon, a point-to-point race ending in Sacramento, California on December 3. 

Ultimately, only six American runners will likely continue on along the road to Paris and earn the chance to run in the men’s and women’s Olympic marathons next August 10-11. For a handful of younger runners, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials will be a motivation to reinvigorate the Olympic dream or keep a faint hope alive, at least until the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials that will determine the team for the Los Angeles Olympics. But for many runners, the journey to the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando will lead to the end of their competitive road running careers as new jobs, young families, a switch to trail running, and other priorities will take hold. 

“I think the Olympic Trials is an important part of American distance running,” says Kurt Roeser, 36, a two-time U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier who works full-time as a physical therapist in Boulder, Colorado. “I’m glad that they kept it the same event for this cycle and hopefully for future cycles because it gives people like me a reason to keep training. I’m older now and I’m not going to actually have a chance to make an Olympic team, but for somebody that’s fresh out out of college and maybe they just barely squeak in under the qualifying time, maybe that’s the catalyst they need to start training more seriously through the next cycle. And maybe four years from now, they are a serious factor for making the team.” 

Kelvin Kiptum believes he can break world record at 2023 Chicago Marathon

It’s Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and that means one thing to marathon fans: it’s time for the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. This year’s elite field will be one to remember, with the great Sifan Hassan competing in her second career marathon against the 2019 world champion and the third-fastest marathoner in history, Ruth Chepngetich. The men’s side is just as exciting, with the relatively unknown Kelvin Kiptum on the verge of greatness, targeting Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 on Sunday.

The young star

At 23 and with only two career marathons to his name, Kiptum has quickly established himself as one of the best distance runners in the world. Although, despite his achievements in London, he remains relatively unknown on the major marathon scene. Kiptum is self-coached and did not enter marathoning from a prolific track career like Kipchoge, Mo Farah, or Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.

Kiptum made his marathon debut last December at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, taking a commanding victory in 2:01:53, the fastest debut in history. He continued his dominance at the 2023 London Marathon, where he shattered Kipchoge’s course record and came within 16 seconds of the world record, with a 2:01:25 finish.

In June, Kiptum was selected for Team Kenya in the 2023 World Athletics Championships marathon. However, he declined the invitation to focus on a fall marathon instead. He settled on Chicago, which is widely regarded as the fastest marathon major in North America. 

In a pre-race interview with Olympics.com, Kiptum said he is well-trained for the Chicago course and believes he can become the first man in history to run a 2:00 flat on Sunday. Kiptum’s choice of Chicago over the other fall majors, Berlin and NYC, indicates his eagerness to chase the world record. Chicago’s primarily flat course, with only 70 meters of elevation gain, makes it an ideal setting.

Kiptum’s competition

If Kiptum intends to hit the halfway mark around 60 minutes, there are not many in the field who can keep up with him. The 2020 Olympic marathon bronze medallist, Bashir Abdi, is listed as the second fastest athlete in Chicago with a personal best of 2:03:36. Abdi finished fifth here in 2019 and will be looking to improve on his time of 2:06:14.

Kiptum will also face off against one of the best tactical marathoners in the world and the reigning champion, Benson Kipruto. Kipruto comes off a second-place finish at the 2023 Boston Marathon, where he was runner-up to his training partner, Evans Chebet. Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura knows the Chicago course well, having won the race in 2021 and finished as runner-up to Kipruto last fall. If the race becomes a tactical affair, it’s hard to look past these two as the favourites but they don’t quite have the sub-2:02 speed to hang with Kiptum early.

American men chase Olympic standard

Another entertaining race within the race to watch will be the battle between top Americans Galen Rupp, Conner Mantz and Leonard Korir as they aim to achieve the 2024 Olympic marathon standard of 2:08:10. The only American to break that mark since 2020 is Rupp, who did so at the 2021 Chicago Marathon where he finished second. Currently, no American men have met the Olympic qualifying mark for Paris, and the U.S. Marathon Trials are just four months away in February 2024.

Scott Fauble Is Aiming for the Olympic Standard at Berlin Marathon

Fauble will hope to become first American man to hit 2:08:10 Olympic standard in Sunday’s race

Scott Fauble was not planning on running a fall marathon in 2023. On April 17, he finished 7th at the Boston Marathon to earn top American honors — just as he did in Boston and New York in 2022. His time of 2:09:44 represented the fourth sub-2:10 of his career, making him just the seventh American to accomplish that feat after Ryan Hall, Galen Rupp, Meb Keflezighi, Khalid Khannouchi, Alberto Salazar, and Mbarak Hussein. In previous years, a top-10 finish at a World Marathon Major counted as an automatic qualifying standard for the Olympic marathon; Fauble, with three straight top-10 finishes on his resume, figured he was in good position for Paris and could shift his focus to the US Olympic Trials in February 2024.

But the Olympic qualifying system for 2024 is far more complicated than in previous years, with ever-shifting world rankings and things like “quota reallocation places” creating confusion among fans and athletes alike. Any athlete ranked in the top 65 of the filtered “Road to Paris” list on January 30, 2024, is considered qualified…except the “Road to Paris” list does not currently exist. After Boston, Fauble, who is currently ranked 122nd* — that’s in the world rankings, which is a different list than “Road to Paris” — tried to take a closer look at where he stood, creating spreadsheets and projecting where he might rank after accounting for time qualifiers, the three-athlete-per-country limit, and potential changes after the 2023 fall marathon season. After a while, his brain began to hurt.

“I felt like the Pepe Silvia meme from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Fauble said. “…It was like, this is complicated and stressful and I can just get the standard. This doesn’t need to be an issue.”

That is why Fauble, begrudgingly, made the decision to run the Berlin Marathon. He was not initially looking forward to the race, but with a strong training block in Boulder behind him and the race just four days away, he has changed his tune.

“I’m very excited,” Fauble said. “I wasn’t planning on doing a fall marathon after Boston and I had to figure out ways to get excited for it and I think that’s one of the things that has fired me up, actually seeing how fast I can go and pushing for a PR as opposed to letting the race play out and seeing what I can do.”

Chasing a time is a dramatically different approach to Fauble’s typical marathon M.O. Of the nine marathons he has run, only two have featured pacemakers: his debut in Frankfurt in 2017, and the Marathon Project in 2020. When Fauble runs Boston and New York, the hilly courses where he has found the greatest success, he does not enter with a goal time in mind. Instead, Fauble will wait until the race begins and assess a number of factors — the weather, how he’s feeling, how fast the other runners are going — before deciding which pace to run. Typically, that has led to Fauble letting the leaders go early and picking off stragglers as they fade over the second half of the race.

Berlin will be different. There are no hills to account for, and while Fauble will still fight for every place, he is not hiding the fact that the primary goal of this race is to hit a time. Specifically, the Olympic standard of 2:08:10. Only five Americans have ever bettered that time in history, but Fauble, who ran his personal best of 2:08:52 in Boston in 2022, believes he is capable of doing it.

“I don’t think that me running in the 2:07s is a huge stretch of the imagination,” said Fauble, who has removed some of the hillier routes from his training under coach Joe Bosshard but has otherwise prepared similarly for Berlin as he would Boston or New York. “I think I’ve been in that kind of shape a bunch of times.”

Every American marathoner will be rooting for Fauble

Currently, no male American marathoner has earned the 2024 Olympic standard — either by hitting the time standard of 2:08:10 or by finishing in the top five of a Platinum Label Marathon (which includes Berlin). It’s pvery likely someone such as Fauble or Conner Mantz will be ranked in the top 65 of the “Road to Paris” list at the end of January, but with the Olympic Trials less than five months away, US marathoners are getting antsy.

American pros rarely run the Berlin Marathon, typically opting for Chicago or New York in the fall — both of which pay much bigger appearance fees to American runners. But this fall, many are bypassing New York because of the date (just 13 weeks before the Trials) and the course (too slow for a shot at the Olympic standard). A sizeable crew, led by Mantz and Galen Rupp, will be in Chicago, while a far larger number than usual have opted for Berlin.

Berlin’s course is just as fast as Chicago’s, if not faster. It’s also two weeks before Chicago — an extra two weeks to prepare for the Trials — and the weather is typically a little better in Berlin than Chicago. That’s why Keira D’Amato opted for Berlin over Chicago for her American record attempt last year. It’s also why 60:02 half marathoner Teshome Mekonen — another American targeting the Olympic standard this fall — chose Berlin over Chicago.

In addition to Fauble and Mekonen, the 2023 Berlin field also includes 2016 Olympian Jared Ward, 2021 Olympian Jake Riley, and Tyler Pennel, who has finished 5th and 11th at the last two Olympic Marathon Trials. All of them will be looking to run fast. And every other American marathoner will be hoping they do the same.

That’s because of a new provision in the Olympic qualification system which states that any country with three qualified athletes may choose to send any three athletes it wants to Paris — as long as they have run at least 2:11:30 (men) or 2:29:30 (women) within the qualifying window. That’s why every American will be rooting for Fauble and others to run fast this fall: if the US has three athletes with the standard, then anyone who has run under 2:11:30 has the opportunity to make the team by finishing in the top three at the Trials.

The above provision, which World Athletics is referring to as “quota reallocation” means that someone such as Fauble could run the Olympic standard and open up a spot in Paris for an American athlete who ends up beating him at the Trials — thus taking a spot that would not otherwise be available had Fauble not run the standard. Fauble, obviously, is hoping such a scenario does not come to pass. But he is aware of the possibility and has accepted it as part of his reality.

“I don’t mind it,” Fauble said. “Sports have never really been about identifying the best team or the best athlete. They’re an entertainment product and they overemphasize very specific days on the calendar. Even if I was the only one with the standard and I get beat at the Trials, the 73-9 Warriors didn’t win the NBA title that year. You’ve gotta do it on the big days. That’s what being a professional athlete is about.”

