Men’s Marathon Project Preview: With a Fast Course & Perfect Conditions, Sunday Could Be a Historic Day for US Marathoning
December 17, 2020
In the annals of US distance running, a total of 21 men have broken 2:10 in the marathon, doing so a combined 56 times.
There are only six races in history in which more than one American has broken 2:10. The list:
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Race
2012 Olympic Trials
Meb Keflezighi (2:09:08), Ryan Hall (2:09:30), Abdi Abdirahman (2:09:47), Dathan Ritzenhein (2:09:55)
1983 Boston
1982 Boston
2002 Chicago
2010 Boston
2019 Boston
Scott Fauble (2:09:09), Jared Ward (2:09:25)
That list could be due for a major revision on Sunday. While the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into the traditional marathon schedule the three US-based World Marathon Majors (Boston, Chicago, New York) were all cancelled it has also created opportunities that would not otherwise have existed. Like the Marathon Project.
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.
The Marathon Project Gives Elite Athletes A Lifeline During The Pandemic Dec 17, 2020 David Monti
(c) 2020 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(16-Dec) Against the backdrop of a global pandemic which is generating over 200,000 new COVID-19 cases every day in the United States alone, 54 men and 44 women will mask-up and travel carefully to Chandler, Ariz., to compete this Sunday at The Marathon Project, a one-off elite-only marathon which will be held on the Gila River Indian Reservation. Run on a flat, 6.86-kilometer course, the race offers a lifeline to North America s elite marathoners who have seen nearly every important marathon in the world this year shut down after mid-March.