How to Have a Breakthrough Race, From Trials Qualifiers Who’ve Done It

The top men and women at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will go on to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But just getting to the starting line represents a huge accomplishment on its own for many in the field. To line up at the Trials, men had to run a marathon in 2:18 or faster (that’s 5:16 per mile). Women, meanwhile, needed to hit 2:37, or 6-minute miles. Those times are significantly faster than 2020’s qualifying marks, 2:19 for men and 2:45 for women. (A few qualified by running a speedy half marathon—between 2020 and 2024, those standards went from 1:04 to 1:03 for men, and 1:13 to 1:12 for women.) The higher bar meant some athletes missed the mark—just 401 men and women qualified this year, compared to more than 700 in 2020. Many of those who made it had to make significant improvements in the last four years. Not everyone can clock one sub-6-minute mile, let alone 26.2 of them. Still, there’s a lot every runner can learn from those who had a lot of time to slash and still achieved their goals. Here are a few of their inspiring stories, and what you can take from their examples. [View in Browser]( [Runner's World Logo]( [SHOP]( [RW+ EXCLUSIVES]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [How to Have a Breakthrough Race, From Trials Qualifiers Who’ve Done It]( [How to Have a Breakthrough Race, From Trials Qualifiers Who’ve Done It]( [How to Have a Breakthrough Race, From Trials Qualifiers Who’ve Done It]( The top men and women at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will go on to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But just getting to the starting line represents a huge accomplishment on its own for many in the field. To line up at the Trials, men had to run a marathon in 2:18 or faster (that’s 5:16 per mile). Women, meanwhile, needed to hit 2:37, or 6-minute miles. Those times are significantly faster than 2020’s qualifying marks, 2:19 for men and 2:45 for women. (A few qualified by running a speedy half marathon—between 2020 and 2024, those standards went from 1:04 to 1:03 for men, and 1:13 to 1:12 for women.) The higher bar meant some athletes missed the mark—just 401 men and women qualified this year, compared to more than 700 in 2020. Many of those who made it had to make significant improvements in the last four years. Not everyone can clock one sub-6-minute mile, let alone 26.2 of them. Still, there’s a lot every runner can learn from those who had a lot of time to slash and still achieved their goals. Here are a few of their inspiring stories, and what you can take from their examples. The top men and women at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials will go on to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But just getting to the starting line represents a huge accomplishment on its own for many in the field. To line up at the Trials, men had to run a marathon in 2:18 or faster (that’s 5:16 per mile). Women, meanwhile, needed to hit 2:37, or 6-minute miles. Those times are significantly faster than 2020’s qualifying marks, 2:19 for men and 2:45 for women. (A few qualified by running a speedy half marathon—between 2020 and 2024, those standards went from 1:04 to 1:03 for men, and 1:13 to 1:12 for women.) The higher bar meant some athletes missed the mark—just 401 men and women qualified this year, compared to more than 700 in 2020. Many of those who made it had to make significant improvements in the last four years. Not everyone can clock one sub-6-minute mile, let alone 26.2 of them. Still, there’s a lot every runner can learn from those who had a lot of time to slash and still achieved their goals. Here are a few of their inspiring stories, and what you can take from their examples. 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