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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. (26-Feb) -- After Emma Grace Hurley finished 89th in her senior year at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships for the ninth-place Furman Paladins, the possibility of a professional running career seemed remote.  Although Hurley had performed well at the conference level, she never made an NCAA national track championships in any discipline.  By the time she graduated she had achieved only a modest 5000m personal best of 15:57.23.  Not a single shoe company tried to sign her. Fast forward six years and Hurley, who represents ASICS, is coming off of a career year where she won the USATF Running Circuit overall title, finished on the podium at five USATF championships, represented Team USATF at the World Athletic Cross Country Championships, and made an excellent half-marathon debut of 1:08:26 which made her the 12th-fastest American of all time. "I'm so grateful to still be in this sport," the 27 year-old told Race Results Weekly in a telephone interview from Atlanta yesterday.  "No one, no one would have thought in 2019 at cross country that I would still have opportunities like this so I am really grateful." It's been a long road for Hurley, originally from Roswell, Ga., where she competed for the Fellowship Christian School before heading for Furman.  Now based in Indianapolis, she's back in Atlanta for Sunday's USATF Half Marathon Championships, part of the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend organized by the Atlanta Track Club. The event is the USA selection race for the 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships. The top three men and women will qualify for the team, and Hurley is the sixth-ranked athlete in the women's field based on personal best.  She's approaching the race cautiously, but thinks she has a shot at the podium. "The thing I always think to myself is to never have my mouth move faster than my legs can run," Hurley said.  "That's a big fear of mine, to throw something out there then not live up to it and have it be this pressure.  But in my head, the way I, like, have to go into it is to see myself as a podium finisher or else it's not going to materialize." With the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the nation after Hurley finished college, her elite running career got off to a slow start.  She moved back home to Roswell and joined the Atlanta Track Club's Elite program under then coaches Amy and Andrew Begley.  She clicked with the Begleys and began to put in the work.  She won the local Thanksgiving Day 5K in 2021 and set a then club record with her 16:13 clocking.  She had found a home. "Andrew and Amy were so chill," said Hurley.  "I actually felt less pressure in races (than in college), not just because they believed in me, but... I felt like they didn't hold expectations and they weren't going to get too high or too low no matter how the race went or how the workout went.  And that for me was really nice, knowing that the race was just the race and they were going to be proud of the effort and still believe in me just as much." In 2022 results started to come, even though Hurley was still only running 60-mile weeks.  In the fall she finished fifth at the USATF 10K Championships at the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, N.Y., putting up a personal best of 32:50 on a hilly course.  She also ran a fast 10-miler of 53:24. Hurley benefited from the diversity of athletes on the Atlanta Track Club team, and was able to work on both speed and endurance without having to train alone. "I was on a team with anyone from 800 to marathon, and so being the only in-between person at that point I was just always getting pushed in workouts by people who were stronger than me in long runs, or... always getting pushed on the track.  I had a really good balance." In 2023 Hurley became a bonafide national-class athlete.  Skipping the indoor season, she took second at the USATF 15K Championships at the Gate River Run in March in Jacksonville, Fla., and was beaten only by American marathon record holder Emily Sisson.  She had struggled with "impostor syndrome" in her earlier elite races, but now she felt like she belonged on those starting lines.  She earned $5000 in prize money, the biggest payday of her career. "That didn't suck," said Hurley with a laugh.  "I think that was kind of the first time I felt like I belonged."  She continued: "Like, the previous year at races, for example like the B.A.A. 5K, I was looking around me and just being like, what am I doing here?  I don't know why I'm here." She got on two more national championships podiums in 2023, third at the USATF 10-Mile Championships at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C., and third at the USATF 10-K Championships at the Great Cow Harbor 10K.  