The Nike Vaporfly 4% wasn鈥檛 shy about how much of a boost it claimed to give runners: the promise was right there in the name. When the shoe was released back in 2017, researchers at the University of Colorado published data showing that it improved athletes鈥� running economy (i.e., efficiency) by an average of 4 percent over the best marathon shoes at the time. Chaos鈥攁nd a whole bunch of world records鈥攅nsued.

The key ingredients in the Vaporfly were a stiff, curved carbon-fiber plate embedded in a thick layer of soft-but-resilient midsole foam. Neither of these elements was magical on their own, but they somehow combined to make runners substantially more efficient, for reasons that scientists don鈥檛 fully understand and are still arguing about. Since then, virtually every major shoe brand has come up with multiple iterations of the so-called 鈥渟upershoe,鈥� tweaking these basic ingredients in minor and sometimes major ways.

But a key question has remained mostly unanswered: are the newest shoes significantly better than the original Vaporfly? A few researchers have run head-to-head tests of models from different brands, with generally muddled results. Some newer shoes might be a percent or two better, but there鈥檚 so much individual variation that it鈥檚 hard to be sure. Since Nike鈥檚 bold move in 2017, the shoe brands themselves have mostly steered clear of making explicit claims about how good their shoes are.

That鈥檚 about to change. Puma, a veteran shoe brand that relaunched its serious running line in 2018, has a new shoe dropping in time for this month鈥檚 Boston and London marathons. They think it鈥檚 dramatically better than anything else on the market鈥攁bout 3.5 percent better, in fact. They鈥檙e so convinced that they arranged to have the shoe tested by Wouter Hoogkamer, the head of the Integrative Locomotion Laboratory at UMass Amherst and, as it happens, the man who led the external testing of Nike鈥檚 Vaporfly back in 2017. Hoogkamer released his data earlier this week, and it鈥檚 impressive.

What the New Data Shows

Hoogkamer鈥檚 study is posted as a preprint on bioRxiv, a site where scientists share their results while awaiting peer review. He and his colleagues brought in 15 volunteers, all of whom had run under 21 minutes for 5K (for women) or 19 minutes (for men). To test their running economy, he had them run on a treadmill for five minutes at a time while measuring their oxygen consumption. The more oxygen you consume at a given pace, the more energy you鈥檙e burning and therefore the less efficient your movements. A good shoe should maximize your efficiency鈥攁nd therefore minimize your oxygen needs鈥攁t a given pace.

Each runner had their economy tested eight times: twice each in four different shoes. The comparison shoes were the Nike Alphafly 3 (which Kelvin Kiptum used to set the men鈥檚 marathon world record and Ruth Chepngetich used to set the women鈥檚 record); the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 1 (which Tigst Assefa used to set the previous women鈥檚 marathon world record in 2023); and Puma鈥檚 top-of-the-line . The newest Puma supershoe is an update of this latter model. It鈥檚 been dubbed the Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 (original, I know).

Without further ado, here鈥檚 the running economy data for the four shoes. Metabolic rate, in watts per kilogram, tells us how much energy the runners were burning at a prescribed pace that was assigned based on their 5K PR, ranging between 6:00 and 7:30 per mile. The thick line shows the average results, the thin lines show the individual ones.

It鈥檚 clear that the Fast-R3 resulted in the lowest metabolic rate across the board鈥攚hich means it鈥檚 the most efficient shoe. The runners burned 3.6 percent less energy wearing the Fast-R3 than they did in the Nike shoe, and 3.5 percent less than in the Adidas. (Some free marketing advice: they should have called the new shoe the Fast-R3.5.) It also burned 3.2 percent less energy than the Fast-R2鈥攎aking the new model pretty significant update from its own previous edition. What鈥檚 even more remarkable, given the wide range of individual results seen in previous supershoe studies, is that every single one of the 15 runners was most efficient in the Fast-R3.

Puma has also run its own internal testing on more than 50 runners, according to Laura Healey, who heads the brand鈥檚 footwear innovation team. In their data, the shoe is 3.3 to 3.5 percent better than its rivals. Running economy doesn鈥檛 translate directly to race time, but a boost of 3.2 percent (the margin between the Fast-R2 and the Fast-R3) is expected to reduce race times by about 2.0 percent for a 2:00 marathoner, 2.6 percent for a 3:00 marathoner, and 3.3 percent for a 4:00 marathoner.

What鈥檚 the Magic Ingredient?

With the Vaporfly, it was easy to understand鈥攁t least superficially鈥攚hy the shoe was different from its peers at the time: it had that thick foam and carbon plate. It鈥檚 harder to get a handle on what makes the Fast-R3 special, because the basic architecture is the same. The differences between the Fast-R2 and Fast-R3 are subtle, but the running economy data shows that they鈥檙e significant.

Puma鈥檚 team started with the Fast-R2 and created a virtual model of the shoe using biomechanical data collected from ten runners wearing pressure-sensing insoles while running on a force-sensing treadmill. The model showed exactly what was happening inside the shoe at each instant during a running stride: where the forces and strains were highest and lowest, how the shoe was bending and compressing, and so on.

Then they went through a process of iterative computational design and optimization. For example, if the virtual model showed that a particular area in the midsole wasn鈥檛 experiencing much strain, they would remove some of the foam in that location. Or if it showed that a region of the carbon plate was excessively strained, they would reinforce it with a rib of extra carbon. All this was done digitally within the virtual model, so they could see if the changes made the situation better or worse without going through the hassle and expense of building a new prototype.

By the time they finished this virtual optimization process, they鈥檇 snipped away enough superfluous foam and carbon to reduce the weight of the shoe by more than 30 percent, from 249 grams to 167 grams. There鈥檚 a rule of thumb that adding 100 grams to a shoe worsens running economy by about 1 percent, so this 82-gram reduction accounts for about 0.8 percent of the Fast-R3鈥檚 advantage. As for the rest, there鈥檚 no single obvious change that explains it. Instead, the iterative process of making sure every bit of foam and carbon fiber is contributing seems to have created a more efficient shoe.

There are some other subtle differences. The Fast-R3 is a little less stiff than its competitors when you try to bend it along its length, and a little less stiff when you compress the midsole鈥攂ut it returns slightly more energy when it springs back. The foam in traditional running shoes returns about 65 to 75 percent of the energy you spend compressing it. Superfoams such as PEBA in the Vaporfly and other supershoes return about 85 percent. Puma鈥檚 Nitro Elite foam, an 鈥渁liphatic thermoplastic polyurethane鈥� (A-TPU), returns over 90 percent. In Hoogkamer鈥檚 testing, compressing the whole shoe (not just the midsole foam) returned 89.9 percent of the energy, compared to 85.0 percent in the Nike shoe and 85.7 percent in the Adidas.

What Happens Next?

There are a lot of reasons to be skeptical of any shoe company鈥檚 claims about its newest model. Hoogkamer doesn鈥檛 work for Puma, but his study was funded by them, just as his Vaporfly study was funded by Nike. Both studies were small. Subsequent events showed that the Vaporfly鈥檚 4-percent boost was real and spectacular. Over the coming weeks, we鈥檒l get a sense of whether the Fast-R3鈥檚 3.5-percent boost also passes the real-world test.

One problem is that Puma鈥檚 roster of elite road runners isn鈥檛 as impressive as Nike鈥檚 or Adidas鈥檚. At first glance, they don鈥檛 have anyone who鈥檚 likely to set an attention-grabbing world record. Still, we鈥檒l start seeing the new shoe in action at the Boston Marathon on April 21 and the London Marathon on April 27.

One of the athletes who will be wearing it in Boston is Rory Linkletter, a 2:08 marathoner from Canada. He鈥檚 been training in the shoe, so I asked whether he could tell that it was different. He said the first thing you notice is how light it is, and the second is the springiness: 鈥淚t鈥檚 softer than previous supershoes, and that softness is met with some pretty remarkable bounce.鈥� He doesn鈥檛 have enough experience with it to know whether it鈥檚 faster, but he鈥檇 just done an 8-mile tempo run along Lake Mary Road in Flagstaff that was a minute faster than he鈥檇 ever previously done.

