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U.S. Olympic marathon team outlook heading toward trials

By Nick ZaccardiApr 30, 2019, 10:34 AM EDT
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A look at the U.S. men’s and women’s marathon rankings at the end of the spring majors with 10 months until the Olympic trials in Atlanta (NAMES IN BOLD HAVE MET IAAF STANDARD TO BE GUARANTEED ELIGIBLE FOR OLYMPICS) …

Men (since 1/1/2018)
1. Galen Rupp — 2:06:07 (Prague 2018)
2. Galen Rupp — 2:06:21 (Chicago 2018)
3. Scott Fauble — 2:09:09 (Boston 2019)
4. Jared Ward — 2:09:25 (Boston 2019)
5. Elkanah Kibet — 2:11:51 (Boston 2019)
6. Jared Ward — 2:12:24 (New York City 2018)
7. Scott Fauble — 2:12:28 (New York City 2018)
8. Elkanah Kibet — 2:12:35 (Chicago 2018)
9. Augustus Maiyo — 2:12:40 (Boston 2019)
10. Shadrack Biwott — 2:12:52 (New York City 2018)

Rupp easily beat the IAAF Olympic standard time of 2:11:30 in both of his 2018 marathons, but that was before the IAAF window began on Jan. 1. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist missed the spring marathon season after foot surgery, but if it turns out the Olympic standard is a requirement to make the Tokyo Games, he would be expected to hit it in a fall marathon or possibly at trials, though that course is hilly and could be hot. … Fauble, a former University of Portland runner who made his marathon debut in 2017, and Ward, sixth in Rio, are the only U.S. men with the IAAF standard and clearly the early favorites to join Rupp in the top three at trials. … Keep an eye on five-time Olympic track runner Bernard Lagat‘s second career marathon on July 7 in Gold Coast, Australia. Lagat, already the oldest U.S. Olympic runner in history, debuted with a 2:17:20 in New York City on Nov. 4.

Women (since 1/1/2018)
1. Amy Cragg — 2:21:42 (Tokyo 2018)
2. Emily Sisson — 2:23:08 (London 2019)
3. Kellyn Johnson — 2:24:29 (Duluth 2018)
4. Jordan Hasay — 2:25:20 (Boston 2019)
5. Sara Hall — 2:26:20 (Ottawa 2018)
6. Shalane Flanagan — 2:26:22 (New York City 2018)
7. Molly Huddle — 2:26:33 (London 2019)
8. Molly Huddle — 2:26:44 (New York City 2018)
9. Aliphine Tuliamuk — 2:26:50 (Rotterdam 2019)
10. Des Linden — 2:27:00 (Boston 2019)

The U.S. women are much deeper and stronger internationally than the men. Consider that the IAAF women’s Olympic standard time is 2:29:30, which 14 Americans have hit since the start of 2018, including six since the IAAF window began on Jan. 1. … Hasay, the top-finishing American in all three of her marathon starts (all majors), and Sisson, who just ran the second-fastest U.S. debut marathon ever, have the most momentum after the spring season. … Cragg, Flanagan, Huddle and Linden are the veteran Olympians at different stages: Cragg, 35 and the 2016 Olympic Trials winner, tops the rankings but looks like she will go more than 18 months between her last marathon and her next one. … Flanagan, 37 and the 2017 New York City Marathon winner, is undecided on whether she will resume her career after knee surgery last week. … Huddle, 34 and the greatest American distance runner ever between the 5km and half marathon, was disappointed to only PR by 11 seconds in London. … Linden, 35 and the 2018 Boston champ, hasn’t announced her plans after placing fifth in her defense, but she hasn’t been beaten by three Americans in a marathon since the 2008 Olympic Trials.

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Eliud Kipchoge wins London Marathon in second-fastest time ever

By OlympicTalkApr 28, 2019, 10:00 AM EDT
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Eliud Kipchoge repeatedly motioned for his so-called challengers to share the work at the front of the London Marathon. None dared.

So the 34-year-old Kenyan cranked up the pace and smiled en route to the second-fastest marathon in history, padding his argument as the greatest of all time on Sunday.

Kipchoge clocked 2:02:37, trailing only his world record 2:01:39 set in Berlin on Sept. 16. It’s his record-extending 10th straight elite marathon win and record-breaking fourth title in London, routinely featuring the toughest fields of the spring marathon season.

“It feels strange to be considered the most successful elite man in racing,” Kipchoge said, according to race organizers. “It was a very tactical race as everyone was there, but I know how to win this race, and I was confident and didn’t feel it was in doubt at any point.”

Kipchoge ran away from Ethiopians Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun in the last two miles, beating them by 18 and 39 seconds, respectively. Four-time Olympic track champion Mo Farah was fifth in what he called a disappointing 2:05:39.

Kenyan Brigid Kosgei became the youngest woman to win London in 2:18:20, upsetting countrywomen Vivian Cheruiyot (second, 2:20:14) and Mary Keitany (fifth, 2:20:58).

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Kipchoge is inching closer to doubling the win streaks of history’s other legendary marathoners. Ethiopians Abebe Bikila and Haile Gebrselassie each won six straight, according to Tilastopaja.org. Bikila has one accolade that Kipchoge does not — back-to-back Olympic titles — which Kipchoge can rectify in Tokyo next year.

Kosgei, a 25-year-old mom, was second to Cheruiyot in London last year, then won October’s Chicago Marathon for her first major crown. On Sunday, she posted the fastest second half of a women’s marathon in history (66:42) to become the seventh-fastest woman in history.

Emily Sisson was sixth in 2:23:08, the second-fastest debut marathon in U.S. women’s history.