In the 10K she was beaten only by 2024 Olympian and USA half-marathon record holder Weini Kelati and 2023 USATF cross country champion Ednah Kurgat.  She credited consistent work for her success. "I think that maybe the previous year and a half-ish of work was really good and really consistent," Hurley explained.  "One of the things I do really well isn't necessarily nailing one day and having a crazy workout or anything like that.  But I did a really good job of, up until that point, of not having missed anything." But a big change was coming.  The Begleys and Atlanta Track Club had parted ways, and Hurley had to make a decision about what to do. "There was definitely a level of anxiety," said Hurley, who ran her last race in ATC kit at the USATF 5K Championships at the Abbott Dash in November, 2023 in New York City.  She added: "Knowing that there was going to be a transition at the end of the year was a little stressful." Amy Begley took a job at USATF as director of long distance running programs and moved to Indianapolis with Andrew.  Hurley wanted to stay with the Begleys' coaching and decided to move, despite the fact that meant she would lose the financial support she got from the Atlanta Track Club.  Atlanta was also her home. "The only reservations I had were that my family and my boyfriend was in Atlanta, and my friends were in Atlanta," Hurley said.  "Obviously that's a lot of reservations, but I don't think anyone really questioned that they were the right coaches for me, and this is such a finite time where I can do this.  Of course, I was going to do everything I could to take advantage of the next few years my body can do this." Early in 2024 Hurley's management agency, Flynn Sports Management, got her a sponsorship deal with Asics. She was already a fan of their shoes, and Asics was making a renewed push into road running.  It seemed like a good fit. "I first got some ASICS shoes to try in early February, and then my first race in their uniform was Gate River Run in 2024," Hurley recounted. Hurley's 2024 competitive year was a whirlwind.  She did more than a dozen races from the mile to the half-marathon.  A very consistent performer, she finished fifth or better in every national championship she entered, except for the USATF Road Mile Championships (she still ran a credible 4:37.55).  In her last two national championships of the year, she finished third in both the 10K and the 5K.  In November she clinched the USATF Running Circuit title which included a $30,000 paycheck. But Hurley saved the best for last.  Just a week after the USATF 5K Championships at the Abbott Dash, Hurley secured a late entry for the CNO Financial Group Indianapolis Monumental Half-Marathon.  She felt fit and wanted to put it all out there in a half marathon for her last race of the year. "I was excited about that," Hurley said.  "I really, like, decided to do it the week of.  I really started thinking about it maybe the day before the Dash, and I had told myself if I get second or third at the Dash I was for sure going to do the half next week."  She added: "I was really grateful that they gave me the opportunity the week of." Because it was a last-minute thing, Hurley didn't have all of her usual race preparations in order, like where and what to have for dinner the night before.  Unable to get a restaurant reservation in downtown Indianapolis, she and a friend ended up eating pub food the night before, and as good as her legs felt during the race her stomach was pushing back. "I had seen Amy and Andrew (on the course) and they told me that I was going to win," Hurley recounted.  "I got to, like, enjoy that last mile (and) that was awesome.  The homestretch, to be completely honest, I had a little whoops on dinner the night before.  She continued: "We didn't get dinner reservations.  I called around too late, and we had, like, burgers and nachos and I was really freaking in the homestretch.  I was not underfueling or losing energy, but I had literally eaten the wrong things.  I was getting sick." She ended up throwing up a few minutes after the race. "It didn't feel good," she said good-naturedly.  "It was my own fault."  She added: "I wouldn't have eaten this before a workout.  Why did I think this was a good idea?" For this Sunday, besides making sure she eats a good meal on Saturday night, Hurley is feeling completely ready.  She hasn't run a race since last November, and she just completed her first-ever altitude camp.  She spent five weeks in Albuquerque and ran three 90-mile weeks, something she's never done before. "I really wanted, like, a good couple of months (to only train)," Hurley said.  "Even if you aren't taking a full down-week for a race you're still missing 10 to 15 miles in there.  