ROSARIO GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE, REBOOTING THE MARATHON PROJECT
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with permission.
(18-Nov) — Ben Rosario, who only two weeks ago announced his departure from HOKA Northern Arizona Elite where he had served first as head coach and later as executive director, just announced his next act. The 44 year-old retired marathoner is resurrecting The Marathon Project, a highly successful, elite-only road race held in the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic in December, 2020. The new version of the race will debut as a multi-race festival on December 20 and 21, 2025, at the Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, Ariz., on the exact same criterium-style course that the original Marathon Project was held. This time both elite and citizen runners can take part.
“We know we have proof-of-concept from 2020, but this version is going to be much bigger and better,” Rosario said through a statement circulated to the media. “We want to provide something for athletes looking to run as fast as possible that they have never experienced before.”
The 2020 version of the race saw 40 men and 33 women cross the finish line at a time when there were few competitive opportunities. At the front Martin Hehir and Sara Hall got the victories in 2:08:59 and 2:20:32, respectively. At the time, Hall’s mark was the second-fastest ever by an American woman (now #5 all-time).
“The roads are pristine, the course is lightning fast, and you can’t beat Chandler in December,” said Hall, 41, looking back on that day. “I’m so excited the race is back and more people will get a chance to chase a PR at this unique event.”
The depth of performances from that day were impressive. A dozen women ran sub-2:30, and 19 of the top-20 women ran personal bests. On the men’s side 11 athletes broke 2:11:30 and 16 of the top-20 set personal bests. Hehir, who has since gone on to become a medical doctor, still remembers the joy he felt that day. The former Syracuse University athlete would never run faster in a standard marathon.
“I’ll never forget crossing that finish line and joining some of the fastest Americans in history,” Hehir, an anesthesiologist, recalled.
The 2025 Marathon Project will begin with a marathon for top recreational runners called the Gold Wave Marathon on Saturday open to “the top 500 and top 500 women who enter,” the event website said. All Gold Wave participants will be treated like pros with…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at RunnerSpace News…