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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. BOSTON (09-Nov) -- Ethiopia's Fantaye Belayneh repeated as the Boston Half-Marathon women's champion this morning, running a patient race and ultimately winning with a powerful sprint for the tape.  The 25 year-old, who represents adidas, clocked 1:08:51, just two seconds ahead of compatriot Melknat Wudu.  She recorded the fourth-fastest winning time on the hilly and winding course which takes in some of the Boston area's most beautiful parklands and residential neighborhoods.  She won $15,000 in prize money. "I'm so happy, and I'm thrilled I won back-to-back," a smiling Belayneh told Race Results Weekly through a translator. Belayneh was content to stay tucked in the lead pack for most of the race.  Evaline Chirchir of Kenya and Megan Sailor of nearby Dorchester set the early pace.  The first five kilometers, which featured plenty of hills, was covered in 16:23.  Chirchir, Sailor, Wudu, and Kenyans Mercy Chelangat, Grace Loibach, and Monicah Ngige were part of a lead pack of ten women.  Three other Americans --Molly Born, Keira D'Amato, and Everlyn Kemboi-- were part of the lead group. Sailor led through the fourth mile, which passed in a swift 5:11.  The pace was getting a little hot for D'Amato, who is training for the Valencia Marathon on December 7.  The 41 year-old decided to drift back. "Disconnecting from the group, I felt like I didn't have another option, unfortunately," D'Amato told Race Results Weekly.  "Going through the hills and the wind, alone, that was a battle in itself." The first real move happened in the sixth mile where Chirchir, Belayneh and Wudu picked up the pace.  Running single file, the three ran a 5:02 split for the sixth mile, and crossed the 10K mark in 32:27.  That whittled the lead group down to six: Chirchir, Wudu, Belayneh, Chelangat, Loibach, and Ngige.  Kemboi was close behind, but losing contact, and Sailor was 11 seconds back. D'Amato and Born were running in ninth and tenth place, respectively. The pace slowed in the ninth mile to a pedestrian 5:30.  That was the signal for Belayneh to make her another move.  She scooted to the front, and tried to open a gap.  Wudu followed closely at first, but then drifted back.  Despite running 5:02 for the tenth mile, Belayneh's move didn't stick.  Loibach was the only one who was dropped (she would eventually finish seventh in 1:10:00). "The move I made, I wanted to move out and lead to the finish," Belayneh said later.  "That's the reason I decided to move on." But with five women left in contention and five kilometers still to go, Belayneh decided she'd wait for the final meters to decide the race.  The pack skinnied down to four by the 20-K point (1:05:33): Belayneh, Wudu, Chirchir, and Ngige.  Belayneh liked her chances. "I trained very well," she said.  "I knew I could be the winner." The final kilometer is capped by a challenging uphill, and using her knowledge of the course she waited for the short, flat section right before the finish line in Franklin Park.  She stepped on the gas, and only Wudu was able to stay close. "It turned out to be good," Belayneh said of her final sprint. "Then God helped me, and I won." Chirchir, who had done most of the leading today, took third in 1:09:01.  Ngige got fourth in 1:09:07, and Chelangat took fifth in 1:09:09.  Behind the action at the front, Sailor --who was doing a great job of running the tangents-- got past Loibach before the 20K point to finish sixth in a personal best 1:09:39.  She runs for the Boston Athletic Association's High Performance Team coached by Irish Olympian Mark Carroll. "My goal coming in was just to commit," Sailor told Race Results Weekly.  "I think I did a great job of committing the first five miles, and then they dropped it down and it was a little bit aggressive for me at that point.  I knew as long as I just held strong throughout I would come home strong." Born finished eighth in her half-marathon debut (1:10:11), Kemboi took ninth (1:10:18), and D'Amato rounded out the top-10 in 1:11:18, a time which would have won here on eight previous occasions.  D'Amato was upbeat about her race. "That was a good grind, a really good grind," said D'Amato.  "I felt like I ran within myself, and strong.  The hills got me a little bit, and my glutes locked up a little bit.  But, it's good.  It's everything you're going to feel in the marathon." The men's race broke up more quickly.  By the 10K point (28:49), only four athletes remained in the lead group: Kenyans Isaia Lasoi and Andrea Kiptoo, American Chandler Gibbens, and Eritrean Yemane Haileselassie, the race's defending champion.  Santiago Catrofe of Uruguay was back in fifth place, about six seconds behind. Lasoi --who came into today's race with the fastest personal best of 58:10-- pushed the pace through 10 miles (46:14), and only Kiptoo remained with him.  Haileselassie was down by 12 seconds, and Gibbens was back about 21 seconds.  