Ryan Ford knew he was ready for something special in Boston. He felt stronger than ever, and with a 1:00:59 half marathon performance under his belt, he had the results to back up the belief. On an ideal morning in Boston, he delivered a special performance. Ryan clocked 2:08:00 to finish 10th overall and 3rd among Americans. His time is the 10th fastest in US history, all-conditions. He ran over 3 minutes faster than his debut in New York and took 2:54 off Josh Izewski’s previous ZAP record set earlier this year in Houston.
Ryan laid back early as the leaders flew through the opening 5k in 14:20 and 10k 28:52. At 10k Ryan sat in 22nd place a minute behind the leaders. He was still running faster than he planned, but was well positioned and feeling comfortable. Ryan held his ground through the first half of the race, which he covered in a swift 1:03:42. The top 16 athletes in the field all came through the half under 1:02.
Just past the halfway mark Ryan started to move forward, covering the next 2.5 miles at 4:47 pace and breaking away from the pack he was running with. Afterward Ryan noted that moment: “I really wanted to find the limit today. I made a big move in the middle section of the race… It hurt, but it paid off.” From that moment on, Ryan would slowly move his way through the field. Halfway up the Newton Hills he had moved up to 15th, but even with that he wasn’t eating into the lead of the top 10. By the top of Heartbreak Hill he slowly began to eat into the 1:40 second lead.
Each mile over the final miles he would find a way past 1 more athlete. With 1 mile to go Ryan was still 34 seconds outside the top 10. Over the final meters of the race Ryan was able to squeeze past the 11th place finisher, and secure one of his biggest pre-race goals of finishing in the top 10.
His performance today, in just his 2nd career marathon, stamps him as one of the preeminent American marathoners and one to watch out for in this coming Olympic cycle.
Tristin Colley had a very similar experience in the women’s race. The field didn’t shoot out quickly from the gun, but after 5k the race heated up quickly. Tristin spent the opening half of the race smoothly running in 20th – 22nd position with a small group of Americans. Her halfway split of 1:11:39 was a mere 18 seconds shy of her personal best. But she felt strong and was running comfortably.
As she worked her way into the Newton Hills her group splintered and Tristin found herself alone, locked into her rhythm. As she approached the top of Heartbreak, Tristin moved into 19th position and was able to get back into the 5:30’s-40’s in the 24th and 25th miles. Tristin, known for her consistency in the latter stages of the marathon, gaining little by little on the women in front of her.
She would cross the line in with the 2nd fastest marathon performance of her life, 2:26:39. She finished 19th overall and 7th among Americans. After taking most of 2024 to find her groove coming off the Olympic Marathon Trials, it’s clear Tristin is officially back!
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Catch Ryan’s Post Race Interview Below