Running News Daily

Running a marathon is a demanding physical challenge, but sometimes the greatest battle takes place in the mind. When fatigue sets in, the legs begin to weaken and the finish line still feels painfully distant, mental strength can become the difference between giving up and achieving something extraordinary.

American distance runner Jess McClain demonstrated exactly that at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon, where an intelligent psychological approach helped her overcome mounting fatigue and secure a remarkable second-place finish in the women's race.

Rather than allowing herself to become overwhelmed by the thought of running the entire 26.2 miles, McClain relied on a mental technique known as chunking — the practice of dividing a difficult or overwhelming task into smaller, more manageable sections.

The strategy became particularly important around mile 16, when her legs began to struggle and the physical demands of the race intensified. Instead of thinking about how much distance remained, she concentrated on reaching the next milestone.

Her immediate target was to get across the Queensboro Bridge. Once that challenge was behind her, she shifted her attention to the next section of the course, taking the race one landmark and one neighbourhood at a time.

First Avenue came next, followed by the Bronx and, eventually, the familiar roads leading towards Central Park, where the marathon would reach its dramatic conclusion.

McClain even described part of her approach as essentially "gaslighting" herself into believing that she would feel better once she reached the next checkpoint. It was a clever way of keeping negative thoughts at bay and preventing the enormity of the remaining distance from taking control of her mind.

By continuously resetting her focus, she gave herself smaller objectives to pursue, allowing her to remain engaged in the race even as the physical discomfort became increasingly difficult to manage.

And her determination produced a spectacular finish.

With the finish line approaching, McClain summoned one final burst of energy, producing a powerful closing 200-metre sprint that saw her overtake defending champion Hellen Obiri and claim second place in one of the most dramatic moments of the women's race.

Her performance was a reminder that marathon running is not simply a contest of endurance, speed and physical preparation. It is also a test of patience, concentration, emotional control and the ability to keep believing when the body begins to question how much further it can go.

For runners of every level, McClain's experience offers a valuable lesson: You do not always have to conquer the entire marathon in your mind. Sometimes, you only need to conquer the next bridge, the next street, the next kilometre or even the next few minutes.

Chunk by chunk, step by step, the finish line eventually gets closer.