Catrofe had passed Gibbens and was running in fourth place.  By the 20-K mark (57:53) Lasoi had opened a 25-second gap on Kiptoo, and none of his rivals were going to catch him today.  He clocked 1:00:59, the third-fastest winning time at this event.  Like Belayneh he won $15,000 in prize money. "This is my first time (in Boston)," said Lasoi.  "From 17-K to the finishing it was a tough course.  Hilly." Lasoi had hoped to run faster. "My aim was to break the course record," said the adidas-sponsored athlete.  "When I see (the time) at 15-K I decided to go for the win.  I tried to push it." Catrofe had an excellent second half, moving up from sixth at 10K to second at the finish.  He was still in third place at the 20K mark, but passed Kiptoo in the final kilometer and clocked a personal best 1:01:23.  Kiptoo, who made his debut at the distance, took third in 1:01:30, and Haileselassie finished fourth in 1:01:45, one second faster than his winning time one year ago. Gibbens, who is preparing for the USATF Cross Country Championships on December 6 in Portland, Ore., had a solid second half.  He ran a personal best 1:01:57 to take fifth place.  He ran the mostly downhill first 10K in 28:49, and the mostly uphill second 10K in 29:52. "You could feel the hills," said Gibbens, who represents Saucony.  "I mean for me, it was feeling good until it didn't, and then it was just getting through the rest of the race, just the same as cross country and sticking your nose in it." The professional wheelchair champions were Americans Yen Hoang on the women's side (1:01:02), and Miguel Vergara on the men's (49:06).  Both athletes won by comfortable margins (Vergara won by five and a half minutes), and each earned $5000 in prize money. Today's race had just over 7000 finishers, up from about 6500 last year.  It was the third and last event of the 2025 Boston Athletic Association's Distance Medley which began with the Boston 5-K last April, and continued with the Boston 10K last June.  Next year's series begins on Saturday, April 18 with the Boston 5K, two days before the Boston Marathon. PHOTO: Ethiopia's Fantaye Belayneh winning the Boston Half-Marathon for the second time in 1:08:51  (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (02-Nov) -- On a near-perfect day for running with bright skies and cool temperatures, Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto won the 54th edition of the TCS New York City Marathon in close finis,hes.  Obiri, 35, won the race for the second time and beat her long-time Kenyan rival Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 champion here, with an explosive surge in the 26th mile.  Obiri smashed Margaret Okayo's 2003 course record of 2:22:31, clocking 2:19:51 on the strength of a blistering 1:08:50 (uphill) second half.  Kipruto, 34, edged his Kenyan compatriot Alexander Mutiso by just 3/100ths of a second, the closest finish in the history of the race. Both winners won $100,000 in prize money and Obiri collected an extra $50,000 for setting a new course record. Women Start Out Fast The first mile of this notoriously hilly marathon is completely uphill on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and is often the slowest mile of the race. Not today. American Susanna Sullivan, recently fourth at the World Athletics Championships marathon in Tokyo in September, went right to the front and split the first mile in 5:30.  That didn't deter the race's top competitors, and after a 5:22 downhill mile on the other side of the bridge a lead pack of 16 formed and the pace settled down.  In the group was the reigning champion, Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya, and she was the first athlete to try to break up the race. She ran the fifth mile in a crisp 5:19 and the sixth in 5:22.  That still left a dozen women in contention, including the fastest American in the field, Fiona O'Keeffe, the 2024 Olympic Trials champion. "It's definitely exciting," said O'Keeffe when asked what it was like to run at the front of an Abbott World Marathon Majors race.  She added: "It was really exciting to be up there with those women." Through 10 km (33:53) and 15 km (50:52) the pack whittled down to nine: Obiri, Lokedi, Chepkirui, O'Keeffe, Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN), Sara Vaughn (USA), Annie Frisbie (USA), Sifan Hassan (NED), and Emily Sisson (USA).  American debutante Amanda Vestri was just a few seconds back. Between 20 km and the halfway point the race finally broke up.  As the leaders crossed the halfway mark in 1:11:01, only Chepkirui, Lokedi, Obiri and O'Keeffe remained on the front.  Hassan --who had missed her bottle at the 20K drink station and had to go back to pick it up-- was now four seconds back.  Sisson, the USA record holder who was making her New York City Marathon debut, also fell back (she would finish eight in 2:25:05). When the leaders started to ascend the Queensboro Bridge, which spans the East River between Queens and Manhattan, O'Keeffe started to struggle.  