Clayton Young wins 2023 New Haven Road 20K national championship, Emily Sisson wins the women's 20K

The 46th Faxon Law New Haven Road race boasted one of its most impressive fields of runners to date Monday, and it lived up to the hype with a photo finish in the men's 20K national championship race.  

Clayton Young was the winner in the 20K, finishing in 59:15, just one second ahead of his training partner and last year's champion, Conner Mantz. 

"We both trained in Chicago together, and there was a lot of talk before the race about strategy and what we should do," Young said. "When we were breaking away with about 600 meters to go, I knew I was feeling good and I had a shot, but I also knew that Conner (Mantz) has a deadly kick and he won it last year."

Overall, the road race featured seven Olympians and four past 20K national champions, though this year two new winners were crowned.  Emily Sisson won the women's 20K national championship, finishing in 1:06.59. 

Both runners overcame a confusing segment after the 10 mile mark near East Rock Park as Young started to veer to turn left, leading to Mantz wanting to backtrack. 

Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune, Kenya’s Hellen Obiri win Beach to Beacon 10k

Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the men’s and women’s titles at the 2023 TD Beach to Beacon 10K on Saturday morning.

Yihune crossed the finish line in an unofficial time of 27 minutes, 56 seconds. Conner Mantz of Utah was second (27:58) and Muktar Edris of Ethiopia was third (28:06).

Obiri won the women’s race in an unofficial time of 31:36, followed by Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay (31:38) and Keira D’Amato of Virginia (31:58).

Matt Rand of Portland was the top finisher among the Maine men in an unofficial time of 30 minutes, 44 seconds, followed by Grady Satterfield of Bowdoinham (30:52) and Ryan Jara of Gorham (30:55).

Ruth White, who will be a senior this fall at Orono High, was the top finisher among Maine women in an unofficial time of 34:56. Alexis Wilbert of Cumberland placed second (35:46) and Veronica Graziano of Falmouth was third (36:15).

Hermin Garic of Utica, New York, won the men’s wheelchair division in an unofficial time of 23 minutes, 20 seconds. Yen Hoang of Vancouver, Washington, won the women’s wheelchair division in 28:24.

In the men’s race, Mantz, 26, was visibly upset when he finished the race. He said Yihune, 20, twice pushed him in the final quater-mile, both times causing him to break stride and bang into the fencing that separated the runners from the crowd. Yihune, through the translation of countryman Edris, said he did not push Mantz. Yihune, competing in his first road race, said he was merely closing the lane to block Mantz’s path. Mantz, who had a fresh abrasion on his upper left arm, said that possibly the first incident with about 400 meters could have been accidental or unintended.

The second time, with about 200 meters to go, “The second time I tried to pass him there was plenty of room. Enough for two people to pass on his left. The second time I hit the fence pretty hard. I hate this because there’s a part of me that feels like I got gypped but I also don’t want to go out and protest and like make it into somebody else’s bad experience.”

Yihune won $10,000 for the victory. Mantz also earned $10,000 – $5,000 for finishing second and another $5,000 as the top American.

“I feel like I had first in me today and when you lose by just that much and you lose your momentum, it’s easy to get upset,” Mantz said.

Beach to Beacon, founded by 1984 Olympic women’s marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. More than 8,000 people registered for the event, Maine’s largest road race and one of the premier road races in America, with over 6,400 finishing.

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri highlights field for Beach to Beacon 10K

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri highlights field for Beach to Beacon 10K on Saturday

Obiri, the 2023 Boston Marathon winner and the only woman to win world championships outdoors, indoors and in cross country, will compete at Beach to Beacon for the first time.

Hellen Obiri of Kenya won the women’s division of the Boston Marathon in April. On Saturday, she’ll compete for the first time in the TD Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth. Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, the 2023 Boston Marathon champion, highlights a group of elite runners who will compete Saturday in the TD Beach to Beacon 10K road race in Cape Elizabeth, race officials announced Monday.

Obiri – a two-time Olympic silver medalist and the only woman to win world championships outdoors, indoors and in cross country – will compete at Beach to Beacon for the first time. She’ll be joined by fellow Kenyan and two-time Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat.

The women’s division also will feature Keira D’Amato of Virginia, who set an American marathon record (2 hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds) last year, and Sanford native Rachel Schneider Smith, who competed for the United States in the 5,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and placed fifth at last year’s Beach to Beacon.

A trio of Ethiopians – Addisu Yihune, Amedework Walelegn and Muktar Edris, a two-time world champion – are expected to contend for the men’s title. Top Americans in the field include Utah’s Conner Mantz, a two-time NCAA cross country champion, and Biya Simbassa, who placed third at the 2022 Beach to Beacon.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Beach to Beacon, founded by Cape Elizabeth native and 1984 Olympic women’s marathon champion Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Kelvin Kiptum to race 2023 Chicago Marathon

The second fastest marathoner in history will not face Kipchoge at Berlin after all.

The 2023 Chicago Marathon revealed on Tuesday morning that Kiptum will make his North American marathon debut on Oct. 8, postponing the highly anticipated potential clash against Eliud Kipchoge, who will appear at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

In the last eight months, Kiptum has emerged as one of the world’s fastest marathoners. In December, he made his marathon debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, securing a commanding victory in a remarkable 2:01:53, the fastest debut in history. He continued his dominance at the 2023 London Marathon, where he shattered Kipchoge’s course record and came remarkably close to the world record, with a 2:01:25 finish.

Despite his achievements in London, Kiptum remains relatively unknown on the major marathon scene. The 23-year-old from Eldoret, Kenya, is self-coached and did not enter marathoning from a prolific track career like Kipchoge, or Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.

In June, Kiptum was selected for Team Kenya in the 2023 World Athletics Championships marathon. However, he declined the invitation to focus on a fall marathon instead. With Kiptum eyeing either Chicago or Berlin, many anticipated a head-to-head battle between the two Kenyan titans in Berlin, renowned for its flat and incredibly fast course, having been the location where the previous eight men’s marathon world records were set.

Choosing Chicago, which takes place two weeks after Berlin, clearly indicates Kiptum’s intent to vie for a victory and target Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09. Chicago’s primarily flat course, with only 70 metres of elevation gain, offers a promising setting. 

However, a win in Chicago won’t come easy, as Kiptum will face off against one of the best tactical marathoners in the world and the reigning champion, Benson Kipruto. Kipruto comes off a second-place finish at the 2023 Boston Marathon, where he was runner-up to his training partner, Evans Chebet. Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura, who knows the Chicago course well, having won the race in 2021 and finished as runner-up to Kipruto last fall, will also return. Among the other elite names in the men’s field are Galen Rupp, Conner Mantz and Belgian 2020 Olympic marathon bronze medallist Bashir Abdi.

Utah’s Clayton Young won the Crazy 8s 8K title on Saturday night

Utah’s Clayton Young bided his time until the last moment and made a strong move to win Saturday’s 33rd Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital Crazy 8s 8-kilometer run on the candle-lit streets of the Model City.

With 200 meters to go, Young — the 2019 NCAA 10,000-meter champion from BYU — broke away from a group of six runners as he made his way into J. Fred Johnson Stadium to claim his second USATF title in 22:46 and the $5,000 that went along with the win.

There were nearly 3,200 finishers in Saturday’s races, including the Almost Crazy 3K, which was up almost 300 from last year.

“I was talking with my teammate Conner Mantz, who was runner-up last year and he said when he made his move, he felt like it wasn’t strong enough,” Young said. “He told me that I should be making that move before I turn up the hill. When I made my move, I was thinking about him and how he coached me through those final stages.”

Alberto Salazar’s American record of 22:04 lived another day. The start of the race was delayed by 45 minutes because of a strong thunderstorm that swept through the area.

“I had a lot of confidence going into this race,” Young said. “I’ve trained with Conner a lot and he’s had a great season, so that was a pretty good indicator. I just rode his coattails and went out there to see what I could do today.”

ZAP Endurance runner Andrew Colley was runner-up, finishing in 22:48. Oklahoma State graduate Isai Rodriguez took out the pace early and finished third in 22:49.

Young — who won the 2021 USATF 15K title in Jacksonville, Florida — trains with Mantz and now he’s got one up on his former BYU teammate.

“It’s finally nice to win another U.S. championship,” Young said. “You’ve got to celebrate all the victories, no matter how big or small they are. They keep you going and keep you motivated.

“To feel that strength over the last 800 meters was really validating and hopefully it’ll propel me through these next couple of races and into a fall marathon.”

Kingsport native Emma Russum — a member of Dobyns-Bennett’s 2019 state cross country state title team who now runs for Chattanooga — won the women’s division in 31:02.

It’s a dream come true of sorts for Russum, who’s regularly run the race since she was 6 years old.

“It feels really good to win and it’s even better because I got second last year,” Russum said. “I ran 20 seconds slower than last year, but it was super fun and I definitely was trying to keep a more relaxed effort at the beginning.

“People were yelling at me in the last bit that a girl was coming, so I had to kick it in. I love this race and I’ve been running it since I was big enough to run in (Little 8s).”

Russum made a little bit of area history as well, becoming the third local female runner to win the Crazy 8s title. She joined Johnson City’s Jenna Hutchins and Bristol, Virginia’s Stephanie Place.

“It’s really cool to be a part of such a short history of local winners,” Russum said.

Who Will Run the World Championships Marathon for the U.S. This Summer?

The three men and three women are selected by a descending order time list. But not everyone accepts their spot. Over 9 days in August, the World Athletics Championships will take place in Budapest, Hungary. The women’s marathon is scheduled for August 26, and the men’s is August 27, the last day of competition. 