If Linkletter sets a big PR in Boston, it will be impossible to know how much credit, if any, should go to the shoe. But over the months to come, we might start seeing some patterns鈥攁nd seeing whether other shoe companies adopt similar computational approaches, if they haven鈥檛 already. The 鈥渕any small tweaks鈥� approach of the Fast-R3 means there鈥檚 no single gimmick to copy. It also means that further refinements might be possible. Five years ago, I wondered whether supershoes were like klapskates in speedskating (one big innovation followed by a plateau) or tech suits in swimming (a series of innovations that kept making swimmers faster and faster). It鈥檚 starting to look like option B.

鈥�

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Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia almost did the unthinkable at the Boston Marathon on Monday morning, while American Emma Bates sure tried to.

The 33-year-old Sisay not only ran away from a very strong field to win, but he briefly teased spectators and fans with an unfathomably fast pace. Lemma, who entered the race as the fourth-fastest marathoner in history (2:01:48), came through the halfway point in 1:00:19, which meant he was on sub-2:01 pace and ahead of world-record pace. Although he slowed considerably over the second half of the race, Lemma held on to win in 2:06:17, the 10th fastest time in Boston Marathon history.

Bates, the top U.S. runner in the very deep women鈥檚 field who had been fifth in the race a year ago, surged numerous times throughout the race and was still in the lead near mile 20. But Bates and several other runners in the women鈥檚 lead pack fell off the pace when the race turned into an exceptionally fast three-way tussle between Kenyans Sharon Lokedi, Hellen Obiri, and Edna Kiplagat.

After Obiri, the race鈥檚 defending champion, and Lokedi, the 2022 New York City champion, were able to shake 43-year-old Kiplagat with an exhilarating 15:05 5K split late in the race, Obiri and Lokedi continued to battle over the final two miles, with Obiri successfully defending her title in 2:22:37, eight seconds ahead of Lokedi. Kiplagat, finished third in 2:23:21, while Bates, who wound up as the top American in the women鈥檚 race in 12th place (2:27:14).

In the men鈥檚 race, Lemma outran compatriot Mohamed Esa (2:06:58) and two-time defending champion Evans Chebet (2:07:22), who valiantly tried to chase down the breakaway leader to no avail. Although he was ahead of record pace early, Lemma didn鈥檛 come close to the Boston Marathon course record of 2:03:02 (set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011), but he made amends for a disappointing race in Boston in 2022, when he ran with the leaders through the first 16 miles but fell off the pace and eventually dropped out of the race.

鈥淏ecause there were no pacemakers, I decided I wanted to run fast early鈥� Lemma said through an interpreter at the finish line. 鈥淭he course was very up and down the whole way. But I was able to hold the pace and they couldn鈥檛 catch me.鈥�

Lemma and Obiri each won $150,000 for their victories and likely secured a spot on their country鈥檚 Olympic teams for the Paris Olympics this summer.

CJ Albertson was the top American in the men鈥檚 race, finishing seventh in 2:09:53, followed by Elkanah Kibet in 14th in 2:12:32鈥攋ust 72 days after both had run in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando.

Lemma Bursts Ahead of the Men鈥檚 Pack

The weather conditions were ideal at the start of the men鈥檚 race at 9:37 A.M.鈥攃lear and calm, 56 degrees, blue skies and sunshine. A large pack of men started off at a moderate pace through the 5K (14:21), before Lemma burst ahead to a huge, 25-second lead by the 10K (28:28).

From there, the eight runners in the chase pack, including two-time defending champion Evans Chebet, seemed content to let Lemma go. And go he did. By the tie he reached the 15K mark (42:43), he had expanded his lead to 81 seconds and was so far ahead, the chase pack was no longer visible on TV broadcasts. The chase pack began working as Chebet seemed to push the pace knowing that Lemma might be getting away, but he kept increasing his lead

Lemma continued to surge and was a minute ahead of course-record pace at halfway mark (1:00:19) and more than 90 seconds ahead of the men鈥檚 pack. The men鈥檚 pack came through nearly two minutes later at 1:02:08, and that鈥檚 when Chebet and fellow Kenyans Albert Korir, John Korir and Cybrian Kotut, along with Ethiopia鈥檚 Haftu Teklu and Morocco鈥檚 Zouhair Talbi started to push the pace in an attempt to chase down Lemma. Kibet was the top U.S. runner at that point, running in the secondary pack as he came through the halfway mark in 1:03:15.

Lemma began to slow down on the Newton Hills, but he maintained his two-and-a-half-minute lead even as Kibet had started to pull away from the rest of the men鈥檚 pack in hot pursuit. Talbi, a runner coming off a second-place finish at the NYC Half Marathon on March 17, took over the chase pack in the middle of the Newton Hills, fueling the hope that they might catch Lemma.

By the time Lemma came through the 20-mile mark at 1:33:48, his lead was 2:45 ahead of the pack. Lemma was still in control as he went over Heartbreak Hill near mile 21, but he didn鈥檛 look nearly as good during the ensuing descent as his leg turnover was slowing as his lead was quickly cut by 30 seconds by the fast-moving chase group. Chebet and John Korir managed to cut Lemma鈥檚 lead to about 90 seconds over the next 3 miles, but they ran out of real estate as Lemma ran strong enough to seal the victory.

RELATED:

Bates Pushes the Pace in the Women鈥檚 Race

In the women鈥檚 race, a massive pack of 21 runners stuck together as they ran through the initial 5K in a conservative 16:36 split. But after that Bates went off the front and took a 10-meter lead for a stretch, only to be absorbed back into the lead pack as it came through the 10K in 33:27. But Bates moved to the lead again, only to be pulled back into the pack a few miles down the road at the 15K (9-mile) mark as they came through in 50:58, still on 2:20 pace.

The women鈥檚 lead pack was still 20 runners strong as it came through the Wellesley College 鈥渟cream tunnel鈥� near mile 12.5鈥攊ncluding Bates and fellow American Sara Hall, Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh, and Kenyans Kenyan Hellen Obiri, Mary gugi, Edna Kiplagat, and Sharon Lokedi. After slapping high-fives with dozens of spectators, Bates surged to the lead again and took the group through the halfway mark in 1:12:33.

American Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion who was running the race for the 11th time, had been behind the lead pack from the start, but suddenly caught up to the conservative pace of the lead group and briefly took the lead near mile 15. Her showing among the leaders was brief, but even after she lost contact the women鈥檚 lead 19-runner lead pack remained pretty bunched up through the Newton Hills.

Bates made another big move near the 30K mark (18.6 miles) as she briefly opened up a 3-second lead on the pack with a 1:43:27 split. But the women鈥檚 pack was still a dozen deep after going over Heartbreak Hill, setting up the breakaway surge from Kiplagat, Obiri, and Lokedi over the blazing final miles.

RELATED: Women鈥檚 Field Is Set To Dazzle at the 2024 Boston Marathon

Switzerland鈥檚 Hug, UK鈥檚 Rainbow Cooper Win Wheelchair Races

Switzerland鈥檚 Marcel Hug won the men鈥檚 wheelchair race for a seventh time in a course record 1:15:33鈥攄espite taking a tumble late in the race. He said the crash was the result of putting too much pressure into a turn, but he was able to pop up and recover almost immediately.

鈥淚 love Boston, I love the crowd,鈥� Hug said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great course, a fast course. The crowd here is just amazing.

British athlete Eden Rainbow Cooper (1:35:11) outlasted Manuela Schar (1:36:11) in the women鈥檚 wheelchair race, winning her first World Marathon Majors race.

