By Kyle Merber
April 10, 2024
Marathon Monday is around the corner and runners are already upset with the medals they haven’t yet earned. But don’t let the gigantic Bank of America logo distract you from the fact that there are also a couple of trophies being handed out – or is it just one?
Citius Mag will be getting in on Friday to host our shakeout run with Hoka at 5:30pm from 344 Newbury Street, with a full line-up of fun activities each day to follow.
The weather right now looks what I’ll call “good enough” with a high temperature of 63 degrees and partially sunny skies. That’s the point of equilibrium for the college students dishing out smooches and athletes looking to run fast.
While it’s hard to imagine that someone who subscribes to a weekly newsletter needs much convincing about why they should tune in and care about this year’s Boston Marathon, I’d still like to reiterate some of the key plot points to pique your interest. If there is ever a year where maybe you need a little extra convincing, it might be this one as it is a field scarce of Americans since everyone lined up at the Trials expecting to make it to Paris.
So without further ado, here are the SIX best reasons to be excited for the 128th edition of the march from Hopkinton:
- Does Obiri solidify her spot? — Athletics Kenya has narrowed its Olympic shortlist down to six women, and given the accomplishments of each, it’s going to come down to recency bias. Given her role as defending champion in both New York and Boston, if selection was today, then Hellen Obiri would likely be on that team despite her modest personal best in comparison to others. That habit of winning is doubly important given the hills of the Paris course. The only other Kenyan athlete in this pool that is competing in Boston is Sharon Lokedi, who would likely be on the outside looking in as things stand currently. But that can change immediately here.
Justin Britton/@justinbritton
- Did they forget about Evans Chebet? — Twice the Boston Marathon champion and once the king of New York, there is a glaring omission from that Kenyan shortlist. Evans Chebet was a scratch in New York this fall due to injury, but prior to that race I was arguing in bars around the Hudson Valley that he was the best marathoner in the world. One conspiracy theory that I am happy to spread is that because Chebet and Benson Kipruto are training partners and under the same management, both won’t be selected. In my humble opinion, that’s silly because they could quite possibly go 1-2 in Paris. No one from the shortlist is in Boston so this won’t help his head-to-head argument.
- What’s a fast time worth? — At the top of every marathon field, athletes are ranked in descending order of their time. But what’s a seed time from two years ago on a fast course worth in the case of the “favorite” Tadu Teshome, who ran 2:17:36 in Valencia in 2022? Overlooked will be the sixth fastest athlete in the field, Workenesh Edesa, who won Osaka in January and is averaging 2:19:39 for her last five races.
- Can Sisay keep the momentum going? — The Valencia Marathon has developed the reputation of being the place where new stars break out. That was not the case this past iteration. Sisay Lemma won in a new course record of 2:01:48 to become the fourth man ever under the 2:02 mark. But we knew who he was because he is 33 – my contemporary! – and had already won the London Marathon in 2021. But that was his most dominant and impressive run of his career. Now he is going to have to do it on a REAL course (I dare you to fill my inbox up!).
Justin Britton/@justinbritton
- Welcome back Emma Bates! — One year ago you would have had to look far and wide to find someone who would not have placed Emma Bates in their Trials top three. But following a plantar injury in Chicago, she made the tough decision to not run in Orlando on a highly abbreviated build-up and instead took the stance that there is more to life (and running) than the Olympics. Though I am sure that’s still a painful realization, social media suggests Bates is fit. And I’ll be damned if the Internet has ever misled me. And right alongside her looking for redemption will be Sara Hall as she comes off a bittersweet fifth place at the Trials.
- What do the alternates have in them? — As far as 26.2 miles goes, it was a close finish at the Trials for that third spot on the men’s side as Elkanah Kibet and CJ Albertson were both within 10 seconds of Lenny Korir. They’ll both be in this one and although I don’t generally give much weight to platitudes such as “they’re hungry,” because that’s not necessarily a replacement for fitness, we do know that they’re probably still quite fit! It’s still a long ways away from Paris, but it is worth noting that Conner Mantz has not logged a run on Strava since March 5th…
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
