Hall to run Boston Marathon

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

News & Notes, Volume 8, Number 62

Hall to run Boston Marathon

Olympic marathoner and American half marathon record holder Ryan Hall will compete in the Boston Marathon for the first time in his career on April 20, 2009, where he'll attempt to become the first American winner of the race since Grey Meyer in 1983.

The fastest U.S. marathoner in 2007 and 2008, Hall is a 2005 Stanford graduate and three time All American. In late 2006, he set the American 20 km record at the World Championships, and in early 2007 broke the 21-year old American half marathon record at the U.S. Championships. His 59:43 win marked the first time an American had ever broken the one-hour barrier.

Hall made his marathon debut in London in 2007 and stayed with the African leaders until the final miles. His 2:08:24 was the fastest debut ever by an American. A few months later at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he set a course record as he cruised to a nearly two-minute lead over one of the best U.S. fields ever assembled.

Continuing his meteoric rise in the marathon, Hall returned to London in advance of the Olympics and finished in 2:06:17, making him the second fastest American of all time. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Hall finished in 10th place.

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to compete on the John Hancock elite team at the 2009 Boston Marathon," said Hall. "The Boston Marathon is the grand daddy of the World Marathon Majors, to win here would mean as much to me as winning any marathon in the world, including the Olympic Games. To win in Boston would show the world that American distance running is indeed back to the days of Salazar, Beardsley, and Rodgers. I hope that I can contribute to bringing American marathoning back to the forefront. There is no better place to do that than Boston. What is done in Boston lives on for all time."

Hall is married to professional runner Sara Bei Hall and the couple resides in Mammoth Lakes, California. The Halls are active with charitable groups such as Team World Vision. They worked on a campaign this year, "More Precious than Gold," that raised nearly a million dollars to help bring clean water wells and irrigation systems to poor communities in Zambia.

For more information on the 2009 Boston Marathon, visit: www. http://www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon/113thMarathon.asp

Source: USATF