鈥淚t was such a mentally tough challenge,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚 started two years ago and gave it absolutely everything, and I can鈥檛 believe it.鈥�

2024 Boston Marathon Results

Men鈥檚 Results

1. Sisay Lemma, Ethiopia, 2:06:17
2. Mohamed Esa, Ethiopia, 2:06:58
3. Evans Chebet, Kenya, 2:07:22
4. John Korir, Kenya, 2:07:40
5. Albert Korir, Kenya, 2:07:47
6. Isaac Mpofu, Zimbabwe, 2:08:17
7. CJ Albertson, U.S. 2:09:53
8. Yuma Morii, Japan, 2:09:59
9. Cybrian Kotut, Kenya, 2:10:29
10. Zouhair Talbi, Morocco, 2:10:45

14. Elkanah Kibet, U.S., 2:12:32
15. Ryan Eller, U.S., 2;15:22
18. Patrick Smyth, U.S., 2:15:45

Women鈥檚 Results

1. Hellen Obiri, Kenya, 2:22:37
2. Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 2:22:45
3. Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:23:21
4. Buze Diribi, Ethiopia, 2:24:04
5. Senbere Teferi, Ethiopia, 2:24:04
6. Mary Ngugi, Kenya, 2:24:24
7. Workenesh Edesa, Ethiopia, 2:24:47
8. Fatima Gardadi, Morocco, 2:24:53
9. Tiruye Mesfin, Ethiopia, 2:24:58
10. Dera Dida, Ethiopia, 2:25:16

12. Emma Bates, U.S., 2:27:14
14. Sara Hall, U.S., 2:27:58
15. Des Linden, U.S., 2:28:27

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At the start line of the Falmouth Road Race in August, a smattering of languages cuts through an otherwise monolingual field. A hum of nervous chatter blends with the rhythm of the Atlantic Ocean, drumming the Cape Cod shore. Then, Spanish, and lots of it.

Thirty runners stand at the ready, clad in black singlets with red equal signs across their chests. These athletes are all part of , a nonprofit running organization composed mostly of immigrants. A few wrap their arms around each other. Some laugh. Others shake out their legs. While any onlooker might notice camaraderie in this crew, they won鈥檛 understand the full extent of these runners鈥� bonds. Many Stride for Stride athletes would do anything for each other. In some cases, they鈥檇 even give a kidney.

The Beginning of a Dream

Stride for Stride was founded by Tom O鈥橩eefe, not an immigrant himself but, rather, a 50-year-old social impact entrepreneur with a background in business development, known for his viral Twitter account, . O鈥橩eefe started BostonTweet to uplift local businesses during the 2008 recession. Such was the mindset with which he proceeded to co-found Flutter in 2015鈥攁n organization that empowered folks to donate to local charities鈥攁nd launch various other social impact projects.

O’Keefe also brought this mindset to his first starting line. Upon completing the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race in 2018, O鈥橩eefe was struck by the feeling of invincibility that comes after pushing one鈥檚 body across the finish. But alongside glee was a less positive feeling, a disappointment of the high registration cost, and the race participants鈥� overwhelming whiteness. He sought to make road races more diverse and accessible. Later that year, he launched Stride for Stride, with the goal to buy race bibs for immigrant, BIPOC, and low-income runners.

鈥榃e鈥檙e Part of a Family鈥�

In 2018, Estuardo Calel, a runner from Guatemala and an acquaintance of O鈥橩eefe鈥檚 from the Boston running scene, became the first Stride for Stride sponsored athlete. Calel shared news of the nonprofit with his friend and fellow runner, Jessica Colindres, also from Guatemala.

Colindres, a marathoner, preschool teacher, and mother of two, often couldn鈥檛 attend her dream races due to the high cost of registration. After contacting O鈥橩eefe, Colindres and her husband, Douglas, became the second and third sponsored athletes, and today, Colindres has completed 65 races, including 12 marathons and 24 half-marathons. Before joining the team, Colindres and her husband 鈥渕ight be able to buy one race bib, not two,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow, we run together more, we run in more races, and we feel more freedom. And we鈥檝e made very close friends.鈥�

Today, Stride for Stride sponsors 368 runners from 26 countries and has spent $146,705 in bib purchases. The largest contingent of runners reside in Boston, although the team extends to New York City, Miami, and other cities in the U.S.

鈥淭here are runners on the team who I don鈥檛 know personally, and yet somehow we still feel connected,鈥� says Karen Mejia, a Boston-based runner, social worker, and mother of two, originally from Honduras. Local runners will often host out-of-town teammates in their homes.

鈥淲hen [teammates] come to Boston from New Jersey and New York, we feel like we鈥檙e part of a family. We take care of each other.鈥�

RELATED: Running the Boston Marathon for the First Time

Over the past five years, O鈥橩eefe has supported a growing roster of athletes through a combination of financial sources, the most lucrative being charity partnerships with the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon. Stride for Stride has also received grants from the Boston Athletic Association and REI (the latter of which 鈥渞eally helped us get through the pandemic,鈥� O鈥橩eefe recounts). Individuals can donate online, and some organizations give race proceeds or free bibs to the nonprofit. O鈥橩eefe built a structure positioned for growth, while the runners built something more akin to a family than a team.

鈥淎 lot of immigrants come to this country totally alone. They don鈥檛 know anyone, and they don鈥檛 speak the language,鈥� says O鈥橩eefe. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine how scary that must be.鈥� To find a community of people with 鈥測our passions, who speak your language, and who understand your struggles鈥t鈥檚 beyond what I can understand.鈥�

Although he cannot fully understand the depth of these runners鈥� bonds, O鈥橩eefe is bound by them. He runs with the Boston-based athletes every week, races in his Stride for Stride singlet, participates in team traditions like the post-Falmouth bonfire, and commits his life and career to Stride for Stride. The nonprofit has become O鈥橩eefe鈥檚 full-time job, and the runners are his extended family. (In 2022, Calel asked O鈥橩eefe and his wife, Bridget, to be godparents to his twins.)

Finding a Match

In 2020, O鈥橩eefe was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD). O鈥橩eefe needed a kidney, or he鈥檇 have to go on dialysis, a treatment during which the average lifespan is 5 to 10 years. Soon, he had 10 percent kidney function, and was wrecked by fatigue鈥攖he main symptom of CKD鈥攕o severe that he鈥檇 sleep for two hours every afternoon and fall asleep by 9:30 P.M.

, 90 percent of people with kidney disease don鈥檛 know they have it. Not everyone experiences the telltale sign, 鈥減roteinuria,鈥� or foamy urine. Plus, the main symptom of CKD is fatigue, easily attributed to other ailments. O鈥橩eefe urges anyone with proteinuria, unusual fatigue, or other symptoms to get checked by their doctor.

When Boston-based Stride for Stride athlete, Jorge Rosales, heard that a family member was rejected as a donor and O鈥橩eefe still needed a kidney, he called Tom immediately.

鈥淚 have one for you,鈥� said the 44-year-old father of three and car mechanic from El Salvador. Rosales contacted the hospital to begin the testing process. So did Colindres. Soon afterwards, Mejia did, too. For Rosales, the decision was a no-brainer. During the early months of the pandemic, he watched as O鈥橩eefe launched another donation-based program, , which purchases supermarket gift cards for families struggling to buy groceries.

鈥淚 saw everything Tom was doing to help people during the pandemic,鈥� says Rosales. 鈥淗e was always worried about [Stride for Stride runners], asking us how we were doing. He鈥檚 one of the kindest people I鈥檝e ever met. I鈥檇 love to help with anything he needs.鈥�

When reflecting on her decision to undergo the vetting process, Colindres expresses similar sentiments. 鈥淚 cannot explain how I see Tom and [his wife], Bridget. There are no words.鈥� Colindres鈥檚 voice quivers, and she looks up at the ceiling. She throws her hands in front of her face in a T-shape. Time out.

By August, 2023, Rosales had undergone five months of testing, including two MRIs, a CT scan, countless blood tests, and meetings with social workers to confirm his wish to donate. One last test would decide whether he was a match.