At the 25K point near the peak of the bridge (1:23:59) O'Keeffe was four seconds back, and Hassan was 18 seconds behind.  It looked like both women were out of the fight for the podium. But after descending the bridge ramp on the Manhattan side, O'Keeffe and Hassan were lifted up by the huge crowds that lined First Avenue.  Remarkably, both women caught up, and by 30K (1:40:11) the five women were back together.  They were on pace for a 2:21 finish, and it became obvious that Okayo's course record --the oldest in the World Marathon Majors-- would finally be broken. Soon, O'Keeffe and Hassan would be dropped for good.  Still, O'Keeffe would have a great day, finishing fourth in 2:22:49, the fastest-ever time by an American woman here.  Hassan continued to slow and finished sixth in 2:24:43. "I felt pretty strong for a while," said O'Keeffe.  She continued: "I can't really take too much credit for the time; that was the women up ahead of me." After the long uphill in the 24th mile on Fifth Avenue, Chepkirui, Lokedi and Obiri were still together.  They turned into Central Park, ran past the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and on the next downhill --called "Cat Hill" by the locals-- Obiri and Lokedi got away from Chepkirui.  Turning right onto Central Park South, Obiri and Lokedi were side-by-side.  They ran together for just a few hundred meters before Obiri hit the gas and scooted away.  She looked back twice, but Lokedi wasn't responding. "My coach told me to be patient and make your move with two miles (to go)," Obiri said, referring to Dathan Ritzenhein at the On Athletics Club in Boulder, Colo.  She continued: "With about 1 K to go I felt so strong, I had something left in my tank." Obiri ran to the tape alone, but both Lokedi (2:20:07) and Chepkirui (2:20:24) had also smashed the course record. "With Hellen you never know," said Lokedi, marveling at her rival's final move. Another American, Annie Frisbie, passed Hassan and finished fifth in 2:24:12, a two-minute personal best.  Britain's Jessica Warner-Judd finished seventh (behind Hassan) in her marathon debut in 2:24:45. "I thought 2:24 might get on the podium, but not today," Warner-Judd told Race Results Weekly just after stepping off the course. Men Start Cautiously Unlike the women, the men were not in much of a hurry today.  More than 20 men were together at 10K (30:22) and 15K (46:01).  Even by halfway (1:05:18), there were still 20 men in contention. The climb up the Queensboro Bridge to the 25K mark (1:17:53) stretched the field out a little, but it wasn't until the northbound stretch on First Avenue in Manhattan that the race finally got going.  After a 4:40 split for the 17th mile, the field was down to eight: Kipruto, Mutiso, Tsegay Weldlibanos (ERI), Albert Korir (KEN), Hillary Bor (USA), Biya Simbassa (USA), Patrick Dever (GBR), and Abel Kipchumba (KEN).  The eight stayed together through 30K (1:32:21), and 35K (1:47:37) but a surge by Korir in the next five-kilometer segment dropped Simbassa, Kipchumba, and Weldlibanos.  By the time the leaders reached Central Park in the 24th mile, only Kipruto, Mutiso, Korir and Dever remained in contention. Moments after entering the park, Kipruto put in the race's most important surge.  Korir and Dever were dropped, but Mutiso stayed with his adidas teammate.  Kipruto ran the 25th mile in 4:30, the fastest of the race.  That set up an incredible battle for the win after the two leaders re-entered Central Park with about 600 meters to go.  Kipruto was leading, and it seemed as if he had a big enough gap to claim a clear victory.  But Mutiso mounted an surprising final sprint, running on Kipruto's left. "I was aware that Mutiso was there and so close," Kipruto told reporters after the race.  "I know Mutiso is strong guy.  I knew it was going to be a tight race." Kipruto raised his arms just before hitting the tape in 2:08:09, and so did Mutiso, but there was no dispute as to who had won.  The the two men immediately congratulated each other "I'm very happy to be in the podium in New York and to be motivated by Benson," said Mutiso. With his win here today, Kipruto has now won four Abbott World Marathon Majors: Boston in 2021, Chicago in 2022, Tokyo in 2024, and now New York.  He was also the bronze medalist in the 2024 Paris Olympic marathon. Korir, who finished third in 2:08:57, has made the podium in New York five times (he was also second in 2019, first in 2021, second in 2023, and third in 2024).  Dever, a Briton who trains in the United States, took fourth in his debut in 2:08:58.  Matthias Kyburz of Switzerland, who is coached by former European marathon champion Viktor Röthlin and was only in 14th position at halfway, finished fifth in 2:09:55. The top American today, Joel Reichow of Minnesota Distance Elite, was a surprise.  Reichow moved up from the 19th place at the halfway mark, to 11th at 30K, to fifth at 40K.  Although he was passed by Kyburz, he nonetheless finished sixth in a personal best 2:09:56.  