USA Track and Field (USATF) uses different selection procedures for this event than it does for the Olympic Games. Instead of using a Trials race, as it does for the Olympics, USATF offers spots to athletes using a descending order time list for certain marathons run between December 1, 2021, and May 30, 2023, as long as those athletes have met the qualifying criteria set by World Athletics. (The rules are complicated. For instance, the Boston Marathon is not on the list of “World Athletics approved” courses, but USATF is allowing times run at Boston in 2022 and 2023 for the descending order list.)

Not every American athlete will accept a spot, if offered. Some instead will choose to focus on a fall marathon, where they can earn substantial appearance fees and prize money that aren’t offered at worlds. Others won’t race at all this summer or fall, and instead they’ll train for the Olympic Marathon Trials in February 2024. How is it likely to shake out? Runner’s World reached out to the top seven men and women currently on the list or their coaches or agents to inquire about their plans. The window to run a qualifying time, however, remains open until the end of May. So a top performance in the next month could shake up the list. 

Here’s what they said: 

Women

Emily Sisson, 2:18:29, 2022 Chicago Marathon: Not likely, per her agent, Ray Flynn

Keira D’Amato, 2:19:12, 2022 Houston Marathon: Yes, if offered a spot 

Betsy Saina, 2:21:40, 2023 Tokyo Marathon: No, she is focusing on a fall marathon 

Sara Hall, 2:22:10, 2022 World Championships marathon: Has not yet decided

Emma Bates, 2:22:10, 2023 Boston Marathon: Not likely, per her agent, Ray Flynn

Susanna Sullivan, 2:24:27, 2023 London Marathon: Yes, if offered a spot 

Aliphine Tuliamuk, 2:24:37, 2023 Boston Marathon: Will consider if offered a spot, per her agent, Hawi Keflezighi

Wild card: Will Molly Seidel run a May marathon? 

Men

Conner Mantz, 2:08:16, 2022 Chicago Marathon: Not likely, per his agent, Ray Flynn

Scott Fauble, 2:08:52, 2022 Boston Marathon: No Elkanah Kibet, 2:09:07, 2022 Boston Marathon: Yes, currently deployed with the U.S. Army in Poland but will accept a spot if offered 

Zachery Panning, 2:09:28, 2022 Chicago Marathon: Yes, per coach Kevin Hanson

Leonard Korir, 2:09:31, 2023 Paris Marathon: Did not immediately respond to a message from Runner’s World 

Galen Rupp, 2:09:36, 2022 World Championships marathon: No, will run a fall marathon, per his agent, Ricky Simms

Futsum Zeinasellassie, 2:09:40, 2023 Rotterdam Marathon: Will consider if offered a spot, per his agent, Hawi Keflezighi 

Wild card: Biya Simbassa runs the Prague Marathon, his debut, on May 7. 

Eilish McColgan (30:00.87) and Alicia Monson (30:03.82) Break National Records At The TEN

The British and American records in the women’s 10,000 meters both went down late Saturday night in California as Eilish McColgan outdueled Alicia Monson over the final lap of The TEN in San Juan Capistrano. McColgan, the Commonwealth Games champion at 10,000 who is building up for her marathon debut in London on April 23, was only added to the field this week but felt confident in her fitness after five weeks of altitude training in Colorado. It proved an inspired decision as she ran 30:00.87 to narrowly break Paula Radcliffe’s British record of 30:01.09 set in August 2002.

A few seconds behind McColgan, Alicia Monson nabbed her second American record of 2023, running 30:03.82 to smash the previous record of 30:13.17 set by Molly Huddle in the 2016 Olympic final in Rio. Three weeks ago, Monson ran 8:25.05 at the Millrose Games to break the American indoor (and overall) record for 3,000 meters.

Both women were also safely under the 30:40 standard for the 2023 World Championships and 2024 Olympics on a good night for running fast (50-degree temps, still conditions).

Monson and her camp had billed the race as an American record attempt and they enlisted her On Athletics Club teammate Josette Andrews (a 14:51 5k runner) to handle pacing duties, along with Eleanor Fulton. When Andrews dropped out at 5k (15:09 for McColgan and Monson), they were actually a few seconds behind AR pace, but Monson took over and righted the ship, dropping the pace from 73-second laps to 72’s, then 71’s. By the bell, which Monson reached in the lead thanks to a 70.45 penultimate lap, the question was not whether the AR would go down, but whether either woman would break 30:00 – and of course, who would win the race?

McColgan, who had clung faithfully to Monson throughout the race, finally went wide on the backstraight of the bell lap and passed Monson, and the American had no response as McColgan powered to victory with a 64.87 last 400m. Monson could not match that speed, closing out her effort in 67.99, and though she did not win, her American record was very well-deserved after so much grinding from the front.

No one else earned the World/Olympic standard, but a trio of Americans earned big personal bests in 3rd-4th-5th. Running just her second 10k, 2021 NCAA 5k champ Elly Henes won the battle for 3rd in 30:48.26 to edge 2022 Worlds team member Natosha Rogers (30:48.69) as both women moved ahead of Emily Sisson (30:49.57) and Deena Kastor (30:50.32) into 6th and 7th on the all-time US list. Rogers’ Puma Elite teammate Fiona O’Keeffe also got a pb in 5th, running 30:55.05 to become the 11th American woman to go sub-31.

Results (Analysis at bottom)

1 Eilish McColgan Asics 30:00.86 #$WRLD

2 Alicia Monson On Athletics Club 30:03.82 #$WRLD

3 Elly Henes Adidas 30:48.26

4 Natosha Rogers Puma Elite 30:48.69

5 Fiona O’Keeffe Puma Elite 30:55.05

6 Laura Galvan Hoka 31:04.08

7 Dominique Scott Adidas 31:14.00

8 Carrie Verdon TEAM Boulder 31:52.94

9 Susanna Sullivan unattached 31:55.80

10 Amy Davis-Green Hansons-Brooks ODP 32:10.59

11 Katie Izzo Adidas 32:22.47

12 Jeralyn Poe Tracksmith 32:39.10

Men’s race

The men’s race came down to a battle of the last two US 10,000-meter champions: Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker. Just as he did five weeks ago over 5,000 meters in Boston, Kincaid earned the victory, though he made his move slightly earlier this time around, taking the lead with 900m to run and holding off Klecker on the last lap, closing in 55.96 to Klecker’s 56.92 as Kincaid ran 27:06.37 to Klecker’s 27:07.57. Both men ran personal bests (they now sit #5 and #7 on the all-time US list) and both hit the 2023 World Championship standard of 27:10, but neither was able to earn the Olympic standard of 27:00.

Klecker and Kincaid both went in with the aim of hitting the Olympic standard and joining Grant Fisher, Galen Rupp, and Chris Solinsky as the only American members of the sub-27:00 club. Klecker’s OAC teammate Ollie Hoare was the main pacemaker (though there were several: Ehab El-Sandali, Amon Kemboi, and Athanas Kioko all helped out) and he took them through 5k in 13:35, at which point British Olympian Sam Atkin, running with the lead pack, surprisingly dropped out.

When Hoare stepped off after covering 6400m in 17:23.90 (27:11 pace), sub-27:00 was within striking distance. But Klecker, despite working hard, could not increase the pace, and Kincaid showed no interest in sharing the lead despite Klecker motioning for him to do so.

By a mile to go, Klecker and Kincaid had dropped everyone else, and Kincaid, sensing the World standard slipping away, hit the front with 900 to go. Klecker stuck right with him, however, and it wasn’t until the final turn that Kincaid was able to gain real separation as both men closed well to get under the World standard – though not the Olympic standard.

Kioko, who stayed in the race, was the best of the rest, running 27:23.84 for 3rd, holding off Conner Mantz, who ran 27:25.30 in the midst of his Boston Marathon buildup (just .07 off his personal best from this meet last year).

Results (analysis below results)  *Lap by lap splits

1 Woody Kincaid Nike 27:06.37 WRLD

2 Joe Klecker On Athletics Club 27:07.57 WRLD

3 Athanas Kioko pacer 27:23.84

4 Connor Mantz Nike 27:25.30

5 Jonas Raess On Athletics Club 27:26.40

6 Ren Tazawa Komazawa Univ 27:28.04

7 Nils Voigt Puma 27:30.01

8 Sam Chelagna US Army WCAP 27:38.02

9 Luis Grijalva Hoka 27:42.56

10 Alex Masai Hoka NAZ Elite 27:42.80

11 Wesley Kiptoo Hoka NAZ Elite 27:45.81

12 Ben Flanagan On Running 27:49.67

13 Kanta Shimizu Subaru 27:51.23

14 Benjamin Eidenschink unattached 27:51.74

15 Tatsuhiko Ito Honda 27:54.64

16 Aaron Bienenfeld unattached 27:55.96

17 Ahmed Muhumed unattached 27:56.99

18 Frank Lara Altra/Roots Running Project 28:00.75

19 Emmanuel Bor unattached 28:01.09

20 Alberto Gonzalez Mindez Guatemala 28:30.63

21 Zach Panning Hansons-Brooks ODP 28:35.52

Emily Sisson sets a new half marathon American record in Houston

Emily Sisson shattered her own American record in the half marathon by finishing in 1:06:52. She is now the first American woman to break the 1:07 barrier after placing second behind race winner Hiwot Gebremaryam of Ethiopia, who ran 1:06:28.

Ethiopian Leul Gebresilase Aleme won the men’s half in a sprint finish. He ran 1:00:34—less than a second ahead of runner-up Wesley Kiptoo of Kenya.

