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: BostonMarathon/org.
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