“We wanted to run faster, ideally, but given the conditions and the way the race went out, I think that was a good performance,” Sisson told media, noting the relatively slow early pace and a windy second half. “There’s a lot of room for improvement.”

Two-time U.S. Olympian Molly Huddle took 12th in 2:26:33, a personal best by 11 seconds, but a disappointing one.

“I felt rough from, like, 10K on, like my legs were just really achy today,” Huddle told LetsRun.com. “Sometimes you have bad days in the marathon.”

Sisson and Huddle are among a large group of U.S. Olympic hopefuls, also including Jordan Hasay, Des Linden, Amy Cragg and, should she continue racing, Shalane Flanagan. The top three at trials in Atlanta on Feb. 29 are in line to make the Tokyo team.

In Sunday’s wheelchair divisions, American Daniel Romanchuk added his first London title to Chicago, New York City and Boston crowns in the last year. The 21-year-old pulled away from Swiss Marcel Hug in the last half-mile and won by four seconds in 1:33:38.

Swiss Manuela Schar earned her second London title in 1:44:09, distancing American Tatyana McFadden by 5:33.

London marked the final major marathon of the spring. The fall season begins in Berlin on Sept. 29.

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Molly Huddle, Emily Sisson seek spots in golden age for U.S. marathoners

Molly Huddle, Emily Sison
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By OlympicTalkApr 25, 2019, 2:16 PM EDT
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The U.S. Olympic marathon trials aren’t for 10 months, but the field is already crowded. The current era has produced four of the six American women in history who have broken 2 hours, 24 minutes, for 26.2 miles.

Two more could join that club at Sunday’s London Marathon (Olympic Channel and NBC Sports Gold, 4 a.m. ET).

Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson, training partners and the two fastest U.S. half-marathoners ever, give the nation its strongest contingent in the British capital in a decade. The last American woman to place in the top five in London was Deena Kastor, who won in 2006 in an American record 2:19:36.

When Kastor clocked that time, she and Joan Benoit Samuelson were the only Americans to ever break 2:26:26. Since the start of 2018, five different U.S. women have done it. Again, that does not include Huddle or Sisson, both expected to better that time Sunday.

Huddle told LetsRun.com on Thursday that she would be happy in the 2:21-2:23 range.

“It sounds like they’re going to come through the half in 71 minutes or so and then see what they have,” said NBC Sports analyst Josh Cox, who is also an agent for 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden and other U.S. distance runners, but none in the London field. “That’s 2:22 territory if they ran even [pace]. That’s some rarefied air when you’re talking about American women.”

Neither Huddle nor Sisson, expected to stick together for most of the race, is favored to win Sunday. The title is likely to come down to defending champion Vivian Cheruiyot and three-time London winner Mary Keitany, both of Kenya.

But the Americans’ times will be key in the early sorting of what should be the greatest field in U.S. women’s marathon history at trials in Atlanta on Feb. 29. London marks the last major marathon until the fall season. Many Olympic hopefuls will skip those September, October and November marathons to rest up for trials, where the top three are in line to make the Tokyo team.

The leader of the pack after last week’s Boston Marathon has to be Jordan Hasay.

The 27-year-old former high school track phenom returned from a marathon-less 2018 due to injuries to cross third on Boylston Street on Patriots’ Day. Hasay has finished third in all three of her marathon starts (all majors), has never been beaten by an American at 26.2 miles and is the second-fastest American in history behind Kastor. Hasay plans to run the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 13, chasing Kastor’s American record.

The most accomplished active elite U.S. marathoners are Shalane Flanagan and Des Linden.

Flanagan, 37 and the 2017 New York City Marathon winner, is set to undergo knee surgery and may be finished with elite racing. Linden, 35 and the 2018 Boston Marathon champ, has not announced her plans after placing fifth in her Boston defense. Either would be the oldest U.S. woman to make an Olympic marathon team in 16 years.

Amy Cragg followed her 2016 Olympic Trials win with a 2017 World bronze medal and the label of fastest U.S. marathoner of 2018. Cragg, 35, is now 14 months removed from her last 26.2-miler after passing on a spring marathon.

Huddle and Sisson take their tests Sunday.

It’s a familiar one for Huddle, a two-time Olympic 10,000m runner who has held national records from 5km to the half marathon. The 34-year-old nail polish enthusiast and avid reader has three marathons to her name, with third- and fourth-place finishes in New York.

“She hasn’t ran on a flat, fast course yet,” Cox said. “Running 71 flat in London [for the first half], she’ll have no problem doing that. The question is, what can they [Huddle and Sisson] do after 20 miles?”

Sisson has never raced a marathon. In fact, she didn’t consider running professionally until her fifth year of college while on track for an MBA at Providence (she’s still two classes away).

Her breakthrough came in 2017. Sisson shattered personal bests on the track at 5000m and 10,000m, finished two seconds behind the winner Huddle in her half-marathon debut and made the world championships team at 10,000m. Sisson followed Huddle from Providence to Scottsdale, Ariz., last fall and got even faster. She ran the second-fastest half marathon in U.S. history in January (on a record-eligible course) and became the third-fastest U.S. woman all-time at 10,000m in March.

Sisson’s passion remains on the track, but she was intrigued enough by the Olympic marathon trials to test her legs over 26.2 miles this spring. Like her more experienced countrywomen, Sisson does not see a fall marathon in her future.

“I’m not putting all this pressure on me that I need to go out there in this first one and knock it out of the park,” Sisson said recently on Carrie Tollefson‘s podcast, adding that she couldn’t predict her time Sunday because she has no reference points. “I’m not scared. I feel like I’m curious more.”

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