Emily Sisson Re-Breaks Her Own American Record

Sisson improved on her record the hard way by going out fast, slowing down slightly through the last sections, and kicking it in towards the finish. After Gebremaryam broke the race open in the first few miles—by 5K, she was already 17 seconds ahead of the chase pack—Sisson ran with Jessica Warner-Judd of Great Britain through 15K. The American record-holder averaged 5-minute mile pace through the first 5K but struggled in the latter half of the course, clocking 5:12 miles around 20K.

“I went out a little too fast the first 5K or so, so the last few miles I was definitely feeling it,” Sisson said on the ABC 13 broadcast.

But Sisson pushed through the discomfort as she neared the finish line to make history once again. “I’m really excited about it. I really wanted to break 67 minutes and I’m happy I did,” she said. “I actually think I could have run a little more evenly so I’m already hoping to run another half and even try to run faster.”

Sisson broke the American record for the first time in May 2022 at the USATF Half Marathon Road Championships in Indianapolis. The Providence College alum won the national title in 1:07:11, four seconds faster than the previous American record set by Sara Hall less than four months earlier at the 2022 Houston Half Marathon.

Prior to the U.S. championships, Sisson came extremely close to the mark on two occasions. When the record was 1:07:25 (held by her former training partner Molly Huddle), she ran 1:07:30 in 2019 and 1:07:26 in 2020.

Last year, the momentum continued in a big way for Sisson when she broke the American record in the marathon. In October, she demolished the time by running 2:18:29 in Chicago—lowering the previous record set by Keira D’Amato at the 2022 Houston Marathon by 43 seconds.

Close Finish in the Men’s Half Marathon

The men’s half marathon featured one of the most exciting finishes of the day. After pulling away from the chase pack together with a few miles remaining, Aleme and Kiptoo battled down to the wire. The East African competitors fought through the homestretch—where Kiptoo kept looking back to assess the distance between himself and his rival—until Aleme sprinted ahead at the last second to claim the victory.

Aleme’s performance follows a breakthrough season, which included a runner-up finish at the 2022 London Marathon in October.

Conner Mantz was the first American to finish after placing sixth in 1:01:12.

Past Greats Return to Racing, While Familiar Faces Make Debuts

In addition to Sisson’s record, there were several other notable performances in the Houston women’s half marathon, including Huddle in her postpartum return to competitive racing. The previous American record-holder finished fifth in 1:10:01 almost nine months after welcoming her daughter. In her 13.1 debut, former 1500-meter specialist and Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Simpson placed ninth in 1:10:35. Also making her debut, Vanessa Fraser finished 13th in 1:11:00. All three had room to spare in achieving the standard to compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Three-time Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba also made her highly anticipated return. In the Ethiopian's first race in four years, she finished 16th in 1:11:35.

Albert Korir, Shura Kitata and Gabriel Geay confirmed to take on Kipchoge in Boston

Major marathon winners Albert Korir and Shura Kitata, as well as 2015 world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, are among the many additions to the men’s elite field for the Boston Marathon on April 17, organizers of the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race announced today (11).

Today’s announcement expands upon four previously announced men’s entrants including world record-holder and double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, reigning Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto, and two-time victor Lelisa Desisa.

It brings the total number of sub-2:07 performers in the field to 15. Eight of those have bettered 2:05.

Korir, the 2021 New York Marathon champion, made his Boston debut last year and finished sixth. But Kitata, who beat Kipchoge to win the 2020 London Marathon champion, and Ghebreslassie will be making their Boston Marathon debuts.

Tanzanian record-holder Gabriel Geay is the third fastest man in the field, after Kipchoge and Chebet. Geay, who finished runner-up at the Valencia Marathon last month in 2:03:00, has had success racing on the roads of Boston, winning the 2018 Boston 10K and placing fourth at last year’s Boston Marathon.

“I am excited to be returning to the Boston Marathon this year,” said Geay. “I fulfilled a dream by racing in Boston last year, but my goal is to one day win the race, and I hope that 2023 will be my year.”

Brazilian Olympian and national record-holder Daniel Do Nascimento will make his Boston debut, as will Ethiopia’s Herpasa Negasa, a 2:03:40 marathon runner. Augustine Choge, one of the most versatile runners in the world, will also line up in Boston, hoping to conquer the marathon distance once and for all.

After a 2:08:16 marathon debut in Chicago last year, USA’s Conner Mantz will take on the Boston course for the first time. He will be joined by world 50km record-holder CJ Albertson.

Boston Athletic Association announces 2023 Boston Marathon men´s field

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today the men’s professional field for the 127th Boston Marathon, featuring 15 men who’ve run under 2:07 for the marathon distance, as well as multiple Abbott World Marathon Major race champions, Olympic and Paralympic stars.

Today’s announcement expands upon four previously announced men’s entrants including world record holder and double Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, reigning Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto, and two-time victor Lelisa Desisa. A total of 109 men’s athletes from 21 countries are in this year’s professional field across the men’s Open, Wheelchair, and Para Athletics Divisions.

“The Boston Marathon is known for its competitiveness, with many races decided in the final meters on Boylston Street,” said Mary Kate Shea, B.A.A. Director of Professional Athletes. “This year’s field brings together athletes who’ve excelled at both speed and championship-style racing. Combined with the women’s professional field announced on Monday, this will be the fastest and most decorated Boston Marathon across all of our divisions in race history.”  

Behind Kipchoge and Chebet, the fastest man in the field will be Tanzanian national record holder Gabriel Geay, who finished runner-up at the Valencia Marathon last month in 2:03:00. Geay has had success racing on the roads of Boston, winning the 2018 B.A.A. 10K, placing fourth at last year’s Boston Marathon, and finishing in second and third at the B.A.A. Half Marathon in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

“I am excited to be returning to the Boston Marathon this year,” said Geay. “I fulfilled a dream by racing in Boston last year, but my goal is to one day win the race, and I hope that 2023 will be my year. Thank you, Boston for the opportunity!”

Joining Geay will be past Abbott World Marathon Majors winners including Albert Korir of Kenya (2021 New York City champion), Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea (2015 World Championships gold medalist and 2016 New York City champion), and Shura Kitata of Ethiopia (2020 London Marathon champion). Brazilian Olympian and national record holder Daniel Do Nascimento will make his Boston debut, as will Ethiopia’s Herpasa Negasa, a 2:03:40 marathoner.

Last year’s seventh-place finisher and top American, Scott Fauble, returns for his fourth Hopkinton-to-Boston race, and will be joined by 50K world record holder CJ Albertson. After a 2:08:16 marathon debut in Chicago last year, Conner Mantz will take on the Boston course for the first time. He is coached by Olympic marathoner Ed Eyestone.

“I love the Boston Marathon. It’s one of the greatest sporting events in the world,” said Fauble. “It has a way of bringing the best out of people.”

"Boston is such a historic marathon, and I want to be a part of that history,” said Mantz. “I love the aspect of racing with no pacers and hills that break up rhythm, and Boston has both of those. When you add in the competition Boston is bringing this year with Eliud Kipchoge and many others, it makes the race so exciting!"

Ben True, a Maine native and four-time winner of the B.A.A. 5K, also is part of the American field. B.A.A. High Performance Team members Matt McDonald, Paul Hogan, and Jonas Hampton will have the hometown edge; McDonald set a new B.A.A. club record and lifetime best of 2:09:49 in Chicago last fall.

American Daniel Romanchuk will return as defending champion in the wheelchair division, coming off a 1:26:58 victory last April. Romanchuk also won Boston in 2019 (1:21:36), though he looks to be challenged by wheelchair marathon world record holder and reigning Paralympic marathon gold medalist Marcel Hug. Hug returns in search of his sixth Boston Marathon title and holds the Boston course record of 1:18:04. In 2022 the Swiss ‘Silver Bullet’ won the B.A.A. 5K in 10 minutes, 5 seconds, a course record time.

“Nothing can compare with the excitement and anticipation at the Boston Marathon,” said Romanchuk. “I’m incredibly excited and honored to be part of what should be a great race through the hills and all the way to Boylston Street.”

Aaron Pike, last year’s wheelchair division runner-up, and Ernst van Dyk, a ten-time Boston winner, are also racing. A $50,000 course record bonus is available to any open division or wheelchair division athlete who breaks a course record.

Paralympians Matthew Felton and Atsbha Gebre Gebremeskel lead the Para Athletics Division in the T46 classification (upper-limb impairment). American record holder and Massachusetts native Chaz Davis will look to defend his T12 (vision impairment) Para title.

Headlining the T62 and T63 classification are Marko Cheseto Lemtukei and Brian Reynolds. Cheseto Lemtukei earned a victory in 2:37:01 last year, while Reynolds set a pending T62 world record of 1:25:46 at the B.A.A. Half Marathon in November.

“A perfect society is one that sees diversity of its members as her strength,” said Cheseto Lemtukei, who returns as a two-time Boston Marathon Para Athletics Division champion.

The 127th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 17, 2023 – Patriots’ Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—and will feature 30,000 participants. 

Emily Sisson, Conner Mantz, Jenny Simpson, Tirunesh Dibaba Headline 2023 Aramco Houston Half Marathon

The Houston Marathon Committee announced today the elite athletes who will chase the $10,000 first-place prize in this historically fast race. Elite fields for the Chevron Houston Marathon which is held simultaneously on Sunday, January 15, will be announced tomorrow.

American records in the half marathon and marathon were set in Houston last year, but by the end of 2022, Emily Sisson had broken them both. Houston will be Sisson’s first race since running 2:18:29 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October, shattering Keira D’Amato’s record by 43 seconds. Earlier in the year, her 1:07:11 performance in Indianapolis shaved four seconds off Sara Hall’s half marathon record.

