by Larry Eder
Sara Hall taking second in the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, photo by London Marathon
Just how quick will Sara Hall go on Sunday morning at the Marathon Project, a wonderfully ambitious event with 100 top elite marathoners, competing on a loop course, outside Phoenix, Arizona.
We wish Sara Hall and the 87 other marathoners well in this exciting event!
Marathon opportunities have been few and far between in this pandemic-affected year but some fast times are on the cards tomorrow as a number of athletes return to racing at the specially-organised Marathon Project in Arizona.
PREVIEW 👉 https://t.co/j3mfiKIszV@MarathonProj
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) December 19, 2020
The Chinese philosopher Lao Tse said, ” The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
I was considering the amazing depth and breath of Sara Halls’ career, and I must say, she has been building to this moment, just hours before the Marathon Project, over the last seventeen years ofi her career.
40 men plus 4 pacers and 48 women, plus 10 pacers will line up Sunday morning to see how just fast that they can go! This is the ultimate elite marathon, and an excellent opportunity to see the best in the U.S. in this pandemic year.
Sometimes you have a lofty goal & slowly chip away at training to get to it
Other times, it’s what you see in training that dictates how big your goals areThat’s how the marathon has been for me- what I can do each buildup has made me dreamer bigger.@MarathonProj in 2ï¸âƒ£ weeks! pic.twitter.com/VUXjwIn4o4
— Sara Hall (@SaraHall3) December 5, 2020
As a high school athlete in California, Sara Bei was one of the great ones. Whether in cross country or track, Sara Bei continued to improve at a momentous clip, and always was ready when the big events came!
Sara made the covers on Caliornia Track & Running news on numerous occasions, as she competed well over one mile (1600m), 2 miles (3200 m), and both indoors and outdoors.
A top student, Sara Bei matriculated to Stanford University, where she was part of the winning NCAA X-country team in 2003, and competed in both indoor and outdoor, was a 3x NCAA outdoor runner up at 5000m, and the runner up at 3000m indoors..
It was at Stanford that Sara Bei met Ryan Hall, also a top high school athlete, who battled challenges while competing in college, and moved up from the mile to the 5000m.
One of the heroes of the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon wants to wish you all a Merry Christmas! 🇺🇸 🎄
Thank you, @sarahall3 🙌#LondonMarathon #25DaysofFitmas pic.twitter.com/Q5GILBSUwM
— Virgin Money London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) December 10, 2020
After college, Sara and Ryan Hall married, in 2005. As Sara Hall moved from the 5,000m to the 10,000m, to the steeplechase, Ryan chased his dreams, becoming the fastest American male ever in the marathon, with his wind-aided 2:04.58 and his 59:43 AR at the half marathon. Due to injuries, Ryan Hall retired from running, and is now coaching Sara and helping her raise their 4 adopted daughters (adopted in 2015) .
A competitive distance runner, Sara Hall has competed well at mile to the marathon. Sara Hall has pbs: Mile (4:31.50), 3000m (8:52.35), 5000m (15:20.88), 10,000m (32:14), Half Marathon (1:08.18) and Marathon (2:22:01).
But, her move to the marathon was fraught with challenges. She began with a 2:48.02 debut on March 15, 2015, not what one would call world class, but the marathon is about learning. Each time one competes in the marathon, one learns that caution, patience and a long term approach are neccessary to succeed. Sara Hall took almost 17 minutes off the PB in Oct 2015, in 2:31:14.
Then she began to really roll. In 2016, Sara set a PB at 2016 London with her 2:30.06.
In 2017, Sara Hall took the PB down to 2:27:28 at the 2017 Tokyo Marathon. In October 2017, I watched Sara Hall go 2:27:21, another PB at the Mainova frankurt Marathon. Sara Hall ended 2017 with a win at the US Marathon champs in 2:28.10 at the Cal international marathon.
2018 opened well, when in May, Sara Hall won the Ottowa Marathon in 2:26.20 PB!
The word was out that Sara Hall was crazy fit in September 2019, when she blasted the Berlin Marathon in 2:22:16 PB!
Sara Hall is a beastmaster. The combination of a loving family, a supportive husband/coach and the ability to push oneself have been hallmarks in the development of Sara Bei to Sara Hall.
Each marathon buildup feels like chipping away at a sculpture. In the end, you hope to step back and see the finished product be all that you imagined it would become. But regardless, I love the process and finding new ways to innovate my craft. @MarathonProj Sunday! pic.twitter.com/sCiXR3HyOu
— Sara Hall (@SaraHall3) December 18, 2020
No time was this more obvious than in London this past October.
The team at the Virgin Money London Marathon were challenged to the nth with the event. They made the citizen event a virtual event and the elite event, held in 3 independent events, went o in cold, wind and rain.
Sara Hall was behind from the beginning, and this viewer thought that Hall might be having a tough day. But the splits did not lie, Sara Hall was building the pace, putting in good miles and while getting close to red lining, Sara Hall knew that she had something left.
What one needs to appreciate about a well managed marathon, is that one builds the event, layer by layer, much like a master painter. Sara Hall built her London race, one kilometer at a time, and over 35 kilometers, put together an inspiring run. As athletes began coming back to Hall, Sara moved up, sixth to 5th, 5th to 4th and we began to see her on the screen as Steve Cram, bbc broadcaster and yes, that Steve Cam raved on and alerted the BBC audience on how well Sara Hall was advancing.
Hall moved decisively into 3rd and began a long charge to second, which Cram doubted that she could do.
What was it about this challenge? What did Sara Hall call on to move into second place, with meters to go, run a 2:22:01 and take second in the 2020 Virgin Money London marathon? Whatever it was, a well developed confidence, an incredibly fit and well trained body, and a sophisticated spiritual confidence, Sara Hall called on all, to move into the 2:22:01 world, second only to Brigid Kosgei!
just how quick will she go at the Marathon Project on Dec 20, 2020? Can she break the American record? –
Now, many are speaking about how this event, the 2020 Marathon Project is a call to arms fior Sara Hall to set a new American record, breaking the 2:19.36 by Deena Kastor, and set in 2006 in London.
Can she do it?
I believe that a 2:18 marathon is in Sara Hall’s sites. But first, she needs to see a 2:20 race, and Sara looks primed to run a huge PB. A 2:19 requires athletes who can push her to that pace, all 42.2 kilometers. Sara Hall is the class of the women’s field.
My suggestion to fans: cheer Sara Hall on, but know that she has miles to go before she sleeps, and Sunday, Dec. 20 will be a big one! Let Sara Hall show the crazy quick race which she can run. She’s just a marathon away from challenging Deena Kastors’ American record!
This is the updated entry list on the 2020 Marathon Project, to be held on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020: (Special thanks to Ben Rosario).
48 Men (+ 4 pacers): http://bit.ly/3k2FpIl
40 Women (+ 10 pacers): http://bit.ly/2JV0to1