He won a total of $35,000 in prize money, more than three times what he earned when he won Grandma's Marathon last June. "It definitely feels good," said Reichow, who is coached by Chris Lundstrom  "I just wanted to prove I can compete with the top Americans and I proved that today." Former marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya finally competed in the TCS New York City Marathon today, and was never a factor in the race.  After finishing ninth in the Sydney Marathon in 2:08:31, the two-time Olympic gold medalist finished 17th here today in 2:14:36, the slowest marathon of his career.  He received his Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star medal in the post-race press conference where he said he would be running seven marathons on seven continents in the next two years. It wasn't clear whether he would attempt to run at an elite level again. "It was really wonderful running through the streets of New York with all of the crowds cheering," Kipchoge told reporters.  He added: "It was really a beautiful thing for me." In the professional wheelchair races Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Susannah Scaroni of the United States totally dominated, just as they did in Chicago last month.  Hug got away from his chief rival, David Weir of Great Britain, in the second five-kilometer segment where he already had a 20 second lead.  That lead would increase to nearly four minutes by the finish.  It was Hug's seventh win in New York. "It's overwhelming to win here in New York," said Hug, who earned $50,000 in prize money.  "It's so meaningful to me to be back on the podium." Scaroni had a 25-second lead by the 5K point, and won by nearly six minutes in 1:42:10. It was her third victory here, and her second in a row. "It feels incredible," said Scaroni, who pushed to her fastest time in the New York course.  She added: "I tried to keep my pace efficient and strong to the finish." * New York Road Runners, the race founders and organizers, expect about 55,000 runners to cross the finish line today.  Last year's race had 55,643 finishers and was the largest marathon in history. PHOTO: Benson Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso near the 40-K mark at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (01-Nov) -- Annie Rodenfels, a national-class steeplechaser with exceptional road racing chops, prevailed for the third consecutive time at this morning's Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, the 10,000-runner warm-up race for tomorrow's TCS New York City Marathon.  Rodenfels, 29, used her knowledge of the course to great advantage today, not wasting any energy and saving her best running for the final 400 meters where she powered past three rivals to get the win in 15:33, the slowest of her three winning times here.  She pocketed $6000 in prize money, half the amount she earned for her two previous wins when the race was a USATF national championship. "I just felt like knowing the course was so helpful," Rodenfels told Race Results Weekly.  She added: "I just kind of had to play my cards just right." Rodenfels, who is sponsored by Salomon, went to the front early just after the race began adjacent to the United Nations on First Avenue.  Making the right-hand turn on to East 42nd Street in the first kilometer, Rodenfels was joined by key rivals Weini Kelati, Elle St. Pierre, and Parker Valby.  That stretch of 42nd Street is downhill, and Rodenfels wasn't pushing the pace. "I didn't want to be the person who led the whole race and just got out-kicked at the end, to be honest," Rodenfels said. Making the right-hand turn to head north on Avenue of the Americas in the second kilometer, Rodenfels was still leading with Kelati just behind her.  The two appeared to be opening a gap on the field, but by the 3K point St.Pierre and Valby had caught up, and the pack of four entered the Central Park service road at West 59th Street together.  That's where the athletes face the race's toughest hill.  Kelati, the 2024 national cross country champion, led the field up the hill, and nobody was dropped. "I knew it was a big hill," Rodenfels explained.  "I knew in the past that sometimes I slowed down a little bit on the hill, and I was anticipating it being a little rough.  But was focused on staying connected, and when I got to the top of the hill and I was like, that wasn't that bad." The four leaders made the sharp left turn onto the Park's loop road, and as they passed the famous carousel on their right Rodenfels started to drift back.  Kelati and St. Pierre were leading with Valby just a step behind running between them.  Rodenfels was looking down and was several steps behind.  It seemed that she was settling into fourth place. "It was just close enough that I was like, you know, I've got to take my shot," Rodenfels recalled.  "I can't just settle here for fourth.  I feel like I have a pretty big kick left." The race shares the same finish straight as Sunday's marathon, and it is notoriously uphill.  Rodenfels was still a few strides back, but put in a surge in the final 400 meters that none of her rivals could match.  