I wanted to see what happened if I was just really consistent in training and not interrupting things to race." But running at altitude is so much harder than at sea level, so Hurley isn't sure exactly where she is fitness-wise. "I think preparation went well, but at the same time I don't know what things mean there," she said of her paces.  "So, we'll see how it translates.  But I've been in Atlanta for about a week and a half now, and everything feels really good."  She added: "I'm optimistic." While Hurley didn't discuss the rest of her racing plans for the year, it's a safe bet that you'll see her in longer events. "I think I always knew that I was going to end up in longer things," Hurley said.  "I think we're still kind of exploring and discovering that, but I think that's where I'm most at home right now." PHOTO: Emma Grace Hurley finishing 3rd at the 2024 USA 5K Championships at the Abbot Dash in New York City (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, Published with permission. NEW YORK (18-Feb) -- Olympians Conner Mantz (Nike) and Emily Sisson (New Balance) are set to lead the USA charge at the 18th edition of the United Airlines NYC Half here on Sunday, March 16.  The two USA record holders --the half-marathon for Mantz and the marathon for Sisson-- are part of a star-studded field announced today by race founders and organizers, New York Road Runners.  The 2024 edition was the second-largest half-marathon in the United States last year with 27,824 finishers. Mantz, 28, who won the USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon last February, is coming off a record-setting runner-up finish at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon on January 19 where he set a new American record of 59:17.  In that race Mantz also set national records at 15 km (42:05), 10 miles (45:16), and 20 km (56:23) on his way to the finish.  Last November, he finished sixth in the TCS New York City Marathon in 2:09:00, the fastest time ever by an American at that race. "I was fortunate to kick off my 2025 season with an American record in the half-marathon," Mantz said through a statement. "Racing the United Airlines NYC Half will help me to continue that momentum during an important year of racing. Every time I race in New York, the crowds and camaraderie are unmatched, so I'm excited to have another opportunity to compete against some of the fastest and strongest athletes in the world." Sisson, 33, made her half-marathon debut at the NYC Half back in 2017 when she battled her then training partner Molly Huddle right to the tape, clocking 1:08:21 to finish second by two seconds.  She finished second again in 2018, and hasn't competed in the event since.  However, she later ran excellent half-marathons on flatter courses, and set a since-broken national record of 1:06:52 in Houston in 2023.  She set the still-standing USA marathon record of 2:18:29 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2022. Both Mantz and Sisson will have plenty of competition for the NYC Half's $20,000 first prize.  Two Kenyans, Abel Kipchumba and Richard Etir, have fast personal best times of 58:07 and 59:32, respectively on their résumés.  Kipchumba, who represents adidas, won the 2024 edition of the race in 1:00:25, while Etir will make his New York debut. Other top entrants include Briton Patrick Dever (1:00:11 PB); Americans Hillary Bor (1:00:20), Biya Simbassa (1:00:37), and Reed Fischer (1:00:54); Kenyan Wesley Kiptoo (1:00:34); Eritrean Yemane Haileselassie (1:01:34); and Japan's Yudai Kiyama (1:00:32) and Hibiki Murakami (1:01:46).  Canadian Olympic 5000m silver medalist Moh Ahmed, and two-time American Olympian Woody Kincaid will make their half-marathon debuts (both have run sub-27:00 for 10,000m on the track). On the women's side three-time European cross country champion, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway, will try to retain her title.  She won the 2024 edition of the race in 1:09:09, 18 seconds ahead of Kenyan Gladys Chepkurui. "Winning the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half was a dream come true and set the tone for the rest of my season," said Grøvdal, who represents adidas. "This race is extremely special to me and to have the opportunity to defend my title is an incredible honor." Including Sisson and Grøvdal, a total of seven women who are entered have run under 68 minutes for the half-marathon distance.  The others are Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel (1:06:09), Calli Hauger-Thackery of Great Britain (1:06:58), Sara Hall of the United States (1:07:15), Sharon Lokedi of Kenya (1:07:42), and Fiona O'Keeffe of the United States (1:07:42).  O'Keeffe was the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon champion. In the professional wheelchair division, Susannah Scaroni will try for her third straight NYC Half title, while Dutchman Geert Schipper will try to win for the second consecutive time. ** This year's NYC Half will take runners over the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time after using the Manhattan Bridge since the start was moved to Brooklyn from Manhattan in 2018.  