April 13, 2026. Welcome to my blog! I report on Masters Elite LDR. In addition to this current story recapping the Middle Distance Events at the 2026 USATF Masters Indoor Championships,, you can find previews and recaps of all USATF Masters LDR and Cross-Country Championships since Fall 2014. I also report on Masters Athletes in Major Marathons and Olympic Trials. I cover distance events at some USATF Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. I reported on the one World Cross Country Championship that included Masters competition, Australia 2022. I regularly cover the Non-Stadia Road Race Events at World Masters Athletics Championships. I cover other road races from time to time. See the sidebar for easy navigation through the archives. [If you are using a mobile phone, please scroll to the bottom and choose 'View web version' to access the sidebar.] While there, please note the coffee cup logo. Clicking on that provides a way for you to express your appreciation for the work that goes into these articles. Shout out here to recent supporters, Matt B-C, John H, Lorilynn B, Bryan H,, Brendan, cush, Gary G, Jan F, Aaron T-L, Ken Y, Peter W, Dan K, Suzanne L B, Michael M, Ed B, Dana H, and John B. May you have good speed in 2026!
It is time to catch up with Masters athletes who tested
themselves at the Marathon distance in fall 2025. There were three Majors in
three months: Berlin in September; Chicago in October; and New York in
November. Conner Mantz's 2:04:43 at the Chicago Marathon was the only American Record set by either Open or Masters athletes.
With more Masters athletes travelling in both directions,
across the Atlantic, for major marathons, only the very top Americans can win,
outright, in Chicago and New York; it can be even tougher in Berlin. Only Amy
Halseth Minneapolis MN W55
and Gwen Jacobson Rochester
MN W65 were able to win their divisions outright in Berlin. Halseth, the
winner of age division national Masters LDR Championships when she lived in
California, needed to run 3:05:31 to win W55. Jacobson, who set the W65
American Record in 2023 in Chicago, needed to run 3:22:49 to win her division.
No American Men won their division outright in Berlin.
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| Start of Berlin Marathon-Photo posted by Berlin Marathon on Facebook |
Chicago witnessed six American women win age group championships. Heidi Peoples S. Abington Twp W45, PA took first in 2:39:30. Yong Son Basta New Canaan CT W60 clocked 3:13:12 for her win. Jacobson earned her second W65 win of the season in 3:18:43. Grace Wasielewski Prospect Heights IL W70 won with her 3:40:04. Joan Gerold Stony Brook NY W75 ran 4:13:50 to claim her win. Tamerra Buchanan Flossmoor IL W80was the oldest division winner of the day in 5:56:27. David Parsons Sammamish WA M70 and Lee Cook Greer SC M80 got in on the action for the Men. Parsons ran 3:19:23 to win M70 and Cook clocked 4:12:49 in winning M80+.
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| Start of the New York City Marathon-Heading Out from the Verrazano Bridge Photo posted by New York City Marathon on Facebook |
The season’s wrap up in New York was about as tough as
Berlin for Americans. The remarkable Jacobson came through for a third time,
winning W65 in her fastest time of the season, 3:17:57! Kate Stewart Berkeley CA W75, winner of the
2023 USATF W70 Ten Mile Championship, earned the W75 win at 4:12:35. Stephen
Thoma Colorado Springs CO
M55 ran a speedy 2:40:50 to win M55.He was joined by Chris Gould Durham NC W80; at 81, Gould
was the oldest American winner with his 4:21:04.
Stephanie Bruce Flagstaff AZ was the only Masters age American to
place in the top fifteen of the Elite runners. Bruce, now 41, ran 2:33:26 in
New York, finishing second Masters, surpassed only by Ireland’s remarkable 41
year-old Fionnula McCormack, who threw down a 2:27:00 to just crack the
top ten.
In addition to the remarkable ‘hat trick’ of Jacobson, winning
in Berlin, Chicago, and New York, several others finished among top three
Americans in more than one Major. Basta added a third place 3:15:13 finish, second American, at New York.
In Berlin and New York, Sally Reiley Marblehead MA finished second to Jacobson in 3:31:27 and 3:31:59, respectively.