Kelati, St. Pierre and Valby were already at their aerobic limits, but Rodenfels had something left. "I was playing it intuitively and went for it," said Rodenfels, who only had one second on Kelati at the finish.  St. Pierre, in her first race back from maternity leave, took third in 15:35, and Valby, who spent nearly all of 2025 trying to come back from a broken navicular bone in her left foot, got fourth in 15:37. Rodenfels, who like national 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz is coached by Juli Benson, said that she was uncertain of her fitness coming into today's race. "Honestly, I felt like I'm less sharp than normal," she admitted.  "I feel like I usually come here and I'm raring to go, ready in shape.  I took my break (after the track season) longer.  We've been trying to slow it down, so I can be in shape more at the right time.  So, I was very surprised winning this. For Valby, finishing today's race marked an important step in her comeback.  Her last race was an indoor 3000m on February 2, and she revealed that she had only been running for about two months.  She has been training in Gainesville, Fla., under her college coach, Will Palmer. "Excited to be back out there and grateful to be healthy," she said after being asked to evaluate her race.  She continued: "I hurt my foot in February and it took a little while to figure out what it was.  It was a pretty bad break.  I had to take a lot of time off to get healthy again." The men's race also came down to the final sprint.  Kenya's Amon Kemboi, who trains with the Puma Elite Running group in North Carolina, used his unique mix of strength and speed to prevail today.  He put in the first big surge of the race on East 42nd Street, then surged again on the uphill into Central Park where he was followed by Americans Cole Sprout (in his professional road racing debut), Anthony Rotich, and Drew Bosley, and Britain's Adam Fogg.  Another Kenyan, Patrick Kiprop, had been dropped on the hill. "The main thing was staying comfortable for the first two miles," Kemboi told reporters.  "I was ready for quick, or tactical race.  It was kind of tactical; that was good." Running downhill past the Carousel on the park's loop road, Kemboi decided to wait to strike.  Like Rodenfels, he thought the last 400 meters would be the best place to make his move.  He waited for the final uphill to the finish line, then surged a final time.  He clocked 13:50, beating Sprout by one second.  Rotich was third in 13:52, and Fogg got fourth in 13:53.  Bosley, who was with the leaders the entire race, finished fifth in 13:58. "The main thing was, I know I had the kick to get to the finish," said Kemboi who finished third in the New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile here in 2024 (sixth this year).  "That was the main thing.  Getting to the last 800 and seeing how the body feels, then execute the last 400." American Abdi Nur, the defending champion, ran near the front of the race early, but fell back mid-race and finished seventh in 14:14.  He explained that he did not feel well this morning, and that he was also in the early stages of his training for 2026. "This morning I didn't feel the best waking up," he told Race Results Weekly.  "I don't know if it was something I ate yesterday, but it was hard to get food down this morning.  At two miles... I felt so weak.  Right now I'm building mileage, I'm building fitness and getting back to regular volume.  I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting close.  I'm really proud of myself for finishing." PHOTO: Annie Rodenfels winning the 2025 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in New York (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (31-Oct) -- Although he's the fastest American entered in Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon, Biya Simbassa is hardly a household name.  A late bloomer, Simbassa didn't start running seriously until he was a freshman in 2012 at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, and after moving to the University of Oklahoma in 2014 he never broke 14 minutes for 5000m nor qualified for an NCAA Championships in track or cross country. Nonetheless, the 32 year-old ran a personal best of 2:06:53 at the Valencia Marathon last December and is the fifth-fastest American of all time behind only Conner Mantz, Khalid Khannouchi, Galen Rupp and Ryan Hall.  He's also the national road 10-K record-holder with a 27:32 personal best (set this year in May), and has won five national road running titles.  He feels that he is still young as a runner, still growing.  Sunday will be his fourth marathon. "In college, I was like in high school, just starting," Simbassa told Race Results Weekly in an interview today.  "So, now is like in college and my career is getting better.  I'm doing a lot of things I've never done before, like mileage, longer workouts.  So, it's like I'm new to the sport.  