“I have really enjoyed racing here in the past and am excited to start my 2023 season in Houston,” said Sisson who finished fifth in the 2019 Aramco Houston Half Marathon. “I felt good coming out of Chicago and am really looking forward to another opportunity to race.”

Sisson will have to contend with one of the greatest distance runners of all time as Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia makes a return to competition after a more than four-year hiatus. The three-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion has not raced since 2018 but says after giving birth to a second child in 2019 and then battling COVID-19, she is ready to add another chapter to her storied career.

“Houston is a famous race and my training has been going well,” said Dibaba, the 2017 Chicago Marathon Champion. “It seemed like the best way to test myself and see what could be next.”

Other top contenders in the women’s half marathon elite field include 2021 Berlin Marathon runner-up Hiwot Gebrekidan of Ethiopia and 2022 World Championship Marathon fourth-place finisher Nazret Weldu of Eritrea. Dom Scott will attempt to break the South African half marathon record of 1:06:44, after a 3rd place finish in Houston last year. The top Americans include 28-time U.S. Champion Molly Huddle who set the then-American record here in 2018, as well as World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Jenny Simpson who will make her half marathon debut.

“All of the racers I am learning from speak so highly of their experience with the Aramco Houston Half Marathon,” said Simpson. “It’s the perfect place for me to make my half marathon debut because the timing, course and organization are so well tested.”

In the men’s race, Edward Cheserek of Kenya, known to fans as “King Ches,” will look to trade in his crown for a king-sized belt buckle. Cheserek is coming off a 1:00:13 half marathon personal best in Valencia last month. “After Valencia this fall, I’ve trained harder and think sub-60 is possible,” said Cheserek, a 17-time NCAA Champion at the University of Oregon. “Houston is known for being a fast course and I want to have a chance at a personal best.”

Cheserek will face off against 2019 champion Shura Kitata of Ethiopia who lines up for his fourth Aramco Houston Half Marathon. With career marathon victories in London, Frankfurt and Rome, Kitata says he “feels home and comfortable in Houston.”

Other contenders to watch are Ethiopia’s Leul Gebresilase Aleme, runner up at last year’s London Marathon, and 2020 Olympian Mohamed El Aaraby of Morocco. The top American in the field is Conner Mantz of Utah. Mantz, the 2020 and 2021 NCAA Cross Country Champion at BYU, made his much-anticipated marathon debut in Chicago last October running 2:08:16, the fastest debut ever by an American-born runner.

Houston-native Frank Lara will return for a second consecutive year. Lara, a former Gatorade Texas High School Runner of the Year, was the top American finisher in the marathon last year. This year he competes in the half marathon.

The HMC is the only organizer to host two World Athletic Gold Label events simultaneously, which are Sunday’s Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon. These two races will have over 27,000 registrants, with an additional 6,000 registrants in the We Are Houston 5K presented by Aramco and Chevron, held on Saturday, January 14.

“Whether you are an elite athlete or a new runner, our committee is dedicated to hosting your individual pursuits with the utmost care and respect for the extraordinary efforts made to toe the start line with us,” said Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee.

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon and Chevron Houston Marathon will be broadcast on ABC13 from 7 a.m.-10 a.m., on Sunday, January 15 with a race day recap at 10:35 p.m. Joining ABC13’s Greg Bailey and Gina Gaston as expert commentator will be Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon winner and 50K world-record holder. Linden made the first of her two U.S. Olympic Marathon teams in Houston in 2012. The trio will be joined by long-time analyst and Rice University cross country coach Jon Warren.

The 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon returned to Franklin Park this morning as more than 6,300 athletes completed the 13.1-mile challenging course

At the front of the field, Kenyans Geoffrey Koech and Viola Chepngeno prevailed as men’s and women’s open division champions.

Despite sporadic rain throughout the morning, participants covered the challenging course through Boston and Brookline with smiles and enthusiasm. 

With a ferocious sprint into White Stadium, Chepngeno claimed the women’s open win in 1:10:40, just three seconds in front of Ethiopia’s Bosena Mulatie. Chepngeno, Mulatie and Hiwot Gebrekidan (Ethiopia) ran a majority of the race together, but it was ultimately the B.A.A. Half Marathon debutant in Chepngeno having the best finish of all. 

“I’m happy. So, so happy,” said a smiling Chepngeno. “The rain was cold. But I am happy so much!”

Gebrekidan was third in 1:11:09, with B.A.A. High Performance Team member Erika Kemp finishing as the top American, seventh in 1:12:13. Team USA Olympians Molly Huddle and Molly Seidel placed 12th (1:13:29) and 16th (1:16:22), respectively.

As a pack of a dozen runners led the men’s race through 10K, it was Koech taking the reigns at mile 9. While Tsegay Kidanu (Ethiopia), Zouhair Talbi (Marocco), and Teshome Mekonen (USA) did their best to keep close, it was Koech who stormed out of Franklin Park Zoo in front and wound up winning in 1:02:02. Kidanu and Talbi rounded out the podium in 1:02:10 and 1:02:15, while Mekonen placed fourth in 1:02:28 as the top American finisher. This was Mekonen’s first race as an American citizen. 

“The race was good, I am happy in Boston,” noted Koech, who said he came into the race briming with confidence. When did he know he had victory sealed? “The last 5K, all of the twisting [turns before the finish].”

(From Let's Run) Teshome Mekonen was born and raised in the Tigray region of Ethiopia but has been based in the US since 2020 and gained his citizenship in August (we’ll have more on his story next week on LetsRun.com). Only four Americans have ever run faster than Mekonen’s pb in the half (60:02), and while that time dates from 2018, it’s also worth noting that Mekonen raced Conner Mantz at the NYC Half in March of this year and beat Mantz by a minute.

He’s clearly one to watch for the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, though his two marathons so far haven’t gone very well (2:22 in New York last year, 2:13 in Ottawa this year). His performance today was solid — though 62:28 is over two minutes off his pb, the hills and rain slowed most of the field. For reference, men’s winner Geoffrey Koech ran 62:02 today but 60:01 at the Cardiff Half in October.

After crossing the finish line in Boston today, Mekonen crossed his arms above his head in a similar gesture to the one made by Feyisa Lilesa at the 2016 Olympic marathon. Mekonen said his gesture was to bring attention to his home region of Tigray, which has been at the center of a civil war between Tigray and the Ethiopian federal government over the last two years. While there was positive news last week with leaders from each side agreeing to a truce, getting humanitarian aid to the area has still been a problem and Mekonen has been unable to communicate with his family and friends in the region.

“In Tigray, still everything is no food, no medicine, no bank, no electricity,” Mekonen said.

Mekonen said right now he’s already started training for his next marathon, which will come on January 15 in Houston.

“My [training] program, everything is marathon [right now],” Mekonen said. “This [race] is like time trial.”

Mekonen said he’s hoping to run 2:08 in Houston and finish in the top three.

Quick Take: Molly Seidel — “I’m just in such a drastically better place than I have been for a long time”

Molly Seidel’s time today of 76:22 was, by her standards, poor — at her best, she can easily maintain that pace for a full marathon. But Seidel was still in good spirits. For the first time in a long time, she feels she is in a good place with her body and her mental health. Today’s race was a chance to lay down a marker of where she’s at right now, but she expects to get a lot faster in the coming months.

“While it’s frustrating to come out and not be anywhere near the front pack, it’s nice knowing that I’m just in such a drastically better place than I have been for a long time,” Seidel said.

It has been a rough year for Seidel. After the high of a bronze medal at the Olympics and American course record in the New York City Marathon last year, Seidel has faced a number of challenges in 2022. She dropped out of the Boston Marathon with a hip injury that wound up as a sacral stress fracture. She has also struggled with disordered eating and was forced to withdraw from the New York Mini 10K earlier this year because she was waiting to receive a TUE for Adderall, which she had been taking to manage her ADHD (she no longer takes the drug). But, thanks to the help of her family, her coach Jon Green, and the rest of her support team, Seidel said she is feeling the best — mentally and physically — that she has for a long time.

The stress fracture sidelined Seidel until October, and even once she resumed training, it was mostly cross-training due to an ankle issue that flared up. But she is back to full training now and says she has hit 110 miles the last couple of weeks.

“I’m like one of those steaks that’s raw and you throw it on the grill and fast-sear it,” Seidel joked.

Quick Take: Molly Huddle’s comeback continues — though it’s different racing now as a mom

Molly Huddle had already raced twice since giving birth to daughter Josephine in April, both at 10 kilometers (33:59 at the Lone Gull 10K on September 25 and 33:32 at the Boston 10K for Women on October 8). Today was another step forward on her comeback and the longest race she’s done so far.

Huddle said her time of 73:29 was slower than she hoped but knew it would be tough after 10 miles — which is exactly what happened. Huddle already has another half lined up in Houston in January and hopes that with two more months of training under her belt, she will be able to feel stronger in that race.

“This [race today] will bring me along, for sure,” Huddle said. “I think the next half will be a lot faster.”

Huddle also thinks she’ll feel stronger once she stops breastfeeding Josephine — she had to pump milk today 20 minutes before her warmup.

Huddle is returning to a faster marathon scene in the United States than the one she left when she took her maternity break. The American record has been broken twice this year and now stands at 2:18:29 to Huddle’s occasional training partner Emily Sisson.

“It’s crazy,” Huddle said. “The women are running so fast and it’s so deep up front. From the 2:18 to 2:22 range, we have a lot of women. I’m just hoping to PR. Mine is 2:26 the last time I ran. That was pre-supershoe era.”