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| Sally Reiley headed for a second place W65 Finish at the 2025 Berlin Marathon Photo posted by S Reiley on Facebook |
Rongkui Zhu Chantilly VA, was the second W55 American, finishing eighth overall in Berlin in 3:18:42 and 3rd American in Chicago, eighth overall in Chicago with her 3:16:00. Lauren Van Allen McKinney TX finished second W45 American in Chicago, fourth overall, with a 2:48:36.
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| Post Race at the 2025 Chicago Marathon -- Lauren Van Allen Photo posted by L Van Allen on Facebook |
A month later in New York, she clocked 2:55:57 to finish top American and fifth overall. Leslie Cohen Santa Monica CA W65 finished third overall, and third American in Chicago off a 3:32:32.
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| Leslie Cohen competing in the 2025 Chicago Marathon. She finished third overall in the 65-69 Division Photo posted by L Cohen on Strava |
Her 3:32:53 in New York gained her third American status again, fourth overall. Myung Kim Los Angeles CA W75 did the Berlin/New York double; her 5:21:34 gained her the second American, fourth overall position in Berlin. In New York she was third American and third overall with a much faster 4:32:34. Hamlin Nie Gurnee IL M65 was a triple ‘Top 3 American’; he finished first American, fifth overall in Berlin at 3:21:02. His speedier 3:15:52 netted him second American, fifth overall in Chicago. Nie wound the fall up with a 3:15:38 in New York, third American, eleventh overall. Robert Ashby Mere Point NC M55 first American, finished 9th overall in Berlin, but second American at 2:47:33. His faster 2:43:20 in New York gained a fifth-place spot overall and second American. Russell Simkins Madison MS M50 was the first M50 American to finish at Berlin; his 2:39:12 left him in fifth overall. At 2:40:00 in New York, Simkins ran almost as fast as in Berlin, but finished eighteenth overall and third American.
In most cases, the winner got out faster than their
competitors, built a lead steadily and won with plenty to spare. A few duels
were closer. Berlin. Katlyn Phillips Allen TX W45 trailed Germany’s Ricarda Gerlachby
by over four minutes at the halfway point. Phillips ran a ‘negative split’; her
time for the second half marathon was 1:26:57, almost two minutes faster than
her first half. But Gerlachby held her off, winning by just thirty-four
seconds! Chicago. Parsons and Joseph Banyana Grand Rapids Mi battled for
the M70 win. Banyana covered the first half in 1:37:09, over two minutes faster
than Parsons. But Parsons steadily clawed back in the second half marathon,
finishing almost four minutes ahead of Banyanga’s 3:23:07. Gould’s steady
approach in Chicago also worked well. He was almost even minutes behind
Kazakhstan’s Saltanat Tuitebayev at the 10K mark and over 8 minutes at the 20K
mark. As Gould was producing steady 10K’s at just over an hour, Tuitebayev had
covered his first 10K in 57 but slowed to an hour for the second 10K. But then the
Kazakhstan runner tired. His third 10K was in 1:06. Gould was less than a
minute back at 30K and turned that into a five-minute advantage in the next 5K.
At the finish, Gould had the win by eight minutes. In Chicago, Samuel
Bradbury Amherst NH M40
sped to a swift 1:10:33 first half but still found himself over two minutes
behind Ireland’s David Mansfield. Bradbury never got any closer,
finishing second in a nifty 2:22:42. James Tierney Franksville WI M75 was over twelve
minutes behind Canada’s Joel Koffman at the 30K mark. With less than eight
miles to go, Tierney started to close the gap. It was down to ten minutes at
the 35K mark and down to 4:21 with just over a mile to go. Tierney ran out of
road; his 4:12:00 left him 1;24 behind Koffman in 2nd. New York. Thoma
had a two-minute lead, in M55, on Spain’s Roberto Clavijo Angulo at the 30K
mark. With eight miles to go, Angulo chipped away at the lead, dropping it to
less than a minute with just over a mile to go. Thoma held strong though,
finishing forty-two seconds ahead of Angulo to take the win. Jay Thomson
Santa Cruz CA M45 was
two minutes behind Canada’s Craig McMillen at the halfway mark; McMillen
kept reeling off sub-35-minute 10K’s to Thomson’s 35-minute plus 5k’s! In the
end, Thomson’s 2:29:53 left him three minutes out of first.