I'm growing." In Sunday's race --where he'll face international stars like Eliud Kipchoge and Benson Kipruto of Kenya, Abdi Nageeye of The Netherlands (the defending champion), and Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia-- Simbassa won't be trying for a fast time.  New York's hilly and often windy course makes fast running difficult, and the race will not have any pacemakers.  Instead, Simbassa will be trying for the highest possible finish, a big step in his career as Sunday's race will be Simbassa's first ever Abbott World Marathon Majors event.  He said he feels very comfortable racing here. "New York, because I've done a lot of New York road races," Simbassa explained.  "I've done (NYC) Half, I've done (Abbott Dash) 5-K.  I just wanted to do New York.  I wanted New York to be my first Major.  That's why I chose to do New York." Simbassa, who represents Asics, is particularly excited by the chance to race under championship conditions without pacemakers, which he thinks plays to his strengths.  Under coach Ian Carter at his base in Flagstaff, Ariz., Simbassa upped his mileage to increase his strength. "I can do a really good job with championship race," Simbassa said.  He continued: "One thing I did different (in training) is I increased my mileage.  My mileage has been higher, and longer workouts and long runs.  The last seven weeks I've reached 125 (miles per week), I did one 130-mile week then dropped down to 125.  So, I've never done this high mileage.  I'm happy. My body is doing well; that's what I did different for this race." As far as race goals, Simbassa said that just wants to execute his race plan well, stay alert, stick to a reasonable pace, and react to any important moves. "My goal is to stay in it, you know, as long as I can and stay patient," Simbassa said.  "You know, this course you never know what's going to happen.  I'm going to stay patient and stay with the group that I'm supposed to be with, take my nutrition, and all that stuff.  Like I say, I'm excited for the championship racing.  Valencia is just a pace; you're locked-in, you're trying to stay with them as long as you can."  He continued: "I think Sunday is going to be a good one." In the last ten editions of the TCS New York City Marathon only one American man, Abdi Abdirahman, has reached the podium (third place, 2016).  The top American finisher last year was Conner Mantz, who finished sixth.  Mantz's time of 2:09:00 was the fastest-ever by an American in New York.  Simbassa could challenge for the podium and definitely has the chops to break Mantz's time, but he said he won't be focused on the clock. "The pace can change any time," he said.  "It's all about how strong you are as you work your way up to the finish line." PHOTO: Biya Simbassa finishing third at the 2025 USATF 10-Mile Championships at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile in Washington, D.C. (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (30-Oct) -- Last March in Atlanta, Amanda Vestri finished third at the USATF Half-Marathon Championships and earned a berth on Team USATF for the World Road Running Championships which were scheduled for September in San Diego.  The Brooks-sponsored athlete clocked 1:08:17 on a hilly course, and was thrilled to make her first national team after struggling late in the race. "By the grace of God," Vestri said, when asked how she maintained her composure in the final stages of the competition.  "That was the only thing I was holding on to towards the end.  I was like, God, just get me through this.  Miles eight to twelve I was suffering pretty bad." But only three days later, World Athletics said that those championships would be moved from San Diego to another venue, and a few weeks later cancelled them altogether.  Vestri's fall plans had to be changed, and she felt the pull of the marathon, a distance her coaches in both high school and college said she was destined for. "When the World Half-Marathon Championships were not going to happen in September in San Diego, which I qualified for, I was like, you know what?  We've got other options," Vestri told Race Results Weekly in an interview at a midtown hotel.  She continued: "I watched the Boston Marathon this past year and I think watching so many people, so many athletes I know, race that marathon, I just got really inspired by it.  I just wanted to be a part of that." The performances of two of those athletes, Jessica McClain and Annie Frisbie, really lit a fire under Vestri.  They finished seventh and eighth, respectively, and were the first and second Americans in the race. "Jess McClain, like she's a Brooks athlete, and just seeing her out there being top American was great," Vestri continued.  "Annie Frisbie, who was my old roommate at Iowa State, seeing her get second American was just inspiring.  That's when I knew I really wanted to run a marathon." Working with her coach Pete Rea and agent Josh Cox, Vestri decided that New York made the most sense for her debut, despite the hilly course, all-women's format, lack of pacemakers, and a stacked international field.  