Huddle will be 39 by the time of the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials and right now would not be among the favorites to make the team — even in her prime, Huddle was always better at the shorter distances on the roads. She admitted she’d need to catch some breaks to have a shot at the Olympic team in 2024 but isn’t completely counting herself out.

“Marathons have a lot of variables, so I’d need a few to go in my favor and against somebody else,” Huddle said. “But you never know. The marathon, I think I have a shot.”

Big day for American marathons in Chicago with first timer Conner Mantz leading the pack

All eyes were on marathon first-timer Mantz, who many believed would take down the American marathon debut record of 2:07:56 set by Leonard Korir in 2019. Mantz, who owns a half marathon personal best of 1:00:55, crossed the midpoint on pace, 1:03:45. But he wasn’t the lone American at that point—Frank Lara was running stride-for-stride with the former Brigham Young University athlete. 

“Frank’s a tough runner. He’s one of my favorite competitors. He’s somebody who’s willing to get out there and grind,” Mantz said. “I was expecting him to finish with me because we’ve had a lot of races together where we’ve been within a few seconds of one another.”

Unfortunately, Lara faded hard, covering 35K to 40K in a difficult 19:53, but Mantz kept close to record pace. He ultimately fell 20 seconds short, clocking 2:08:16. While disappointed, the 25-year-old said he was grateful for the experience.

Four American men ran sub-2:10, and while their performance didn’t quite replicate 2019 success, the foursome of Mantz, Zachery Panning, Matt McDonald, and Nicolas Montanez all recorded new personal bests.

Mantz earned $15,000 for being the top American finisher—an early nuptial gift, as he gets married next weekend.

Can Mantz and Sisson set American records on Sunday at the Chicago Marathon

Conner Mantz and Emily Sisson are looking to set American records at the Chicago marathon on Sunday.  Mantz, who comes to his marathon debut with impressive XC and track credentials, has his eye on Leonard Korir’s American debut mark of 2:07:56, which was set in Amsterdam in 2019.

“All of my races and workouts have led up to this distance,” Mantz said. “I get excited thinking about it but I need to remember my first marathon and there are some unknowns.”

Sisson, who set the American women’s record in the half-marathon with a 1:07:11 at the USATF Half-marathon Championships in Indianapolis in May, only has one completed marathon under her belt – a 2:23:08 at London in 2019 (she dropped out of the 2020 Olympic Trials)– but has her eyes on the women’s American record of 2:19:12, which was set this past January by Keira D’Amato in Houston.

“My first marathon experience was really positive, and I really enjoyed it,” Sisson said. “After my first marathon in London I was drawn back to it and really want to see what I can do.

“My main goal is to try to break 2:20. If I’m feeling good and the record is in striking range I’ll take a stab at it. I had a really good buildup without any big setbacks. The weather for the weekend looks great, and I don’t know how many times I’ll have that, so I might as well take a swing at it.”

The temperatures will be in the low-50s at the start of the race and most likely cross the 60-degree mark by the time the men’s and women’s winners will cross the finish line. While it may be a touch humid at the beginning of the race, that isn’t expected to have that much of an effect.

Even more promising is the wind. Chicago is unique among the World Marathon Majors in that much of the course up to the halfway point is run in the core of the downtown area among the tall buildings, which can whip the wind around. It also leaves the potential for the competitors to be dealing with a headwind as they make the final push up Michigan Avenue to the finish.

This year, the predicted 7-12 mph winds will be from the southeast, which could be a bit of an assistance over the final few miles.

The race is set to start at 7:30 AM Sunday, and will be shown locally on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

Kiera D’amato wins the women’s 20k in a record time in her new haven debut

Keira D’Amato sprinted across the finish line. She threw up her arms in celebration as her body ripped through the banner at the line.

The crowd cheered as the announcer declared her time of one hour, four minutes and 59 seconds a course record for the 20k race.  

D’Amato looked left and found her mom, Liane, on the sideline holding a poster designed by D’Amato’s 6-year-old daughter, Quin. She ran over to her mom and embraced her in a hug.

The 37-year-old walked away from running once before, yet she returned to the sport for moments like these.

“I kinda felt like running broke my heart and it wasn’t healed yet. But it was something in getting married and marrying into the D’Amato family, they’re a whole bunch of runners, that I learned how to love running again,” D’Amato said. “It’s with that love that I’m able to do things like this and I feel just so grateful to come out here and be with all these runners today.”

D’Amato won the USATF 20k National Championship Monday morning at the 45th annual Faxon Law New Haven Road Race by beating the course record from 1998 (Colleen De Reuck, 1:07:53). Emily Sisson, who finished behind D’Amato, also beat the former record, finishing Monday in 1:04:35. Monday was D’Amato’s debut in New Haven.

This year’s New Haven Road Race was limited to 4,500 runners across five different events, including the men’s and women’s 20k championship, a half marathon and a 5k.

Also having a standout debut in the 20k Championship was men’s winner Conner Mantz, who finished in 59:08. Mantz was followed by longtime Faxon Law competitor Leonard Korir in 59:13.

“It was a challenging race today,” said Korir, who’s raced in every Faxon Law New Haven Road Race since 2016. “Of course, I wanted to win, nobody wants to be second, but you know what, getting second is also good so I’m happy with that.”

D’Amato, from Midlothian, Va., and Sisson wasted no time separating themselves from the pack to start the women’s 20k. The two stayed together and crossed the Mile 3 mark at 15:31. Three miles later, there was a 300-meter-plus difference between them and the next women’s runner.

Sisson said the two traded off leading each mile until D’Amato began to pull away at Mile 8.

“I was like I’d rather win it than lose so I put a move in, and I could feel her hesitate a little bit so that gave me a lot of energy thinking like if I could just put in a couple more moves, like a quick, hard move, maybe I can take this,” D’Amato said. “It’s exciting, but it’s also terrifying to be in the front, like especially with somebody like Emily right behind you.

“Because I was like if I slow down at all, she’s gonna overtake me so it really kept me honest and kept me fighting through and I found more today than I even knew I had because of her, so I’m appreciative for sure.”

Defending Champions Set to Return to the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced today the return of its defending champions as the event continues to build on its comeback to global racing. Ruth Chepngetich (KEN), Seifu Tura (ETH), Tatyana McFadden (USA) and Daniel Romanchuk (USA) will be at the helm of this year’s elite field with a strong contingency of the world’s best athletes vying to dethrone them. The stage will be set for a fierce competition up front, highlighting Chicago’s long tradition of record chases, fast times, and gripping finishes.

“We’re thrilled to welcome our defending champions back to Grant Park this fall,” said Carey Pinkowski, Executive Race Director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. “Chicago has a storied history of head-to-head competitions, world records and some of the best elite racing in marathon running. This year’s competition, which also includes American half marathon record holder Emily Sisson and American half marathon champion Conner Mantz making his debut, is going to bring much energy and enthusiasm to fans and spectators. We are ready for October 9.”

Defending Champions Return

Chepngetich, the 2019 World Marathon champion and the fourth fastest woman in the history of marathon running, started on a world record pace at the 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, dropping her pacer eight miles in while racing against the clock. She decelerated over the second half of the course but had enough to take the crown in 2:22:31. Chepngetich, who is self-coached, kicked off her 2022 season with a win and a course record at the Nagoya Marathon (2:17:18). She recently dropped out the of the World Championships Women’s Marathon due to health issues but is ready to take to the streets of Chicago and defend her title.

Unlike the fast pace set by Chepngetich, Tura ran a controlled strategic race last fall in the elite men’s race, waiting until 38K to pull ahead and win the biggest race of his career so far. Tura, who holds a 2:04:29 personal best, clocked 2:06:12 to win last year. His 2022 season includes a personal best in the half marathon, 58:36, and a second place finish in the Paris Marathon. Following last year’s victory, Tura noted that he was not prepared for warm weather, but that he was “determined to fight to the very end.” Tura’s determination may make him just the fifth man in Chicago’s history to win twice in a row.

In the wheelchair competition, McFadden, whose nine titles make her the most decorated athlete in Bank of America Chicago Marathon history, returns to contend for her 10th win. McFadden boasts 20 Paralympic medals, including eight gold medals, 24 World Marathon Major wins, including four consecutive Grand Slams (first place in Boston, Chicago, New York City and London in the same year) and has broken six world records in track and field.

Romanchuk, a two-time Paralympian, completed the Bank of America Chicago Marathon hat trick with a victory last fall and returns to pursue a fourth title. Romanchuk rose to the top of road racing in 2018 and his campaign continues today. At the 2020 Paralympic Games, he took home a gold on the track and a bronze in the marathon.

Sisson and Mantz Headline Strong American Field

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has a long history of welcoming America’s best runners across its finish line, stretching back to Joan Benoit Samuelson setting the American record en route to her victory in 1985. Khalid Khannouchi dominated at the turn of the century with four victories, including both world and American records, Deena Kastor clutched the win in 2005, and Galen Rupp stole the show in 2017. Last October saw five American men and seven American women finish in the top 10, a feat that highlights the strength of U.S. distance running. This year’s field includes several top American runners, including Emily Sisson and Conner Mantz.

Sisson, a six-time national champion and the American half marathon record holder (1:07:11), could put the American Marathon record (2:19:12) in jeopardy as she races to break the tape in Chicago. Sisson stands out as one of the most dominant American women on the track and the roads, making her Olympic debut in the 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics and her marathon debut in 2019 in London. Sisson ran the fastest ever marathon debut by an American on a record eligible course (2:23:08), and she set an Olympic trials record in the 10,000m on the track (31:09) in 2021, breaking a record that stood for 17 years. This October marks Sisson’s first appearance in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Mantz, known for his front-running style and capacity to handle pain (referred to as the “Mantz pain chamber”), made a splash on the collegiate level, winning the NCAA Division I Cross Country championships in 2020 and 2021, and earning his first U.S. title in the half marathon in 2021. Mantz’s time in the half marathon, 1:00:55, ranks him ninth on the all-time American list of half marathon performances. Mantz, an exciting newcomer to welcome to the marathon distance, could conquer the American marathon debut record, 2:07:56, set in 2019. Mantz is coached by 1994 Chicago Marathon runner-up, Ed Eyestone.