Shoutouts to other strong performances by Athletes who are known to me and to many regular readers of this blog: Berlin Beverly Anderson-Abbs Sacramento CA W60, known more, historically, to me at least, for her top Club Cross Country prowess, such as her fourth-place finish at Spokane in 2018, contested the Berlin Marathon this year. Her 3:23:29 placed her fifth overall and top American in the 60-64 division. Chicago Jacquie Cooke Burlingame CA W45, finished fifth overall at the 2023 USATF Masters Ten Mile Championships with a 1:03:28. Her 2:51:36 in Chicago placed her fourth among American runners, and fifth overall. Stephen Viegas Reading MA M75, was President, for several years, at USATF-NE, and one of my teammates at Tufts University in the 1960's. A half-miler then, and a middle distance runner for most of his Masters career, Viegas turned to the Marathon in recent years and is now a regular at Boston. His 5:13 in the 75-79 division at Chicago placed him fourth American, and eleventh overall. Kris Huff Newnan GA W60 is one of the mainstays of the Women's 60+ team at the Atlanta Track Club, finishing top five in the 60-64 Masters National Grand Prix the last two years. A regular at Boston for at least the last ten years, Huff added a test of the pavement in the boroughs of New York this time around. Her 3:18:21 placed her fourth among Americans, just eight seconds out of a 'Top Three' finish. Jorge Maravilla Mill Valley CA M45, a past winner of the San Francisco Marathon, ran for the West Valley Track Club at Club Cross from 2017-2019, winning the individual Masters title at Spokane in 2018, and finishing top five each year. He helped West Valley to team wins in 2017 and 2019, and a third-place finish in 2018. He is, at least, for now, living the dream, running with his dog, Soren, around the valleys and mountains of southern France near Lake Annecy. Maravilla crossed back across the pond to compete in New York, racing to 2:30:22, good for second American, fourth overall in M45. George Darden Marietta GA, when not busy running marathons, competes for the Atlanta Track Club in national and regional races. Two weeks before the New York Marathon, Darden led the Atlanta M50+ team to victory at the 2025 Masters 5 Km national championships with an M50 first place in 17:27 [on a course that was acknowledged to be long]. In New York, Darden's 2:38:04 was the fastest time for an American in his M50+ division. But, because the division was loaded with top international Masters marathoners, Darden finished ninth overall. Thomas Tayeri Palo Alto CA M60 finished in the top ten at the highly competitive Master's 60+ race at 2024 Club Cross in Tacoma. He was the top American finisher in New York in 2:52:08, good for sixth overall. Rick Lee Bayville NJ M60 is the American M60 Record holder for the 50 Km distance at 3:31:44. He won the Boston Marathon M60 division in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the last time in 2:46:36. But making the New York podium would be a tall order just a few months shy of his 65th birthday. Lee was fastest M60 American to the halfway point, in 1:23:49, but could not hold the pace.
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| Rick Lee turning his head to acknowledge a supporter cheering from the sidewalk in the 2025 New York City Marathon Photo posted by R Lee on Strava |
But Lee held his pace well enough to finish third American, in 2:55:42, just 26 seconds slower than Mike Burgan Charlotte NC. Lee loves running, adds excitement and fun wherever he runs! Lee also has incredible range. The reigning 50 Mile and 50K American M60 Record holder turned 65 this spring. On April 4th, Lee broke the M65 World Record for the Indoor Mile with a 5:02.00! Roger Sayre is the reigning M65 10K Champion at 38:19 and M65 American Record holder at 25K in 1:39:50.
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| Roger Sayre left of photo, bright blue singlet Competing in New York in 2025, finishing Top American in M65 Photo posted by R Sayre on Facebook |
Sayre went up in distance for the New York Marathon and finished top M65 American, third overall in 3:06:17.
Masters Marathoners ran strong last fall, The next report on Marathons will cover spring 2026: Tokyo, Boston and London.
Sources: Berlin, Chicago and New York Marathon results websites, USATF Events website, my archives, Athlinks, Strava, Facebook, and relevant race websites.
Thanks for the visit! Cheers to all!
To express your appreciation for this resource, please click on the coffee cup logo in the sidebar. If you are on a mobile device, please scroll down and click on 'View web version'. Shout out here to recent supporters: Matt B-C, John H, Lorilynn B, Bryan H, Brendan, cush, Gary G, Jan F, Aaron T-L, Ken Y, Peter W, Dan K, Suzanne L B, Michael M, Ed B, Dana H, and John B. May you have good speed in 2026!
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