The finish line will still be in Central Park, just south of Tavern on the Green.  The point-to-point course is not record eligible, but is very tough with many hills and a high point of 45 meters above sea level. PHOTO: Conner Mantz competing in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, Published with permission. HOUSTON (19-Jan) -- Conner Mantz and Weini Kelati set new American records at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon on a chilly and windy morning here.  Mantz, 28, the reigning USATF marathon champion, crushed Ryan Hall's mythical record of 59:43 set here in 2007, running 59:17 and nearly winning the race overall.  Kelati, 28, broke her own record of 1:06:25 set here a year ago, clocking 1:06:09. "It was a special day today," said Mantz, who finished second to Ethiopia's Addisu Gobena by 4/100ths of a second (both athletes were given the same time).  He added: "My coach Ed Eyestone prepared me really well." Mantz made his intentions known right from the gun at 6:45 a.m.  With a black watch cap pulled down low on his head, Mantz tucked in behind pacemaker Amon Kemboi of Kenya along with Gobena, Gabriel Geay of Tanzania, and Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia, twice the race champion here. Kemboi did a great job, taking the quartet of contenders through 5 km in 14:02 and 10 km in 28:01.  That put them just under the required pace to break Feyisa Lelisa's course record of 59:22 set in 2012. Although Kemboi dropped just after 10K, the pace remained strong through 15K.  The third 5-kilometer segment was timed in 14:04, and the four athletes were rotating against the wind.  Gobena did a lot of the leading. Remarkably, the four stayed together all the way to the final kilometer, and it was only inside of the final 200 meters that a head-to-head sprint between Gobena and Mantz set up.  Gobena had a one-step lead and appeared to be getting away, but Mantz surged on the Ethiopian's left and tried to overtake him.  As the two barreled for the narrow finish tape, Gobena angled slightly to his left, squeezing Mantz, who nearly ran into one of the tape-holders.  Officials confirmed that Gobena was the winner, and the two athletes embraced after the finish. "I was very happy to be able to run with all of those runners," said Gobena, who won $15,000 in prize money.  "I was very happy to be able to compete with such great athletes." Along the way to his record, Mantz split 42:05 at 15K, 45:16 at 10 miles, and 56:23 at 20K.  Those are all pending national records. "This is a record I really wanted," said Mantz, looking a little shocked.  "I want to lower it down the road." Going down the finish order, Geay took third in 59:18, Yimer got fourth in 59:20, and Britain's Patrick Dever took fifth in 1:00:11. In the women's race Kelati also set pending American records at 15K (46:32), 10 miles (50:05), and 20K (1:02:43). "The goal is just to run hard from the beginning (and) that's what I did," said Kelati, who said that stomach problems almost derailed her race today. Like Mantz, Kelati finished second.  Senayet Getachew of Ethiopia picked up five seconds on Kelati in the 20th kilometer, and held a four-second lead to the finish.  She won in 1:06:05 and claimed the $15,000 first prize. "The race was very good, the race was very tough," said Getachew through a translator.  She continued: "I have never run in weather like this before." Both Mantz and Kelati took home $18,000: $8,000 for second place and $10,000 for setting new national records. The Chevron Houston Marathon lacked the fireworks of the half, but was still an exciting race.  The men's elite pack went out conservatively in 1:04:17 which kept ten men in contention, including Israel's Haimro Alame, Eritrea's Yemane Haileselassie, and Kenya's Shadrack Kimining. Haileselassie, who won the Honolulu Marathon last month, put in a surge after 30-K, running the 5-kilometer segment between 30 and 35-K in 14:49.  That was too fast for most of the pack, and set up a three-way battle between Alame, Haileselassie, and Kimining just past 40-K.  Alame put in a surge of his own and ran away for the win in 2:08:17.  He won $50,000 in prize money. "At the beginning it was slower because it was so cold, so the only option was to save everything for the finishing kick," said Alame, clutching the Israeli flag. Haileselassie took second in 2:08:25, Kimining got third in 2:08:29, and France's Hugo Taupiac took fourth in 2:08:50.  Christian Allen was the top American in seventh place in 2:10:32.  His time was the fastest ever by an American man in Houston. In the women's division of the marathon, Ethiopia's Kumeshi Sichala got away from compatriot Tsige Haileslase and American Erika Kemp in the 26th kilometer, and only had men for company for the rest of the race.  