Vestri grew up in Webster, N.Y., about a 20 minute drive from Rochester, and competing in New York just felt right to her.  She already had a relationship with the race organizer, New York Road Runners, and had raced successfully in three of their events. "Me and Pete, my coach, went back and forth between Chicago and New York," Vestri explained.  "To be honest, it wasn't too long of a decision before we came to the conclusion of New York."  She continued: "Number one, I grew up in New York so it has somewhat of a home feel to it.  I've run many, many New York Road Runners events, and they've always treated you (like) the best athletes in the world.  I've just liked the experiences that I've had here where I started my pro running career.  I've run well at the New York Mini (10-K), I saw the marathon running here at Abbott (Dash 5K) two years ago, and it was just really cool to see." But there was a bigger reason for Vestri to choose New York: the championship-style format which emphasizes head-to-head racing over achieving fast times. "I didn't want to time-trial my first marathon," Vestri said.  "I wanted to run it on my own terms and race it.  I think it's really cool to have a super-fast marathon PR, but I don't think that's what New York is all about.  I think New York is about the place, the experience, being patient in the race, and getting to do something that's incredibly rare, running through all the boroughs.  It's the opportunity of a lifetime.  That's why I chose New York and I'm excited about it." Vestri ran several summer road races, and even won her first national title at the USATF 6-K Championships in Canton, Ohio, on July 12.  After that, she competed in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., on July 31 where she finished eighth.  She took a little time to recover, then got right into her marathon build in August. "We had decided that I would just take ten days of, like, easy running, (and) a few days off," Vestri said.  "Then we got right into it.  I did my first long run of the build in August, and we've just been non-stop since then.  Pete's approach to marathon training is just building very, very slowly.  I think that has helped me feel like I'm still climbing now." Vestri said that her weekly mileage peaked at about 115, and her 23-mile long run was the longest run of her life.  She also did a 16-mile race-pace run as part of a 22 mile day.  On October 5, she raced the Twin Cities 10 Mile in Minneapolis on thoroughly tired legs and ran a very solid 53:14.  That's equivalent to a 2:29:12 marathon using the time-tested Riegel Formula, but with absolutely no taper. "I did the 10-mile at Twin Cities and that was a very good... check-in point," Vestri said.  "We were nowhere near the fitness that we worked to be at four weeks later, which is now.  I think we timed it pretty well.  Running on tired legs was a different stimulus that I haven't really conceptualized until I ran that race." For Sunday, Vestri prefers to keep her specific goals private.  But she already knows how she plans to execute the race, by staying both vigilant and patient. "I'm typically not very patient in races, so in training we've been practicing patience," Vestri said.  "I think New York is the definition of being patient in a race.  I watched a few of the marathons back in the last few weeks to get an idea of how it plays out, and it's very much patience, patience, patience. Then the real racing starts with about 10K to go." By making her debut in New York, Vestri joins a super-elite group of American women who have chosen the TCS New York City Marathon for their first marathon: Deena Kastor in 2001 (seventh in 2:26:58), Marla Runyan in 2002 (fourth in 2:27:10), Kara Goucher in 2008 (third in 2:25:53), Shalane Flanagan in 2010 (second in 2:28:40), Laura Thweatt in 2015 (seventh in 2:28:23), Molly Huddle in 2016 (third in 2:28:13), and Annie Frisbie in 2021 (seventh in 2:26:18).  Flanagan won the race in 2017, which Vestri watched on television as an 18 year-old. "It's surreal for sure," said Vestri as she thought about the great history of American debuts in New York.  "You've got Kara Goucher, who I've been lucky enough to speak to a couple of times about the marathon distance."  She continued: It's going to be a great opportunity.  I'm excited to debut in New York and take in the crowds, to be honest." Vestri has already accomplished her first goal for Sunday's race: getting to the starting line healthy.  From there, she could feel successful with any number of outcomes. "I think a good day is the fact that I got to the start line healthy, and mentally and physically ready.  I enjoyed the build and I get to go out and celebrate.  If I can cross that line and say I did everything I could, that will be successful for me.  Running smart and running brave is my main goal." PHOTO: Amanda Vestri finishing third at the 2025 USATF Half-Marathon Championships in Atlanta (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)