Six Final Thoughts About The Marathon Project: 2:09 Isn’t 2:09 Anymore, Des Linden Says America Needs to Join the 2:19 Party, & More
December 22, 2020
The Marathon Project is in the books, and with it, the 2020 racing season. It was an event American marathoners (and marathon fans) were desperate for after a year rocked by COVID-19, and it was a staggering success. Nothing can replicate the energy, importance, and emotions of the Olympic Marathon Trials held earlier this year, but this was the closest an American event has come to those feelings since that blustery day in Atlanta 10 months ago. London, Valencia, and the World Half were great, but they were also held in the middle of the night in the United States and featured barely any Americans. Watching on Sunday morning, it felt like the largest gathering of US distance fans since the Trials even if most of that gathering took place on Twitter or the LetsRun messageboards, rather than the barren streets of Chandler, Ariz.
RRW: The Marathon Project Delivers Fast Times, Great Racing
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2020 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(20-Dec) In this pandemic year marked by so much pain, struggle and loss, The Marathon Project today in Chandler, Ariz., provided a much-needed high note before 2020 passes into infamy, at least for fans of distance running. Today’s elite-only race –bootstrapped by Josh Cox, Ben Rosario and Matt Helbig– ended up being one of the best-ever marathons on U.S. soil for North American athletes, punctuated by exciting victories for Sara Hall (2:20:32) and Martin Hehir (2:08:59). Depth was impressive for a mostly domestic race, with 12 women going sub-2:30 and 13 men going sub-2:12 (seven sub-2:10).
Hall Vaults To #2 In U.S. History, Hehir Prevails At The Marathon Project
Dec 20, 2020David Monti
(c) 2020 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(20-Dec) In this pandemic year marked by so much pain, struggle and loss, The Marathon Project today in Chandler, Ariz., provided a much-needed high note before 2020 passes into infamy, at least for fans of distance running. Today s elite-only race bootstrapped by Josh Cox, Ben Rosario and Matt Helbig ended up being one of the best-ever marathons on U.S. soil for North American athletes, punctuated by exciting victories for Sara Hall (2:20:32) and Martin Hehir (2:08:59). Depth was impressive for a mostly domestic race, with 12 women going sub-2:30 and 13 men going sub-2:12 (seven sub-2:10).
RRW: World Athletics Gave Member Federations Flexibility On New Shoe Rules
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2020 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(11-Dec) On July 28 World Athletics announced amended regulations governing competition shoes. The much-anticipated rule change was “designed to give certainty to athletes preparing for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and to preserve the integrity of elite competition,” the world governing body for athletics said in a statement. The rules, which were to take place immediately, limited the stack height (essentially the thickness of a shoe’s sole and midsole) to 25mm for track events of 800m and above (and cross country), and 40mm for road events.