The Elite Fields

In addition to Sisson, Celestine Chepchirchir (KEN), Vivian Kiplagat (KEN) and Haven Hailu (ETH) are among some of this year’s elite women hoping to prevent a repeat victory from Chepngetich. Chepchirchir, winner of the 2019 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, enters this year’s race fresh off a personal best, 2:20:10, set at the Seoul International Marathon. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon marks her Abbott World Marathon Major (AbbottWMM) debut. Kiplagat, winner of the 2022 Milan Marathon in a personal best, 2:20:18, ran valiantly in Chicago last year, attempting to stay on Chepngetich’s heels before fading to fifth place. Like Chepchirchir, Hailu will be making her first appearance in an AbbottWMM. Hailu made her marathon debut in 2020, set a personal best, 2:20:19, in 2021 to take third in Amsterdam, and claimed her first marathon victory in Rotterdam this past April.

Laura Thweatt (USA), Sarah Sellers (USA) and Sara Vaughn (USA) lead a strong delegation of American women. Thweatt holds a marathon personal best of 2:25:38, and finished eighth in both Chicago (2019) and New York (2021). Sellers initially turned heads in 2018 when she finished second in the Boston Marathon while running from the open field. Sellers smashed her PR to finish second at this spring’s Grandma’s Marathon in 2:25:43. Vaughn, a versatile runner who started her career on the track as a 1500m runner, made her marathon debut in 2021, winning the California International Marathon in 2:26:53. Vaughn’s time stands out as the fifth fastest debut ever by an American woman.

The women’s field also includes Diane Nukuri (USA), Ursula Sanchez (MEX), Carrie Verdon (USA) and local favorite Kristen Heckert (USA).

In the men’s competition, Tura will be chased to the line by compatriots Herpasa Negasa (ETH), Dawit Wolde (ETH), Asrar Abderehman (ETH), Ugandan Olympian Stephen Kissa and Kenyan Benson Kipruto.

Negasa had a career breakthrough in 2019 when he subtracted nearly six minutes from his marathon PR in Dubai to run 2:03:40. He comes to Chicago after a strong second place performance in Seoul, clocking 2:04:49. Wolde initially made a name for himself as a junior competitor on the track. His transition to the roads started in 2014, and he boasts a marathon personal best of 2:04:27, set in 2021 to finish third in Rotterdam. Abderehman made headlines in February when he broke the course record at the Zurich Seville Marathon, taking three minutes off his PR to run 2:04:43. Chicago marks his first appearance in an AbbottWMM.

Kissa, a 2020 Olympian in the 10,000m, stands out as an exciting athlete to watch. He brings years of track speed to the road, recently debuting in the marathon in 2:04:48. In addition to the Olympic Games, he also represented Uganda at the World Championships Half Marathon. The Chicago Marathon marks his first time racing in the United States and his first time racing in an AbbottWMM. Kipruto’s 2:05:13 personal best may not be the fastest in the field, but he has performed well at the marathon distance, winning the Boston and Prague Marathons in 2021 and finishing third in Boston this April. He also finished seventh in London in 2020 and won the Toronto Marathon in 2018.

The men’s field also includes sixth place finisher in 2021 and local elite Colin Mickow, Hiroto Fujimagari (JPN), John Korir (KEN), Frank Lara (USA) and making his debut, Patrick Tiernan (AUS).

Fast times at the USATF Half Marathon Championships

The final stop on the 2021 USATF Running Circuit presented by Toyota did not disappoint, as Keira D’Amato and Conner Mantz came away victorious at the USATF Half Marathon Championships presented by Toyota in Hardeeville, South Carolina.

As the women’s race got underway, D’Amato, Allie Kieffer, and Natosha Rogers jumped to the front, putting a six-second gap on a chase trio of Erika Kemp, Makena Morley, and Lauren Paquette, coming through the 5 km split in 16:04.

The lead trio would run together until mile five, when D’Amato pushed the pace and was able to gap Rogers and Kieffer. D’Amato grew her lead quickly, coming through 10 km in 32:05, 12 seconds ahead of Kieffer, who had a nine-second lead on Rogers.

D’Amato would continue to grow her lead, running nearly a minute ahead of Rogers and Morley, who were running second and third. Kieffer sat in fourth a couple seconds back of the duo, as was Paquette.

Over the next 5 km, D’Amato grew her lead to 1:34 over Rogers and Dakotah Lindwurm, who ran a tremendous 10th and 11th mile to move up into the chase, while Paquette started to pull ahead of Morley for fourth.

With the finish line in sight, D’Amato pushed the pace once last time, crossing the finish line with her arms raised and a smile on her face, finishing the half marathon distance in 1:07:55.

Rogers held off the late-race push from Lindwurm to place second overall in 1:09:36, having yet another fine USATF Half Marathon Championship performance. Lindwurm ran an excellent back half of the race to take third in 1:09:40, just ahead of Paquette, who ran to a fourth-place time of 1:09:46, her debut at the half marathon distance.

Morley held on over the final miles to place fifth in 1:09:57, edging out Erika Kemp, who placed sixth in 1:10:38. Kieffer faded a bit in the later stages of the race, but still place seventh overall in 1:10:44, while Maggie Montoya ran 1:11:21, Susanna Sullivan ran 1:11:58, and Jessie Cardin crossed in 1:12:08, as the trio took eighth through tenth.

While D’Amato ran a dominating performance to win Sunday, there was another race within a race, with Kemp and Morley battling for the 2021 USATF Running Circuit title. As the final race of the 2021 USATF Running Circuit season, Kemp entered Sunday’s action with a nine-point lead over Morley. 

Early on Sunday, it seemed as though Morley might pull away and claim the overall title, but Kemp’s strong finish helped her outlast Morley. Kemp’s sixth-place effort claimed her the overall USATF Running Circuit title with 62.5 points, just ahead of Morley’s 55 points. Emily Durgin finished with 49 points to place third overall, while Lindsay Flanagan and Annie Frisbie earned fourth- and fifth-place finishes with 34 points and 30 points.

A large group led the men’s race early Sunday morning, with all of the pre-race top contenders in tow. Reigning NCAA Division 1 cross country champion Mantz led the way early, as Sam Chelanga, Lawi Lalang, and Augustus Maiyo also ran up front, as the pack found hit a groove, running 4:40 mile pace for the early miles.

As the men came through 10 km, Mantz continued to lead, with Chelanga, Maiyo and Morgan Pearson off his shoulder. Over the next 5 km, Pearson and Mantz would take turns pacing, while Maiyo and Chelanga right behind with Lalang. 

As the lead group passed through mile 10, Lalang started to drop off, while Clayton Young and Nico Montanez moved up. The pace continued to ratchet down, as the group formed a single file line, with Mantz and Pearson pushing ahead.

With a mile to go, it was now a three-man race, with Mantz, Chelanga and Montanez running together. Chelanga tried to push the pace and break up the group, but Mantz hung tough and wouldn’t concede any ground to Chelanga.

In a furious kick to the finish, Mantz showed his championship-level form, pulling away from Chelanga to claim his first USATF title, crossing the finish in 1:00:55 in his debut over the half marathon distance. 

Chelanga took home second place in 1:00:59, a strong finish to his 2021 USATF Running Circuit season, as Montanez placed an impressive third in 1:01:13, his second top three finish on the USATF Running Circuit season and less than two months after placing seventh at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. 

Clayton Young, who won the USATF 15 km Championship title, the first race of the USATF Running Circuit season, finished fourth overall on Sunday in 1:01:18. Futsum Zienasellassie had another strong performance to take fifth in 1:01:21, as Maiyo finished well to take sixth in 1:01:33.

Olympian Leonard Korir took home seventh in 1:01:43, just ahead of Pearson, who claimed eighth in 1:01:47. Frank Lara and Lawi Lalang rounded out the top ten crossing the finish in 1:02:19 and 1:02:49, respectively.

While he didn’t race Sunday, Abbabiya Simbassa claimed the 2021 USATF Running Circuit overall title with 77 points, well ahead of the rest of the field, after claiming two USATF victories and two runner-up efforts during the 2021 USATF Running Circuit season.

Chelanga’s runner-up finish in Hardeeville gives him 48 points and a second place finish in the overall USATF Running Circuit standings, followed closely by Young, who claimed third with 47.5 points. Montanez finishes fourth on the season with 37 points, while Fred Huxham places fifth on the season with 30 points.

Woody Kincaid Wins the Men’s 10,000 Meters at the Olympic Track and Field Trials

In the first track final of the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, Woody Kincaid, Grant Fisher, and Joe Klecker earned spots on Team USA heading for Tokyo.

Kincaid, 28, finished in 27:53.62, by virtue of a blistering final 400 meters, which he covered in 53.47. His Bowerman Track Club teammate Fisher, 24, was less than a second behind in 27:54.29, and Klecker, also 24, of the new On Athletics Club in Boulder, ran 27:54.90.

Ben True, 35, finished in hard-luck fourth place; he couldn’t match the closing kick of the three Olympians and crossed the line in 27:58.88. True, who has never made an Olympic team, will be the alternate.

The race opened up with a fast pace, because most of the field did not have the 27:28 Olympic qualifying standard they need—along with a top-three finish—to earn a trip to the Games. This race was the last chance for them to run the standard.

