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Boston Marathon Contender: Sara HallPublished by
Sara Hall Returns from Injury for 2019 Boston MarathonBy Adam Kopet Sara Hall is running her first Boston Marathon. The original plan would have made it her second. Hall was forced to withdraw from last year's race with an injury that also kept her from competing at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Unlike her husband, Ryan, she did not see immediate success when she made the move to the marathon. Ryan Hall earned three top-five finishes in Boston. He made his marathon debut at the 2007 London Marathon, finishing seventh in 2:08:24. He would go on to win the Olympic Trials Marathon and place 10th at the 2008 Olympics. His fastest race came at the 2011 Boston Marathon where he finished fourth in 2:04:58. It was the fastest ever run by an American, although the Boston course is ineligible for records. When Hall made her marathon debut, she ran 2:48:02 for 22nd at the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon. However, she quickly began to learn from the experience. Her next marathon, the 2015 Chicago Marathon saw her finish 10th in 2:31:14. Since then, even when injury has interrupted her training, Hall has made steady progress in the marathon. She ran a personal best 2:27:21 at the 2017 Frankfurt Marathon. Hall then followed that up five weeks later by winning the 2017 USATF Marathon Championships. The short time between her those two marathons may have been too much. Injury struck in 2018, forcing her to drop out of several races, including Boston. However, Hall was able to turn things around and set another personal best at the 2018 Ottawa Marathon. She finished third in 2:26:30. Hall prepared to race the 2018 Frankfurt Marathon, but was unable finish the race due to injury. Her build-up had included wins at the USATF 20 km Championships and the USATF 10 Mile Championships, but those races only went to show the fitness she was building. A frequent racer, Hall has taken a different approach as she readied herself for the 2019 Boston Marathon. Namely, she has not raced. It is impossible to know what kind of shape she is in, but her agent, Josh Cox, told Jeff Metcalfe of the Arizona Republic that he would not be surprised if she ran 2:25 Monday. At the very least, she is fully healthy for the first time in a year. When Hall toes the start line Monday, she will at least know she has a whole family cheering for her. Ryan has joined her in Boston. He has recently released a new book Run the Mile You're In. She will also have her four adopted daughters cheering for her. The Halls adopted four sisters from Ethiopia in 2015. The oldest, Hana, has found prep success at Flagstaff AZ.
Not that Hall needs further motivation to run well, but Monday is her birthday. She turns 36 in her 14th year as a professional runner with Asics.
With all the talented runners competing in Boston, Hall is a wild-card. The one thing still on her to-do list before next year's Olympic Trials Marathon is to perform well in a big city marathon. The Boston Marathon could be that marathon. More news |