In early October, he received a call from the hospital: the final test result. Hands shaking, he called O鈥橩eefe to deliver the news that would either save his life or make it markedly more difficult. The two padded their conversation in pleasantries鈥攖he weather, the miles run that morning, the races upcoming that fall鈥攂ut eventually, Rosales鈥檚 voice broke to a more serious tone: 鈥淭he doctors called and I鈥檓 100 percent compatible,鈥� he said. O鈥橩eefe released a breath like a deflating balloon, heavy and forceful against his lips.

Action from Intention

According to a administered by the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC), 93 percent of running organizations express a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, but only 70 percent of these organizations have DEI goals, 41 percent track their progress, and 14 percent publish their goals for the public. If this data provides any indication, far too many running organizations consider inclusion within the confines of an Instagram square or pithy marketing campaign.

Stride for Stride, however, is powerful because it rejects such a narrow approach. It also rejects the notion that DEI can be a bandwagon, that companies can hop on in 2020, then hop off when a trendier ride comes along. Stride for Stride serves as a reminder that efforts at inclusion must be seen, heard, and felt by the folks they seek to serve most directly. They must question norms and constantly strive for better.

On Saturdays, the Boston-area Stride for Stride contingent gathers for a long run. Together, 鈥渨e all speak Spanish; we speak at the same time,鈥� says Mejia. 鈥淪o, I feel [bad] for Tom.鈥� (O鈥橩eefe claims to not speak Spanish very well but plans to take more lessons while recovering from his transplant.)

鈥淚t鈥檚 fine, it鈥檚 totally fine,鈥� O鈥橩eefe interjects, laughing. For their non-Spanish speaking teammate, runners seldom feel the need to translate. Which is to say, runners know that Stride for Stride belongs to them.

RELATED: Meet the People Making Running More Inclusive

Still, something else burgeons beneath Stride for Stride鈥檚 intended outcomes鈥攖he languages spoken, bibs purchased, and charity dollars earned. There鈥檚 a unique closeness that comes from pushing oneself to physical limits beside a teammate, falling so deep into the pain cave that one鈥檚 labored breath becomes inseparable from the other鈥檚. Such bonds are often intrinsic to the culture of high school and college sports teams, but can too often be lost after adulthood. Stride for Stride reminds of one of the simplest elements of the sport, the 鈥淚’d give a kidney鈥� sort of bond running can create.

In early January 2024, both O鈥橩eefe and Rosales are set to undergo surgery鈥擱osales to lose a kidney, and O鈥橩eefe to gain one. When asked how he is feeling, Rosales breaks into a wide grin.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited!鈥� he exclaims. As Rosales speaks over Zoom, he sits at home in Boston, a picture of himself, his wife, and their three kids on the wall behind him. Below the frame lies a cursive scrawl that spells 鈥渇amily,鈥� a word that spans far beyond the five people in the photo, thanks to Stride for Stride.

鈥淸Rosales] keeps saying he鈥檚 excited, which shocks me,鈥� O鈥橩eefe says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 doing this amazing thing, taking an organ out of his body, and he鈥檚 excited?!鈥�

Once the two recover, O鈥橩eefe and Rosales both plan to race a marathon, side-by-side, Rosales鈥檚 kidney filtering the very blood that pumps through his teammate鈥檚 veins.

The post He Built a Community of Runners. One Athlete Donated a Kidney in Return. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

While marathons like Chicago and Berlin are known for their fast and flat courses, marathon majors like the New York City and Boston Marathons are known for their demanding climbs, descends, and deafening cheer sections. We looked at thousands of data points provided by Strava to understand better how runners fare in the Boston and NYC marathons.

A Note On Courses, Weather, and Methods

Each course is unique and has different participant density, while the logistics of the race themselves vary, too. Those variables should be taken into account when looking at why runners perform differently at each event. Boston also has a qualifying standard, too, which means that most of the field has run a marathon previously and is self-selected for faster finishes.

We鈥檝e removed the data from NYC 2022 because the historically hot temps were a bigger factor in finishing times than the course itself. That said, both marathons are susceptible to swingy weather. For the three years we analyzed, Boston had starting temperatures at 60, 46, and 48 degrees Fahrenheit, with 88 to 99 percent humidity, while NYC had temperatures ranging from 44 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit (excluded year) and 50 degrees Fahrenheit with 71 percent and 64 percent humidity.

Most of our analysis compares runners in a certain pace group (for example, runners targeting a sub-four-hour finish). Simply comparing results across both races would skew the analysis because of their varied pace distributions (in no small part because of Boston鈥檚 stringent qualifying requirements for most participants). Both races are fairly similar in gender composition. This year, 55 percent of NYC competitors identified as male, as well as 57 percent of Boston runners.

Performance Indicators Across Marathons

A major indicator of marathon performance is a negative split, or running the second half faster than the first. It鈥檚 a prudent racing strategy but tough to implement on race day, especially on hilly courses like NYC or Boston.

In the faster pacing groups, more runners at Boston managed to successfully negative split (again, likely due to previous race experience, as evidenced in this previous analysis of Boston Strava data). Runners aiming for a 2:30 to 3:00 finish were 38 percent more likely to negative split Boston (11 percent versus just 8 percent of the same pace cohort at NYC). Runners shooting for a 3:00 to 3:30 finish were 19 percent more likely to negative split at Boston than NYC, but for runners targeting just under four hours, there was a similar likelihood of a negative split. Interestingly, for runners aiming for a finish over four hours, Boston runners were less likely to negative split. While Boston is a net downhill course, those Newton hills can really chew up quads!

RELATED: Looking to Qualify for the Boston Marathon? Here鈥檚 What Strava Data Says About That Elusive BQ.

Now, let鈥檚 look at how many runners at each race met their goals. To do this, we compared runners鈥� average pace in the first eight miles and their projected finish times. We instituted a strict threshold and didn鈥檛 count times even a second over their goal finish time. Using this analysis, runners are significantly more likely to hit their goals at Boston. Again, this is likely because qualified runners have more marathons under their belt, and experience is invaluable in pacing and race-day execution.

But executing an ideal marathon is easier said than done, regardless of the course. Less than 10 percent of runners nailed their exact goal in either field, regardless of race or pace group. The biggest difference between races was in the 3:00 to 3:30 pace group, with a 67 percent difference between Boston and NYC runners in that particular pace group hitting their goal. In pace groups for four hours or longer, there was a fairly negligible difference between pace groups.

What About The Bonk?

While it’s fascinating to determine what makes for a successful marathon experience, we鈥檇 be remiss if we didn鈥檛 use our fine-tooth data comb to parse the fascinating data around what makes a bad day at a marathon.

鈥淏onking鈥� or 鈥渉itting the wall鈥� happens when the body has depleted its glycogen stores and starts to fatigue and burn fat, causing the legs to slow and energy to plummet. Legs feel heavy, exhaustion can feel overwhelming, and taking a quick asphalt nap can be tempting. This tends to happen around miles 16 to 20 and is many marathoners鈥� worst nightmare.

RELATED: Why Do I Bonk When It Gets Hot?

We looked at the difference in runners鈥� average pace for the last 10K versus the first 20 miles to see how many people bonk. A 10 percent slowdown is an off-day, not totally outside of the realm of possibility for many runners. It isn鈥檛 out of line with fairly normal marathon fatigue (or a quad-explosion in the Newton Hills). But a 20 percent slowdown is a true bonk, a pretty bad day. For athletes targeting a sub-4:00 finish, a ten percent slowdown would look like going from 9:09 miles to 10:04. A 20 percent slowdown would go from 9:09 to 10:59.

Here鈥檚 where things get fun. There鈥檚 significantly more variation between years for Boston, with 2023 being a more consistent year with fewer bonks in the field. The footprint of the 2022 NYC Marathon is also clear here, with the majority (71 percent) of the field (speedsters included!) slowing down significantly in the heat and humidity. The groups with the biggest bonks were the folks shooting for four hours or longer at Boston (more time on feet can increase the potential for a bonk, especially if there鈥檚 significant time between aid stations).

