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The Road to the Paris Olympics: Meet Team USA's Marathoners
Katherine
June 20, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
The Warm Up:
The countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon is on! With the men’s race on August 10th and the women’s on August 11th, excitement is building as the qualifiers hit their training stride with less than 60 days to go.
In this edition of the The Stride we’re highlighting…
Team USA’s marathoners
Inspirational stories from the qualifiers
An overview of epic race course
Paris Bound: Team USA’s Marathoners 🇺🇸
While the majority of Team USA’s Olympic qualifying races unfold this week, marathon qualifying races took place earlier in the year to allow the qualifying runners ample recovery time before the actual marathon in Paris.
Take a look at Team USA’s marathon qualifiers and their epic finishing times!
Men:
| Women:
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As if those qualifying times aren't impressive enough (they ran 26.2 miles in how long?!), each athlete has a unique story that encapsulates their commitment to the sport. We've highlighted a couple of those stories below.
Longtime Training Buddies and Teammates: Clayton Young & Conner Mantz
After clinching 1st and 2nd place in the Olympic Trials, teammates and friends Clayton Young and Conner Mantz are heading to Paris.
This is not the first time the two have competed against each other, as they’ve consistently trained and raced together for many years since meeting at Brigham Young University in Utah.
Want to learn more? We love this in-depth article by the New York Times.
Dreaming of keeping pace with Clayton and Conner? Clayton is taking us along his journey to Paris via an outstanding mini-series that chronicles his Olympic training build with Conner Mantz. 🎬 Catch the first episode below!
Racing Past Roadblocks: Leonard Korir
A 2016 Olympian and member of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, Leonard Korir has fought hard to get back to the Olympic stage.
After narrowly missing out on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by finishing fourth at the Olympic trials, Korir came to the 2024 Olympic trials with a clear objective: to qualify.
Despite finishing third, and moving up from his 2020 fourth-place finish, Korir still faced a period of uncertainty and almost suffered heartbreak again. The third spot on the 2024 USA men's marathon team was not immediately solidified due to limited team slots and stringent selection criteria.
This meant enduring three months of waiting, with his Olympic dream hanging in the balance.
Thankfully, in June, officials confirmed he had secured an official spot on the team.
A Marathon Race Debut and Crushed Record(s): Fiona O’Keeffe
In the women’s Olympic Trials, Fiona O’Keeffe wowed audiences and the other athletes racing alongside her by achieving the following:
Setting a new Olympic Trials record (2:22:10)
Becoming the youngest woman to win the trials
Making her marathon race debut
When being asked about the race and her thoughts as she took the lead, this is what O’Keeffe shared with Citius Mag during a podcast interview:
I was feeling good and feeling like I could hold a faster pace for a long way to the finish. I was not expecting to be the one driving it the whole time. I thought someone else would come up and take the lead from me or something. But once I was out there, I was like, ‘OK, I guess I've committed to this. I better keep it going’
O’Keeffe’s extraordinary performance solidified her reputation as one of the most formidable athletes in the sport, showcasing her incredible talent and determination.
Rounding Out The Women’s Qualifiers: Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm
Following closely on the heels of O’Keeffe, Emily Sisson and Dakotah Lindwurm placed 2nd and 3rd. Sisson and Lindwurm both boast impressive running journeys into competitive marathon racing and complete an epic women’s marathon trio.
The Course: 26.2 Miles Through the City of Light ✨🇫🇷
Now that we know who’s representing Team USA in the marathon, let’s take a quick look at the course.
Paris has long been a city celebrated for its epic races and finishes, from the thrilling conclusions of the Tour de France along the Champs-Élysées to countless historical footraces through its picturesque streets. This year, the City of Light will shine extra bright as it hosts the Olympic marathon.
Elevation: Includes a 1,430 ft climb and 1,437 ft descent with a maximum gradient of 13.5%.
Route Highlights: Starting at Paris City Hall, the course will head towards the Palace of Versailles, then turn around to conclude at Les Invalides. In total, the course will pass through nine cities.
Mass Participation Marathon: Unique to the Paris Olympics, the Mass Participation Marathon allows amateur athletes to run the Olympic marathon route at night on August 10th, providing a unique opportunity to experience the same course as elite athletes.
Check out the marathon route here or below.
Feeling inspired? Ready for a race of your own? Let’s find you one!
The Cool Down:
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Happy Running!
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