Fast times were delivered as promised Sunday during The Marathon Project.
Sara Hall just missed setting the American women s record time in winning the unprecedented race in Chandler, clocking a lifetime best 2:20:32 just weeks after a 2:22:01 performance in London in early October. She was barely ever a step behind the fastest pacing group for the women s field.
Keira D Amato continued her stellar year of shaking things up on the running scene with a runner-up performance that came in 2:22:56, finishing with Hall as the only two female runners to go below 2:25:00.
The men s race was one of the fastest in history as seven athletes crossed the finish line with sub-2:10 times. NAZ Elite had two runners in that speedy group, but they could not catch former teammate Martin Hehir, who showed courage down the stretch of the race in pulling away from the competition with long strides to take the victory in 2:08:59.
They come to Flagstaff in moving vans or sedans stuffed with possessions and expectations. Their satchels brim with hope and anticipation, be it an opportunity to hit it big or maybe just cobble together a fresh start with a clean slate. They are looking for adventure, perhaps, or just a foothold of stability.
People move to town for any number of reasons, and inherent in such life changes is a measure of uncertainty compounded now by the specter of COVID-19 and all the economic and social upheaval that has engendered.
Some moves are pandemic-related, attempts to find work or just a safer place to stay, or to hunker down closer to loved ones. Other moves, though, have little to do with our current fraught times; they simply reflect Americaâs storied migratory history, alighting for new horizons to chase oneâs dream of success.
Women’s Marathon Project Preview: Will Anyone Go With Sara Hall? How Fast Will Keira D’Amato Run?
December 17, 2020
Women’s marathoning in the United States has never been as deep as it is right now. Witness the 450 women who ran at February’s Olympic Marathon Trials, or the US all-time list in the marathon, where 10 of the top 14 athletes are currently active. Of those 10, nine have set their personal bests within the last four years. And that list could undergo further revision this weekend at the Marathon Project.
Just consider some of the women lining up on Sunday in Arizona who have shown the potential to run considerably faster all of whom will be racing on a flat 4.3-mile loop designed for speed:
Elite fields set for The Marathon Project
The sixth-fastest American woman ever in the marathon will be joined Sunday in Chandler, Arizona, by five of the top 10 men s finishers and four of the top 10 women s finishers from the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon for The Marathon Project 2020, an event custom-made for quick times over the 26.2-mile distance.
Live coverage will begin at 9:45 a.m. ET on USATF.TV+ with commentary from Paul Swangard, Desiree Linden and Bernard Lagat. There will be a 90-minute replay of the race on NBCSN in primetime from 8-9:30 p.m. ET.
Runners will traverse a 4.26-mile loop six times, taking advantage of what the organizers call, some of the flattest, most pristine roads you could ever imagine. Chandler is due for sunshine on Sunday and temperatures ranging from 37 to 67 degrees, with low humidity and very light winds.