Bonking is still significantly more likely at the NYC marathon across all pace groups and years. For instance, for athletes targeting a 2.5- to 3-hour finish, runners are 33 percent more likely to experience a moderate bonk (slowing down 10 percent or more) at NYC, and 55 percent more likely to experience a severe bonk (or 20 percent or more slowdown), at NYC (accounting for 20 percent of this group at NYC, versus 13 percent at Boston).

Hills Versus Bridges

Boston is known for its hills, both Newton and Heartbreak. New York has bridges and boroughs. But which causes runners to slow down the most?

To do this, we looked at the first eight miles to establish a 鈥済oal pace鈥� for athletes targeting a sub-four-hour finish and saw that both races are pretty evenly split across the halfway mark.

About a third of athletes start to slow down at the halfway mark, but not by too much. At NYC, things get tricky in miles 15 to 16, with almost all athletes slowing by 5 percent as they tackle the Queensboro Bridge. (79 percent of runners slowed down here, and to the 21 percent that didn鈥檛, please DM us your strength routine.)

There鈥檚 another crux at mile 24 of the NYC marathon, with a mile-long climb into Central Park. We see 85 percent of runners miss their goal pace here, with runners averaging a 20 percent slowdown (for four-hour marathoners, going from 9:09 to 10:59 pace).

Boston has its infamous Heartbreak Hill, which causes the biggest slowdown of that race. Eighty-one percent of runners slow as they hit the 20th mile, and 90 percent slowing in the 21st mile. So, while the hills of Boston are undoubtedly hard and have earned their reputation, maybe it鈥檚 time we pay the bridges the respect and attention they deserve, too!

Regardless of the course, running a marathon is a major accomplishment, and to all the competitors who toed the line, we say hats off to you and your majorly impressive data!

The post Boston Versus New York City: Which Marathon Is Harder? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

6:00 A.M.

Four weeks out from competing in the 2023 New York City Marathon, one of the world鈥檚 most prestigious road races, an alarm clock gently buzzes, signaling the start of the day for 33-year-old Hellen Obiri.

Despite having rested for nearly nine hours, Obiri, a two-time world champion from Kenya, says the alarm is necessary, otherwise she can oversleep. This morning鈥檚 training session of 12 miles at an easy pace is the first of two workouts on her schedule for the day as she prepares for the New York City Marathon on November 5.

The race will be her third attempt in the distance since she graduated from a successful track career and transitioned into road racing in 2022. Obiri placed sixth at her marathon debut in New York last November, finishing in 2:25:49.

鈥淚 was not going there to win. I was there to participate and to learn,鈥� she says, adding that the experience taught her to be patient with the distance. This time around in New York, she wants to claim the title.

6:38 A.M.

Obiri drinks two glasses of water, but she hasn鈥檛 eaten anything by the time she steps outside of her two-bedroom apartment in the Gunbarrel neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

In September 2022, the three-time Olympian moved nearly 9,000 miles from her home in the Ngong Hills, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, to Colorado. She wanted to pursue her marathon ambitions under the guidance of coach and three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, who is the fourth-fastest U.S. marathoner in history. Ritzenhein retired from professional running in 2020 and now oversees the Boulder-based On Athletics Club (OAC), a group of elite professional distance runners supported by Swiss sportswear company On.

Obiri, who was previously sponsored by Nike for 12 years before she signed a deal with On in 2022, said that moving across the world wasn鈥檛 a difficult decision. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity. Since I came here, I鈥檝e been improving so well in road races.鈥�

In April, Obiri won the Boston Marathon. It was only her second effort in the distance, and the victory has continued to fuel her momentum for other major goals that include aiming for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and also running the six most competitive and prestigious marathons in the world, known as the World Marathon Majors.

Obiri says goodbye to her eight-year-old daughter Tania and gets into a car to drive six miles to Lefthand trailhead, where she runs on dirt five days a week. She will train on an empty stomach, which she prefers for runs that are less than 15 miles. Once, she ate two slices of bread 40 minutes before a 21-mile run and was bothered by side stitches throughout the workout. Now, she is exceptionally careful about her fueling habits.

6:56 A.M.

Three runners stretch next to their cars as Obiri clicks a watch on her right wrist and begins to shuffle her feet. Her warmup is purposely slow. In this part of Colorado, at 5,400 feet, the 48-degree air feels frostier and deserving of gloves, but Obiri runs without her hands covered. She is dressed in a thin olive-colored jacket, long black tights, and a black pair of unreleased On shoes.

Obiri鈥檚 feet clap against a long dirt road flanked by farmland that is dotted with horses and a few donkeys. Her breath is hardly audible as she escalates her rhythm to an average pace of six minutes and 14 seconds per mile. This run adds to her weekly program of 124 miles鈥攕ome days, she runs twice. The cadence this morning is hardly tough on her lungs as she runs with her mouth closed, eyes intently staring ahead at the cotton-candy pink sunrise.

鈥淏eautiful,鈥� Obiri says.

Her body navigates each turn as though on autopilot. Obiri runs alone on easy days like today, but for harder sessions, up to four pacers will join her.

鈥淭hey help me to get the rhythm of speed,鈥� Obiri says. For longer runs exceeding 15 miles, Ritzenhein will bike alongside Obiri to manage her hydration needs, handing her bottles of Maurten at three-mile increments.

RELATED: Who Wore Which Shoes at the 2023 Boston Marathon

8:21 A.M.

After an hour, Obiri wipes minimal sweat glistening on her forehead. Her breathing is steady, and her face appears as fresh as when she began the run. She does not stretch before getting into the car to return home.

The remainder of the morning is routine: a shower followed by a breakfast of bread, Weetabix cereal biscuits, a banana, and Kenyan chai鈥攁 mix of milk, black tea, and sugar. She likes to drink up to four cups of chai throughout the day, making the concoction with tea leaves gifted from fellow Kenyan athletes she sees at races.

Then, she will nap, sometimes just for 30 minutes, and other times upwards of two hours. 鈥淭he most important thing is sleeping,鈥� Obiri says. 鈥淲hen I go to my second run [of the day], I feel my body is fresh to do the workout. If I don鈥檛 sleep, I feel a lot of fatigue from the morning run.鈥�

1:00 P.M.

Obiri prepares lunch. Normally she eats at noon, but today her schedule is busier than usual. She cooks rice, broccoli, beets, carrots, and cabbage mixed with peanuts. Sometimes she makes chapati, a type of Indian flatbread commonly eaten in Kenya, or else she eats beans with rice.

The diet is typical among elite Kenyan athletes, and she hasn鈥檛 changed her eating habits since moving to the U.S. Obiri discovered a grocery store in Denver that offers African products, so she stocks up on ingredients like ground corn flour, which she uses to make ugali, a dense porridge and staple dish in many East African countries. She is still working through 20 pounds of flour she bought in June.

2:15 P.M.

Obiri receives an hour massage, part of her routine in the early afternoon, three times a week. Usually the session is at the hands of a local physiotherapist, but sometimes Austin-based physiotherapist Kiplimo Chemirmir will fly in for a few days. Chemirmir, a former elite runner from Kenya, practices what he refers to as 鈥淜enthaichi massage,鈥� an aggressive technique that involves stretching muscles in short intervals.

3:00 P.M.

Ritzenhein modifies Obiri鈥檚 training schedule, omitting her afternoon six-mile run so she can rest for the remainder of the day and reset for a speed workout tomorrow morning. Last fall, he took over training Obiri, who was previously coached by her agent Ricky Simms, who represented Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, an eight-time gold medalist and world record holder, and British long distance runner Mo Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Ritzenhein has programmed Obiri鈥檚 progression into the marathon with more volume and strength training. The meticulous preparation is essential to avoid the aftermath of her marathon debut in New York City last fall, when she was escorted off the course in a wheelchair after lacking a calculated fueling and hydration strategy. Obiri had averaged running 5:33-minute miles on a hilly route that is considered to be one of the most difficult of all the world marathon major races.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a real racing race. You have to make the right moves; you have to understand the course,鈥� Ritzenhein says of the New York City Marathon. 鈥淲e鈥檝e changed some things in training to be a little more prepared. We鈥檝e been going to Magnolia Road, which is a very famous place from running lore鈥攈igh altitude, very hilly. We鈥檝e been doing some long runs up there. In general, she鈥檚 got many more 35 and 40K [21 and 24 miles] runs than she had before New York last year.鈥�

In New York, Obiri is aiming to keep pace alongside a decorated elite field that will include Olympic gold medalist Peres Jepchirchir, former women鈥檚 marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei, and defending New York Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi, all of whom are from Kenya. In fact, Kenyan women have historically dominated at the New York City Marathon, winning nine titles since 2010 and 14 total to date, the most of any country since women were permitted to race in 1972.