She cruised to a personal best 2:20:42. "It was after the halfway that I left everyone behind," said Sichala through a translator.  "After the pacemaker dropped out, I followed runners (men) who were running for themselves.  At 26-K I was able to pull away." Kemp, who was running in only her second marathon, achieved her goal of running the "massive PB" she said she was trying for. She finished second in 2:22:56, a 2025 World Championships qualifier and the second-fastest time ever by an American woman in Houston.  She improved her personal best by over 11 minutes. Haileslase, who struggled in the second half, held on for third in 2:25:09.  Fourth went to another Ethiopian, Anna Dibaba, in 2:26:49.  Amber Zimmerman of Philadelphia got fifth in 2:29:01. Both the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon and Chevron Houston Marathon are World Athletics Gold Label Road Races.  This is the only event with two Gold Label races contested on the same day at the same time. PHOTO: Weini Kelati and Conner Mantz after setting USA records at the 2025 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly all rights reserved. Published with permission. HOUSTON (18-Jan) -- Ryan Hall's USATF half-marathon record of 59:43 was set here in 2007 at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon, and despite the introduction of "super shoes" in 2016, which use carbon plates to help propel runners forward, Hall's record has yet to be broken.  Hall, now 42, set that mark as a 24 year-old while making his half-marathon debut. "My plan was to just see how I felt," Hall told Race Results Weekly that day.  "I was just going with the race pace I could maintain." America's best road runners of the last decade --Dathan Ritzenhein, Galen Rupp, Leonard Korir, and Hillary Bor-- have been unable to break the record giving Hall's mark a mythical quality.  But a new crop of athletes are ready to try on the streets of Houston on Sunday, including Olympians Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker and Morgan Pearson.  For them Hall's record is definitely top of mind. "There were a lot of races to pick from, but the most exciting one for me was always Houston," Klecker said at a press conference yesterday.  The 28 year-old, who is coached by 2009 World Half-Marathon Championships bronze medalist Dathan Ritzenhein, is trying the distance for the first time and wants to run fast.  "I've seen the field and there's people in this race who have run faster than that record.  So, if I go in there and try to win, and if I feel good push for it, it's possible.  From the stuff I've done in training I believe it indicates that it's a doable goal." Klecker did his build-up with Pearson, an Olympic silver medalist in the triathlon mixed relay, who is a gifted runner.  Pearson, 31, ran a 1:01:08 half-marathon in Valencia last October a week after he wrapped up his triathlon season in Malaga.  He was clearly excited by the chance to run fast here.  He called his result in Valencia an "OK race" and would like to go faster. "I was left wanting more," Pearson said of his run in Valencia.  He added: "After Valencia, I hope to improve my time." Mantz, 28, the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon champion who won the 2021 USATF Half-Marathon Championships in a personal best 1:00:55, was motivated to run here based in part on the strength of the field.  He had a terrific year in 2024 culminating in an eighth place finish at the Paris Olympic Marathon and a sixth place showing at the TCS New York City Marathon.  His time at New York of 2:09:00 was the fastest ever by an American on New York's tough course. "With this elite field there's a ton that's possible," Mantz said.  "With a field like this you can definitely get fast times and the American record could go down.  Part of the reason I wanted to come here was it's a fast course, and you have Morgan and Joe and plenty of other elite Americans running here.  I want to be in that race whether I'm ready or not." The other top Americans include Olympians Clayton Young (1:01:18 PB) and Hillary Bor (1:01:20), Diego Estrada (1:00:49), Frank Lara (1:01:00), and Futsum Zienasellassie (1:01:21).  The fastest international athletes are Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia (58:33 PB), Gabriel Geay of Tanzania (59:42), Abe Gashahun of Ethiopia (59:46), and Wesley Kiptoo of Kenya (1:00:43).  Yimer has won the race twice. Not to be overlooked is the possibility of a USA record on the women's side.  Last year, Weini Kelati came to this race and ran a national record 1:06:25 in her debut.  She's back this year and is ready to run fast. "It was my first half-marathon last year and I didn't know how it was going to be," said Kelati, whose last race was a 4:29 road mile in Hawaii in December.  