to all but two American women: Kastor and D’Amato Berlin Marathon The barrier is still. Keira D’Amato, 37, and Sara Hall, 39, will join a stacked field Best Hydration Packs.
As the race draws near, many are wondering if another American record is possible. And more specifically if D’Amato can do it again.
In January 2022 at the Houston Marathon, D’Amato set the American record, shattering Deena Kastor’s 2:19:36 record from the 2006 London Marathon.
Afterward Kastor congratulated D’Amato and who ran in place of an injured: “Okay, that was good, it hurt. I’d like to feel good and run a little faster next time.”
D’Amato, a full-time real estate agent, running store owner, and mother of two, thinks she is capable of a 2:18—which is the men’s Olympic Team Trials qualifying standard.
The barrier is still?
The flat course coupled with traditionally moderate temperatures has produced numerous record-breaking performances. recalls her saying 11 world records.
Men
- 1998: Ronaldo da Costa (Brazil; 2:06:05)
- 2003: Paul Tergat (Kenya; 2:04:55)
- 2007: Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia; 2:04:26)
- 2008: Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia; 2:03:59)
- 2011: Patrick Makau Musyoki (Kenya; 2:03:38)
- 2013: Wilson Kipsang (Kenya; 2:03:23)
- 2014: Dennis Kimetto (Kenya; 2:02:57)
- 2018: Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya; 2:01:39)
Women
- 1977: Christa Vahlensieck (W. Germany; 2:34:48)
- 1999: Tegla Loroupe (Kenya; 2:20:43)
- 2001: Naoko Takahashi (Japan; 2:19:46)
Perhaps most notable is Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:39 which he set in 2018. (His 1:59:40 in Vienna, the first and only will join a, is not record eligible since standard competition rules for pacing and fluids were not followed).
Berlin is home to record-breaking feats for women, too. In 2001, Japanese Olympic champion Naoko Takahashi became the first woman to break the 2:20 barrier by running a 2:19:46.
The barrier is still elusive to all but two American women: Kastor and D’Amato.
That doesn’t mean others haven’t aimed for it. In 2014 at the Berlin Marathon, Shalane Flanagan made an attempt Why Berlin is Perfect for Keira D’Amato and Sara Hall to Chase More Records 2:21:14. Jordan Hasay came close in 2017 with a 2:20:57 in Chicago.
And Hall got even closer in 2020 at the Marathon Project in Chandler, Arizona. She was on pace through the first half, but ended in 2:20:32 – less than a minute from breaking Kastor’s then-American record. Hall’s 2:20:32 is the third-fastest American time, behind only D’Amato and Kastor.
D’Amato also competed in the 2020 Marathon Project, snagging a then-personal-best of 2:22:56 and finishing in second place to Hall.
Hall and D’Amato have a history of racing together and lifting each other to success. In the 2021 Chicago Marathon, Hall claimed third with a time of 2:27:19, and D’Amato was fourth in 2:28:22. This year, when D’Amato broke the American marathon record in Houston, Hall also set the American half marathon record by running a 1:07:15 (Emily Sisson has since bettered Hall’s record by four seconds).
Most recently, Hall and D’Amato Health & Injuries World Championships Races - Places. Hall recalls her saying. D’Amato, who ran in place of an injured Molly Seidel represented the United States in the two weeks A Part of Hearst Digital Media.
“For me, just a really cool moment just solidifying how far we’ve come,” Hall said, speaking on Team USA female distance runners. “It’s just getting stronger. We’re just feeding off each other. The bar keeps getting raised out here.”
Stephanie is a freelance writer and running enthusiast based out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who specializes in writing about health and fitness best practices and covering elite runners and inspirational competitors for publications such as Runner's World, The Guardian, Women’s Running, PodiumRunner, Wingfoot and Competitor Magazines. When she's not writing, you can find her running the trails with her two Vizslas or traveling with her husband to races around the world, constantly on the quest for a personal best