鈥淭hey are all friendly ladies,鈥� Obiri says. 鈥淏ut you know, in sports we are enemies. It鈥檚 like a war. Everybody wants to win.鈥�

3:10 P.M.

While Obiri is finishing her massage, her daughter returns from school. Though Obiri arrived in Colorado last fall, her husband Tom Nyaundi and their daughter didn鈥檛 officially move to the U.S. until this past March. The adjustment, Obiri says, was a hard moment for the family.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have a car. In the U.S. you can鈥檛 move [around] if you don鈥檛 have a car. We had a very good team that helped us a lot,鈥� Obiri says of the OAC, whom she refers to as her friends. 鈥淭he athletes made everything easier for us. They were dropping my daughter to school. Coach would pick me up in the morning, take me to massage, to the store. I was lucky they were very supportive.鈥� Now, Obiri says she and her family have fully adjusted to living in the U.S.

3:20 P.M.

Obiri returns home and makes a tomato and egg sandwich before taking another nap. Usually she naps for up to two hours after lunch. Today, her nap is later and will last for two and a half hours.

7:00 P.M.

Obiri doesn鈥檛 eat out or order takeaway. 鈥淲e are not used to American food,鈥� she says, smiling. 鈥淚 enjoy making food at home.鈥� Dinner is a rotation of Kenyan dishes like sukuma wiki鈥攕aut茅ed collard greens that accompany ugali鈥攐r pilau, a rice-based dish made with chicken, goat, or beef. This evening, she prepares ugali with sukuma wiki and fried eggs.

8:30 P.M.

Before bed, Obiri says she can鈥檛 resist a nightcap of Kenyan chai. She will pray before falling asleep. And when she wakes up at 6:00 A.M. the next day, she will prepare for a track session, the intervals of which add up to nearly 13 miles: a 5K warmup, followed by 1 set of 4×200 meters at 32 seconds (200 meter jog between each rep); 3 sets of 4×200 meters at 33 seconds聽 (200 meter jog between each rep); 5×1600 meters at 5:12 (200 meter jog between each rep) and finishing with a 5K cool down.

The workout is another one in the books that will bring her a step closer to the starting line of the race she envisions winning. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 so strong,鈥� Obiri says. She knows New York will be tough. But 鈥渨hen I go to a race I say, 鈥榶ou have to fight.鈥� And if you try and give your best, you will do something good.鈥�

RELATED: Evans Chebet, Hellen Obiri Win the 2023 Boston Marathon

The post 24 Hours with One of the World鈥檚 Best Marathoners appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In our monthly column in partnership with Strava, we take a deep dive into compelling data points that reveal the more human side of sport.听

In 2023, a record-breaking 33,058 athletes applied for the 128th Boston Marathon. Of those, just 22,019 were accepted (pending final verification). Qualifying times are established for different age and gender categories. Still, with so many applicants, the unofficial cutoff times for acceptance were five minutes and 29 seconds faster than the official qualifying time many athletes push for.

Looking at data from several 2022 marathons, interesting trends emerge. We analyzed Strava data from the Berlin, Chicago, Marine Corps, New York City, CIM, and Valencia marathons. Here鈥檚 what the data tells us about qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

A Quick Note on Courses

Before we get too deep into the data, it鈥檚 worth discussing the fact that the above courses have different course dynamics and demographics, which influence median finishing times. Berlin, CIM, and Valencia are all fast courses that attract folks gunning for a BQ. (Hola Valencia! Peep that four feet of total gain, with a net descent of 106 feet.) CIM has a particularly high percentage of BQs since it combines a fast course with a smaller field鈥攎any run CIM specifically to qualify for Boston.

Last year was a record-breaking heat year at the NYC Marathon, which resulted in an anomalously low negative-split rate. More than 2,000 runners didn鈥檛 cross the finish line in 2022, with temperatures soaring to 75 degrees with聽 75 percent humidity, which radically affected finishing times. We鈥檒l still look at data from NYC, but 2022 was exceptional. Only 30 percent of runners at NYC who were aiming for a sub-three finish met that goal, and only half of runners looking to go sub-four did so.

Training for A BQ Versus Training For a Marathon

Across all the marathons we analyzed, athletes had similar training. Most started at a base of around 20 miles a week and a 10-mile long run. On average, they worked up to a 30-mile week and a 20-mile long run. While there鈥檚 a slight variation in average miles per week (mpw), the training time in the peak week is similar (and each race has a different mix of target paces for participants).

CIM had the highest average mileage baseline and peak week, suggesting that it attracts more experienced runners with a specific goal in mind. CIM runners started with a 30 mpw base and progressed to a 50-mile peak week and 21-mile long run. BQ runners at CIM started with a 43-mile peak week (the highest of any marathon analyzed). When we just look at athletes who hit the BQ standard to equalize the field, CIM runners have a higher baseline and peak week.

While many newer distance runners tend to focus on flashy long runs, the distance of the longest run was not strongly correlated with a BQ. Comparing BQ runners and all other athletes, the distance of the longest run was 20 to 22 miles across each marathon. But, the base mileage was higher for BQ runners, bearing in mind that base volume matters more than the distance of any long run. BQ runners at CIM averaged 65 miles during their peak week, while the rest of the field averaged 50 mpw. Similarly, Chicago BQers averaged 57 miles during peak week, compared to the rest of the field鈥檚 41 mpw peak week.

RELATED: Didn鈥檛 Qualify for the Boston Marathon? Fundraise for One of These Charities.

Interestingly, there was not a strong correlation between success on hillier courses and runners averaging more elevation gain in their training. Across all races, BQ runners did have more elevation in their training. For example, CIM and Berlin BQers had 15 percent more elevation gain in their training than runners who didn鈥檛 BQ (even when you control for average mileage). CIM runners hit the most vertical gain, averaging 100 feet of elevation gain per mile over the training cycle.

Speed and Experience

There鈥檚 no teacher like experience, and marathons are no different. Runners who finished one of the above races between 2:30 and 2:59 on average have completed six previous marathons. Runners who finished between 4:00 and 4:30 had completed, on average, four previous marathons. Experience helps with pacing, fueling, and other elements of the marathon that are sometimes only learned through trial and error.

Chilling Out

Keep easy days easy. There鈥檚 a strong positive correlation between keeping training runs intentionally slower than race pace and runners hitting their goal pace (defined as the pace runners averaged over the first eight miles of the marathon). Running slower than marathon effort helps build dense capillary beds, strengthen the heart, increase stroke volume (the amount of blood your heart can pump per beat), and increase the endurance capabilities of your muscle fibers by increasing the number of mitochondria in muscle cells. Running too fast causes the breakdown of bone and muscle tissue at a rate that can鈥檛 be outpaced in recovery; plus it makes the body less efficient at processing oxygen.

Runners that kept easy runs about 30 percent slower than goal pace had a 27 percent success rate, finishing at or close to their goal time. For runners who did easy runs only 10 percent slower than their goal pace (the approach of about a third of the runners analyzed), only 19 percent met their goal time, equating to a 31 percent reduction in success rate. Of runners who did 鈥渆asy鈥� days around marathon pace, only 14 percent hit their goal time.