She continued:  "I'm just really excited, and we'll see how well I can race because training has been really, really good.  And I'm just excited to be here." Amanda Vestri, who ran 1:08:12 in her half-marathon debut in Orlando last month, is also running here, but doesn't expect to be challenging Kelati, she said.  Other top Americans include Natosha Rogers (1:09:36 PB), Lindsay Flanagan (1:09:37), Lauren Hagens (1:09:41), and Susanna Sullivan (1:09:42).  The fastest international women are Buze Diriba of Ethiopia (1:06:24) and Jessica Warner-Judd of Great Britain (1:07:07). Cold and windy conditions are expected here for Sunday, which may slow the race down.  At the 6:45 a.m. start, the temperature should be about 35F/2C. The Aramco Houston Half-Marathon is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.  Race winners will receive $15,000 in prize money, and breaking the course records (59:22 for men and 1:04:37 for women, respectively) is worth a $15,000 bonus.  American record breakers can earn a bonus of $10,000. "I really don't know what's possible," said Mantz.  "It's a blast.  I love competing." PHOTO: Four of the top athletes entered in the 2025 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon (left to right): Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker, Morgan Pearson and Jemal Yimer (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. (15-Jan) -- The reigning Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, the 2021 Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, and current world record holder Ruth Chepngetich have all been contracted to run the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, April 27, organizers announced last night. Hassan, a Dutchwoman, won the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon in a Games record 2:22:55.  She out-sprinted then world record holder Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia  who finished three seconds behind.  Hassan also won bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m at the Paris Games, an unprecedented triple for a woman. "Every moment in the race I was regretting that I ran the 5000 and 10,000," Hassan admitted that day.  "I was telling myself if I hadn't done that, I would feel great today. From the beginning to the end, it was so hard." Hassan won the TCS London Marathon in 2023, also in a sprint finish, in her debut marathon.  She has a personal best of 2:13:44, the European record and the third-fastest of all time. Jepchirchir, a Kenyan, won the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Marathon (held in Sapporo in 2021), and is the reigning London Marathon champion (she was also third in 2023).  Her 2024 winning time of 2:16:16 was a women-only world record, surpassing the 2:17:01 that compatriot Mary Keitany had run in London in 2017.  Jepchirchir was also the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon champion and the 2023 World Half-Marathon gold medalist. Chepngetich, also from Kenya, won last October's Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a jaw-dropping 2:09:56, a world record.  Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, would have finished 11th had she been entered in the men's division.  Unlike Hassan and Jepchirchir, Chepngetich has yet to win the London Marathon, finishing third in her only appearance in the special COVID-safe edition held in October, 2020, in St. James's Park. "The TCS London Marathon always brings together the best athletes in the world and I am sure this year will be as competitive as ever," Chepngetich said through a statement.  "Myself, Peres and the other women are strong, so it will be a competitive one and I want to prepare as best as I can and we will see if we can lower Peres's world record of 2:16:16 from last year. With the strength of the field, I think we can support each other and maybe the world record will fall." Certainly, the three women will have Paula Radcliffe's absolute London Marathon women's record of 2:15:25 in mind, a mark set in a mixed-sex race in 2003. "Ruth's world record at the Chicago Marathon last year was an incredible performance that re-defined what is possible in women's marathon running," said Spencer Barden, the TCS London Marathon elite athletes chief.  "So, we are delighted to welcome her back to the TCS London Marathon and are very excited to see her take on the Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, plus last year's champion and women's only world record holder Peres Jepchirchir here in London in what will be one of the great marathon contests." The TCS London Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the premiere series of global marathons.  The race reported a record 53,790 finishers in 2024 making it the fourth-largest marathon in the world. PHOTO: Ruth Chepngetich after setting her world record at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)