Young says hamstring hasn't hurt in practice ahead of Chicago
The American record is still the plan Sunday, and Charles Hicks says he moved his build to Park City.
Clayton Young is in Chicago, and he says the torn hamstring has not been bothering him in workouts. Chris Chavez relayed from the men's press conference that Young is still set to race Sunday and still chasing the American record, per @chrischavez.
That is a different tone from two weeks ago, when the story was a runner planning to race hurt. David Monti quoted Young saying the build has been handled a mile at a time and a day at a time to make sure the hamstring is OK, and that all signs have been good. CITIUS MAG's recap of the press conference describes the injury as a longitudinal split tear in the semimembranosus, one of the hamstring muscles, and says Young has leaned on the current American record holder for advice in training conversations.
Hicks moved his build to altitude
Charles Hicks is the other American with the record on his mind. He ran 2:04:35 in the spring, which he called the fastest time ever for an American in all conditions, and he has been second American at both New York and Boston. For this block he trained at altitude in Park City, Utah instead of Eugene, Oregon, running a lot more elevation to prepare for the flat Chicago course, according to CITIUS MAG's summary of the press conference.
Defending champion Jacob Kiplimo is going for back-to-back Chicago titles, something no man has done since Sammy Wanjiru in 2010. He ran 2:08:28 in London this year and says he added mileage compared to his 2025 block. Amos Caputo, second last year and third in 2024, called 2026 a new chapter.
On the women's side, Brigid Kosgei is back where she set the 2019 world record and would not commit to a fitness comparison, saying it depends on the weather Sunday. Sharon Lokedi picked Chicago to see how fast she can run. Emma Grace Hurley, who set a women's only American half marathon record of 1:06:23 in Copenhagen last month, makes her marathon debut.
What it actually means. Young saying the hamstring has not hurt at all in practice is the news. Whether it holds for 26.2 miles at American record pace is Sunday's question.
We've had to take it a mile at a time, a day at a time, to make sure the hamstring is OK.
Win the long run conversation
One email a day. Under three minutes. Marathon results, shoe fights and training arguments, settled.