Faster runners, who are more experienced, keep easy runs easier. Runners who finish in 2:30, on average, run their easy days 29 percent slower than goal pace. Compare this with runners who finish an hour later in 3:30, whereas the average runner ran their easy days just 11 percent slower than race pace, and only 20 percent hit their goal finish time.

Runners aiming for a 3:00 marathon (6:52 mile-pace) should shoot for easy days between 7:48 and 8:36. Runners looking to hit a 3:30 time (8:01 mile-pace) should strive for easy days between 9:02 and 9:56, and 4-hour marathoners (9:09 mile-pace) should shoot to keep easy days between 10:11- and 11:11-minute miles. As demonstrated by the data, to go fast, you have to learn to run slow.

Course Choice and Negative Split

Of all the courses, CIM and Valencia had the highest percentage qualifying for Boston, with 32 percent of the field BQing. Only six percent of NYC runners hit the Boston standard (heat!), and the Marine Corps Marathon, popular amongst beginner runners, had a similar qualifying rate. At Chicago and Berline, 18 percent of the runners qualified.

NYC and Marine Corps had the slowest median finish time, just over 4:30, averaged across all runners (NYC usually runs faster in cooler years). NYC is also the largest race, with over 47,000 competitors (compared to CIM鈥檚 10,000). Valencia had the quickest average finish time (3:28), with a relatively small field of 30,000 runners.

Even more than gain and loss, the strongest predictor of BQ success was a negative split, running the second half of the race faster than the first. Take, for instance, Kelvin Kiptum鈥檚 recent world record win in Chicago, in which Kiptum ran a 59:47 negative split to run just 35 seconds over the two-hour barrier.

Just three percent of NYC runners (the heat! The humidity!) negative split in the rising temps, again pointing to an outlier year in NYC. Eleven percent of runners negative split both Chicago and Marine Corps, but experience won out in the Chicago crowd, with its 18 percent BQ rate, eclipsing Marine Corps鈥� six percent (a race that traditionally has more beginner runners).

RELATED:

Berlin and CIM both boosted a 16 percent negative split rate, though a higher percentage (32 percent) of CIM runners hit the BQ compared to Berlin鈥檚 18 percent. Valencia had the highest percentage of negative splits. Still, a significant portion of that can be attributed to the extremely flat course, with just enough downhill to boost speed but not enough to bash the quads too badly.

So, if you鈥檙e searching for an elusive BQ, here鈥檚 what the data show: slow your runs down, choose your course wisely, shoot for a negative split, and remember that practice makes perfect. It may take a couple of marathons to get it absolutely right, but that experience will be invaluable.

The post Looking to Qualify for the Boston Marathon? Here鈥檚 What Strava Data Says About That Elusive BQ. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America just began informing qualified applicants of their status this morning, and the numbers are as fascinating as they are fast.

After 33,058 qualifier applications came flooding in during registration week earlier this month to run next year鈥檚 race鈥攖aking place on April 15, 2024鈥�22,019 applicants were accepted (pending final verification).

鈥淭his year鈥檚 registration week resulted in the highest number of qualified applicants in race history, a testament to the strength of the marathon community,鈥� said David Tyrie, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer for Bank of America.

鈥楥ut-Off鈥� Times Five and a Half Minutes Faster

To gain entry into the Boston Marathon requires each runner to have an official qualifying race prior to applying, with . However, with such high demand for the race by qualified runners, the unofficial 鈥渃ut-off鈥� times for being accepted into the race are often minutes faster than the official qualifying standards.

RELATED: 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 2023 Boston Marathon Coverage

For the 2024 Boston Marathon race, this year鈥檚 鈥渃ut-off鈥� time needed to gain acceptance was 5 minutes, 29 seconds or faster than the official qualifying time.听For example, say you are a 40-year-old male applicant. The official B.A.A. qualifying standard for this age/gender is 3 hours, 10 minutes. But in order to be accepted into next year鈥檚 race, any qualifying times slower than 3 hours, 4 minutes, 31 seconds would not be accepted.

This stout benchmark translated this year to more than 11,000 applicants not being accepted into next year鈥檚 Boston Marathon.

Boston Marathon Applicants, By the Numbers

Looking into the 22,000-plus runners who were just notified of their acceptance鈥攚ith ages ranging from 18 to 82鈥攈ere鈥檚 how the numbers break down: 12,535 men, 9,440 women, and 44 non-binary athletes from all 50 states. In addition, automatic entry is offered to those who鈥檝e finished 10 or more previous Boston Marathons, and 660 of these applicants were granted entry.

What鈥檚 also interesting is that over one-third of the entire field at next year鈥檚 Boston Marathon will be newbies鈥�11,391 of the accepted applicants will be running Boston for the first time.

RELATED: How the Boston Marathon Qualifying System Fails Runners

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) was established 1887,聽and has become聽a non-profit organization that manages the Boston Marathon and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City.

I Wasn鈥檛 Accepted into the 2024 Boston Marathon? Can I Still Run?聽聽

Athletes interested in running next year鈥檚 race as part of a fundraising effort, affiliated with select charity programs, are invited to contact the nonprofit or organization to see what opportunities there are. Read more about the race鈥檚 charity program.

How Can I Successfully Plan for the 2025 Boston Marathon?

The 2025 qualifying window has already begun on September 1, 2023, and further registration information will be announced following the conclusion of the 128th race. Stay tuned鈥攁nd keep training.

RELATED: Your Perfect 8-Week Marathon Training Plan

The post The 2024 Boston Marathon Acceptance Letters Arrived Today. Here鈥檚 What the Data Tells Us. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

This year, 30,000 runners took to the Boston streets to partake in one of the greatest road races in the U.S. 鈥� the Boston Marathon. Though most of the athletes (times vary by age, but range from 3 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours and 20 minutes), 10 percent of the total field size of every Boston Marathon is made up of runners who got into the race by raising a minimum of $5,000 for a charity. In the 2023 race, 2,537 participants ran as fundraising athletes.听

RELATED: 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Guide to the Boston Marathon

Today, seven months before the 2024 Boston Marathon, announced the 160 organizations selected to be part of the 2024 Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program. A few charities include the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Boston Police Foundation, Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island, The ASL Assocation, and so many more. See the whole list linked .

The organizations are divided into Gold and Blue levels鈥擥old organizations will receive 10 to 15 Boston athletes raising money to waive the qualifying time, while Blue organizations will receive 3-5 invitational entries.听聽

The charity program is not only another entry point into Boston, but it鈥檚 meant to marry the act of helping others with staying healthy through exercise.听

鈥淭he Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program is important to our many communities,鈥� says BAA president and CEO Jack Fleming. 鈥淔unds raised by participants can help to broaden the awareness of a nonprofits work and impact.鈥�

In 2023, the marathon raised a whopping $40.3 million for its charities.听

RELATED: Running for Charity: A Billion-Dollar Enterprise

鈥淭he Boston Marathon, and all those who participate in it, have an enormous impact on our community,鈥� says Miceal Chamberlain, Bank of America president of Greater Boston. 鈥淥ur engagement in sports and sporting events around the world, like the Boston Marathon, are one of the ways we drive Responsible Growth locally, nationally and globally.鈥�

for the 2024 Boston Marathon鈥攚hich is also the 128th year鈥攐pens today, September 11. If you鈥檙e interested in the Official Charity Program, contact the charity of your choice so they can share their application and selection process. Athletes who qualified for the Boston Marathon can, of course, also raise funds for one of the Official Charity Program organizations.

There are plenty of reasons to run鈥攄oing it for a greater cause is one of the best.听

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Rick Hoyt, who rose to fame as half of the father-son endurance duo 鈥淭eam Hoyt,鈥� has died of respiratory complications at age 61.

鈥淎s so many knew, Rick along with our father, Dick, were icons in the road race and triathlon worlds for over 40 years and inspired millions of people with disabilities to believe in themselves, set goals, and accomplish extraordinary things,鈥� said the Hoyt Foundation in a announcing Rick鈥檚 passing. He was preceded in death by his father in 2021.

