Pro runner Emma Grace Hurley had a few doubts and questions heading into last weekend’s Chicago Marathon, her first 26.2-mile race. Would she and her pacer, Caleb Kerr, end up on separate sides of the road at the race start? How would she manage to grab a bottle from an aid-station table on a crowded course?
And how fatigued, exactly, would her legs feel after mile 20? Despite the unknowns—and the significant media attention focused on her marathon debut—Hurley was far more excited and curious than nervous. That’s largely because she and her coach, Andrew Begley, built up to this moment slowly and methodically.
Ever since the pair joined forces at the Atlanta Track Club in 2021, they knew she would eventually take on the marathon. But early on in her pro career, they decided her odds of long-term success would be higher if they didn’t rush the process. So, instead, they focused on taking small steps each year that would eventually put her in prime position to make the Olympic marathon team in 2028.
On Sunday, their careful planning and long-term vision continued to pay off. Hurley ran her first marathon in 2:20:47, placing seventh overall for women and first American, smashing Fiona O’Keeffe’s American debut record of 2:22:10, and claiming sixth on the list of all-time fastest U.S. marathoners in the process. And, she enjoyed it, even when it got tough in the final miles: “I had fun the whole time,” she said at the post-race press conference.
Even those of us not in contention for future Games could benefit from a long-term view of marathon success, Begley says. That might look like waiting to move up to the distance in the first place. Or if you’ve already tackled the marathon and want to improve, a stepwise approach—giving yourself a few races to reach your goal—can also produce better results.
Here’s why, and what you can learn from Hurley’s example. Hurley ran well in high school—she was a finalist at the prestigious Foot Locker Cross-Country Championships—and then attended Furman University. She was good but not a standout; her highest finish at the NCAA Cross-Country Championships was 51st, and she graduated with personal bests of 15:57 in the 5K and 36:48 in the 10K.
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