Conner Mantz of BYU, Robert Brandt of Georgetown, and Frank Lara of Roots Running ran up front for the first two miles, but by halfway, reached in 13:56, the pace slowed, leaving no hope for anyone without the standard to get onto the team. Lopez Lomong dropped out, grabbing his right leg, as did Eric Jenkins, leaving only five men with the standard in the field.

The big crowd in the early miles was distracting for Kincaid. “My confidence was the lowest 10 laps in, that’s when the doubts really crept in,” he said in a press conference after the race. But as the miles clicked off, the pace slowed, and he made his way to the front, he felt better. “With four laps to go, this is what I had practiced in my mind over and over. I’m going to get into third or fourth position, just like practice, and that’s what happened.”

Kincaid said his last lap was the easy part: “It’s just everything you’ve got,” he said. “Getting there, in a position to win, is the hard part.”

He had praise for his teammate, Fisher, whom he runs with every day. “It’s a shame that I like him so much, because I have to race him all the time,” Kincaid said.

Kincaid said he plans to race the 5,000 meters and if he makes the team in that event, he’ll do both the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters at the Games.

Fisher was soaking in the moment. “I’ve dreamed about this moment, but even now it doesn’t feel real,” he said in the post-race press conference. “I don’t even know how to describe it, but I’m just so happy.”

Klecker, the third-place finisher, had his collegiate career at the University of Colorado shortened by the pandemic. “This means a lot,” he said. “I mean I had my NCAA career cut short. I never won an NCAA title, but making an Olympic team makes up for that.”

He is the son of Janis Klecker, a 1992 Olympian in the marathon for the U.S. Her advice? Candy. “She told me that the night before she made an Olympic team, she ate a Snickers bar, and I followed that to a tee and it worked out,” Klecker said.

True said he was turning his attention to the 5,000 meters later in the meet, but he has plenty of other things to look forward to. His wife is expecting their first child on July 15, and he’ll make his marathon debut this fall.

Galen Rupp, who already is representing the U.S. in the marathon, finished sixth in 27:59.43.

It is the first Olympics for Kincaid, Fisher, and Klecker. The event represents a changing of the guard—the top three are a complete turnover from the 2016 squad, when Rupp, Shadrack Kipchirchir, and Leonard Korir were the Americans who went to Rio in the event.

Tulsa’s Patrick Dever breaks record at NCAA Championships in Eugene

An exciting men’s 10,000m saw 10 athletes finish inside the 42-year-old meeting record of 28:01.30, led by Tulsa’s Patrick Dever who kicked to victory in 27:41.87, as NCAA Championships action got under way in Eugene, Oregon, on Wednesday (9).

Wesley Kiptoo had led a large group through half way before Alex Masai moved to the fore and pushed the pace. It was NCAA cross country champion Conner Mantz who put in a kick at the bell but he was joined off the final bend by Robert Brandt, Abdihamid Nur and Dever, who then found a gap on the inside. Passing the trio, he surged down the home straight to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Briton Marc Scott who had won the 2017 title, celebrating with his arms spread wide as he reached the finish line.

“There was a lot of moving around and a bit of jostling in the pack and it was just a case of keeping calm,” said GB international Dever, speaking on the broadcast coverage. “I really wanted to save something for the home straight because I figured if it were to come down to that, I would need to be ready.”

It was only his third ever track 10,000m following his debut in May, and he took 46 seconds off his previous best. He is also set to race the 5000m in Eugene on Friday.

Mantz was second in 27:42.46 and Nur third in 27:42.73. Dever’s 19-year-old compatriot Charles Hicks joined those dipping under the old meeting record with a time of 27:47.63 in seventh place.

LSU’s JuVaughn Harrison was also among the athletes in action on day one and the double NCAA indoor champion leapt 8.27m (1.9m/s) to win the long jump and will return to contest the high jump on Friday.

Branson Ellis won the pole vault with a 5.70m clearance, while Tzuriel Pedigo threw 76.98m to claim the javelin title. Indoor champion Turner Washington threw an outdoor PB of 21.10m to win the shot put and Thomas Mardal recorded 76.74m to lead the hammer results.

Hayward Field’s Grand Reopening, And a Ton of NCAA Stars Racing

When the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field reopened on Friday with the Hayward Premiere meet, 1,028 days will had passed since it last hosted a track meet.

Back then, on June 9, 2018, the marathon world record was 2:02:57, the Nike Oregon Project still existed, Donald Trump had zero impeachments, and we were still 18 months away from learning the word “coronavirus.” It has been a minute.

With an estimated cost of $270 million, “new” Hayward is easily the most expensive track & field-specific facility ever built in the United States and immediately becomes the center of the American track & field universe: over the next 16 months, the stadium will host two NCAA championships, the US Olympic Trials, and the 2022 World Championships. Based on everything we’ve seen, it should be a fitting home (if you haven’t already, check out the Hayward Field website, which has tons of info and cool photos of the rebuild).

On Friday, track is finally back in Eugene. And it should be quite a meet. Some of the country’s top distance programs — BYU, Arkansas, Iowa State — are sending athletes to compete at the Hayward Premiere, and of course the host Ducks will be racing some stars of their own. Between Oregon’s Cole Hocker, BYU’s Courtney Wayment and Conner Mantz, and Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo and Edwin Kurgat, no less than five NCAA individual champions will get to test out the new track.

The Hayward Premiere is the first of four regular-season home meets at Hayward in 2021, followed by the West Coast Classic (April 17), Oregon Relays (April 23-24), and Oregon Twilight (May 7) before the stadium hosts NCAAs (June 9-12), the Olympic Trials (June 18-27), and Prefontaine Classic (August 21).

Meet details and preview below.

How does the new stadium look? And is it fast?To say we at LetsRun.com are excited about the new Hayward Field is an understatement. There was no better place in America to watch a track meet than the old stadium, and while we are firm believers that not every single big meet should be in Eugene, it was distinctly weird not having any meets there the past two years. The new stadium may lack the character of “historic” Hayward Field, but from the wooden roof beams to the Bowerman Tower, it already sports an iconic look. After sitting empty for months — outside of UO practices — it will be great to see Hayward Field doing what it was built for: hosting meets.

And the good news is that some fans and media will be there in person. Under Oregon’s current athletics guidelines, a limited number of family and guests of coaches and athletes are allowed at the meet. Obviously, it would have been nice to open up the new Hayward with a full house, but this is better than totally empty stands. And the fact that Oregon got permission from the state and county to host four regular-season meets with spectators is a step in the right direction toward an Olympic Trials with fans (how many will be allowed in June remains to be seen).

As for the second question — is the new track fast? — we assume the answer has to be yes if they spent $200+ million on it and we imagine we’ll find out this soon. While this will be the outdoor opener for the athletes, the story of Covid-19 and the super spike ear is that no one seems to wait to run fast anymore. People want to get fast marks up ASAP in case of a Covid-19 delay.

The weather looks decent (high of 61 in Eugene on Friday, 64 on Saturday, and no rain) and the fields are full of quality so it will be interesting to see what type of marks are put up.

And will the infamous headwind still blow on the backstraight?

Scott Fauble Vs Jared Ward Over 5000m Set For Saturday At The St. George Showdown In Utah

The organizers of the KT Tape St. George Showdown have announced the fields and the safety protocols for what will be a small track meet in St. George Utah on Saturday, July 11. The meet, directed by Artie Gulden–the head cross country coach at Utah State University and Ben Rosario–the head coach of HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite, will take place at an undisclosed location without fans and with a strict set of guidelines related to COVID-19 testing.

The meet will be streamed live on RunnerSpace.com beginning at 9:30am EST/ 6:30am Pacific with the Men’s 5,000 meters presented by Polar to be followed by the Women’s 5,000 meters presented by Polar at 9:50am EST/ 6:50am Pacific. Both races feature regional fields with athletes coming from just four states: Ariz., Calif., Colo., and Utah. The men’s field is headlined by 2:09 marathoners Scott Fauble and Jared Ward, as well as young professionals Matt Baxter, Dillon Maggard, Rory Linkletter and Clayton Young. Pan Am Games Silver Medalist Reid Buchanan, 3:55 miler Eric Avila and BYU star Conner Mantz are also entered. The women’s race includes 2016 South African Olympian Dom Scott-Efurd up against the fifth, sixth and eighth place finishers at February’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon: Laura Thweatt, Stephanie Bruce and Kellyn Taylor. Top American 5,000 meter runners Sarah Pagano and Lauren Paquette should also factor into the proceedings.

All athletes, agents, coaches and support personnel were required to take a COVID-19 test within eight days of the event. All athletes will be required to take a rapid test on-site on Friday afternoon in St. George. Per Utah State guidelines, less than 50 people total will be allowed inside the stadium. Everyone who enters will be given a temperature check on Saturday morning. All non-competitors will be required to wear a mask and remain socially distanced throughout the event.

Rosario said that safety was the number one priority.

“We recognize the gravity of COVID-19 and the devastation it has caused across the globe,” Rosario said. “Our hope is not to push our sport forward, but merely to keep it afloat during these difficult times, and we believe small, controlled events like this one can be one way to do that.”

Gulden echoed the sentiment.

“We are really excited to give these athletes an opportunity to compete again and hope the fans will enjoy it,” Gulden said. “We’ve worked hard to create a safe environment for competition and are so grateful to people like Josh Cox and Jen Rosario, and companies like KT Tape and Polar, who have stepped up and been so instrumental to this event happening.”

KT Tape and Polar joined the event as sponsors this week. Because of their support, the athletes will be vying for a $5,500 total prize purse. The winner of each race will receive $1,000 in prize money.