The pair made headlines in the endurance world starting in 1977, when Dick began pushing Rick in a wheelchair at local road races. Rick, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, was paralyzed in all four limbs and utilized a computer to communicate.

The father-son team鈥檚 first race together was a local five-mile charity run benefiting a lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Rick told his dad that he wanted to run the race, and Dick advocated to make it happen, kicking off the pair鈥檚 legendary endurance sports career.

鈥淒ad, when we run, I feel like my disability disappears,鈥� Rick said after their first race. Together, they made it their mission to race as much as possible. The two conquered over 1,100 endurance events worldwide, including 36 Boston Marathon finishes, countless local 5K and 10K races, more than 70 marathons total, and multiple Ironman triathlons.

The duo鈥檚 final Boston Marathon together , and Rick鈥檚 was the 2017 Boston Marathon, in which he was pushed by Bryan Lyons.

Dick and Rick used endurance sports as a platform for acceptance and inclusion. In addition to changing perceptions about athletes with disabilities, Rick worked with his mother, Judy, to change the laws of education so that Rick could receive an education alongside non-disabled peers. He went on to graduate with a degree in special education from Boston College, and later worked at his alma mater helping to develop communication technologies for people with disabilities.

The Boston Marathon has long been a special race for the father and son duo, and they were recognized by the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) with the Patriot Award in 2006. The Patriot Award celebrates an 鈥渋ndividual, group, or organization that is patriotic, philanthropic, and inspirational, and fosters goodwill and sportsmanship,鈥�

In 2013, Dick and Rick were , or the 鈥淓xcellence in Sport Performance Yearly鈥� awards, with the Jimmy V. Perseverance Award, which recognizes an individual鈥攐r pair of individuals鈥攚ho are determined to reach their goals and inspire others to do the same.

Today, the Boston Marathon grants a 鈥淩ick and Dick Hoyt Award鈥� each April to 鈥渟omeone who exhibits the spirit of Team Hoyt through advocacy and inclusion,鈥� the B.A.A. shared via their .

Dave McGillivray, who has been the race director for the Boston Marathon for 22 years, shared his emotions on Rick鈥檚 passing via an :

鈥淭oday we lost one of the most inspirational figures that the running community has ever known. Rick Hoyt has motivated and inspired so many throughout his years of running with his father Dick Hoyt. Rick will be dearly missed, and the impact he has had on others will always be remembered.鈥�

 

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Dick and Rick鈥檚 legacy will continue to live on through the Team Hoyt Foundation, which 鈥渁spires to build the individual character, self-confidence, and self-esteem of America鈥檚 disabled young people through inclusion in all facets of daily life.鈥�

Learn more about the Team Hoyt Foundation .

Special thanks to Susan Lacke at Triathlete for .听

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In our new monthly column, in partnership with Strava, we鈥檒l take a deep dive into interesting data points that reveal the more human side of sport.听

The Boston Marathon is fast. How fast? A new look at more than 100,000 Strava uploads reveals that the field at the Boston Marathon is significantly faster than the New York City Marathon, and that runners train differently once they secure that Boston qualifier (BQ).

This year, 53 percent of the runners in the Boston field uploaded their data to Strava, for around 16,000 uploads. (Strava or it didn鈥檛 happen, right?)

With the help of analysts from Strava, we dug聽into the data from the and New York City marathons to see how the two compared. To compete at the Boston Marathon, the majority of runners (with the exception of 5,000-7,000 runners who qualify via fundraising) must hit a qualifying standard, a benchmark that just over 10 percent of all marathoners reach. That means many of the athletes lining up in Hopkinton have run at least one marathon previously (with the exception of the charity bibs) to qualify, and have finessed their pacing over time.

Roughly 55 percent of runners at Boston finished in 3:30 or faster, compared to just 20 percent of the field at NYC. Almost three-quarters of Boston runners (73 percent) paced for a sub-four-hour finish, compared with just 42 percent of runners at NYC. Also, 47 percent of runners at Boston BQ鈥檇, re-earning their spot on the start line in 2024, compared with just 7 percent of runners in NYC.

Boston Runners Are More Experienced

But why are runners at Boston so much faster? The course is notoriously hilly and not exactly PR friendly. When you look at the percentage of the field that achieves a negative split time, meaning they run the second half of the race faster than the first, the importance of experience emerges in the data.

At this year鈥檚 Boston Marathon, Strava data showed that 13 percent of finishers ended up negative splitting the course, up from less than 10 percent in 2022. Negative splitting Boston, with its punishing downhills on the front half and grindy gradients on the back half is no small feat, and a negative split is often the gold standard for a well-executed marathon.

The Berlin Marathon, a notoriously fast course (and home to Eliud Kipchoge鈥檚 2022 world record run of 2:01:09) with a net downhill, saw just 16 percent of the field negative split in 2022. In addition, 11 percent of the fields at London and Chicago鈥攕till relatively fast, PR-friendly courses鈥攏egative split, and just 10 percent of Tokyo negative split as well. The heat and humidity at NYC tore the field apart, with only 3 percent of the NYC field negative splitting.

This tells us that Boston runners, relative to the difficulty of the course, are superior pacers, likely because of the experience required to qualify for the race.

Boston Runners Train More

For most runners, Boston is not their first rodeo. Not only do they tend to race smarter, but their training looks different, too. The median peak week for Boston runners was a 53-mile week and 7:31 of total training time. Compare that with a 37-mile median peak week and 5:49 for London Runners, 39 miles and 6:19 hours for NYC runners (note: we use medians to control for outliers and erroneous data).

This isn鈥檛 revelatory鈥攄ue to stringent qualifying standards, Boston skews fast, and we generally see that faster runners tend to train more鈥攂eing a more experienced runner tends to mean you have built capacity for higher training volume, and that higher volume and longer experience tends to make you faster. But, we can control for this in the data by comparing runners of different pace groups across marathon majors. When we do this, Boston runners still train more.

When you compare the relative finish times across all marathon majors, Boston runners trained for more hours per week (8:10) and ran more frequently for a median of five times a week for all finishers under 3:30, dropping to four runs a week for 3:30-4:00 finishers, and three times a week for 4-plus hour finishers. One standout data point is that runners who ran a sub-three hour marathon at any marathon major had a median five times a week run frequency. Regardless of pace, runners toeing the line at Boston have a higher run frequency across their entire training cycle than other marathon majors. Basically, the faster the athlete was, the higher their run frequency tended to be.

For another comparison, we looked at the training runners did for the Manchester Marathon (which takes place the day before Patriots鈥� Day and is the second-largest marathon in the UK after London). Looking at the 16-week build-up for Boston, compared with Manchester runners, Boston athletes logged more volume, completing an average of five and a half hours each week running, compared to four hours for Manchester competitors (this excludes an assumed two-week taper before race day). Over half (56 percent) of runners at Boston hit at least 50 miles in a week in their training build-up, compared to just 20 percent of Manchester runners. Almost 80 percent of Boston runners hit a 40-plus-mile week, compared to 42 percent of Manchester runners.

One reason Boston runners racked up more volume is due to logging longer long runs. About 74 percent of Boston participants had completed at least one 20-mile run in training, compared to 62 percent of Manchester runners. Also, 93 percent of Boston runners notched at least a 16-mile run in their marathon build, compared with 87 percent of Manchester runners.

Boston Runners Don鈥檛 Necessarily Run Longer, But They Hit the Hills

Lastly, the median long run didn鈥檛 vary much across marathon majors, even while weekly volume varied across races. Most runners logged a median longest run of between 17 to 20 miles. That makes sense with the standardized distance, but one major difference between the training approaches of Boston runners and other majors was this: hills.

To get ready for the notorious Newton Hills, Boston runners who ran between 3:00-3:30 logged a median of 1,047 feet of gain per week, compared with just 725聽 median feet per week logged by athletes training for flatter courses like Berlin, 732 for Tokyo, or 739 for Chicago. 2:30-sub 3:00 finishers notched a median of over 1,300 per week in training. Now those are some hill repeats!

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