PRONUNCIATION: RY-uhn Hall

BIRTHDATE: 14 October 1982

PERSONAL BEST: 2:04:58 (Boston, 2011)

WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:
12Aug12 London Olympic Games Marathon DNF
09Oct11 Bank of America Chicago Marathon 5th 2:08:04
18Apr11 Boston Marathon 4th 2:04:58
19Apr10 Boston Marathon 4th 2:08:41
01Nov09 ING New York City Marathon 4th 2:10:36
20Apr09 Boston Marathon 3rd 2:09:40
24Aug08 Beijing Olympic Games Marathon 10th 2:12:33
13Apr08 Flora London Marathon 5th 2:06:17
22Apr07 Flora London Marathon 7th 2:08:24

ADDITIONAL MARATHON HIGHLIGHTS:
14Jan12 Houston U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 2nd 2:09:30
03Nov07 New York U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 1st 2:09:02 Event Record

CAREER NOTES: In 2011, Ryan Hall recorded the fastest marathon by an American of all time with his 2:04:58 fourth place finish in Boston. That mark improved the American course record he had set a year earlier by nearly four minutes. He has run Boston three times, finishing third in 2009, and fourth in both 2010 and 2011. Hall is historically a front-runner on the Boston course and the African elite runners have credited him with pushing the pace in both 2010 and 2011. Hall made his marathon debut in 2007 in London running 2:08:24, which was the fastest debut ever by an American.

He was first at the 2007 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, shattering the event record by more than a minute, and went on to place 10th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon. At the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2012, Hall finished second to teammate Meb Keflezighi. At the Olympics, Hall was forced to drop from the race due to injury.

In 2013, Hall was scheduled to run both Boston and New York, but focused instead on recovery. He finished second at the San Francisco Bay to Breakers 12K and won the San Jose Half Marathon. Hall is also the North and Central American record holder in the 20K, the 30K and the half marathon, where his 59:43 marked the first time an American had ever broken the one-hour barrier.

PERSONAL NOTES: Excited to run his fourth Boston Marathon, Hall says, “Before running the Boston Marathon you hear stories, lots of stories, and you can’t help but think that there is no way a race, any race, can possibly live up to the hype and expectations. Then you run your first Boston and somehow your expectations are exceeded. Running Boston is unlike running any other race. When I am standing on the starting line in Hopkinton, I feel like I am living in a history book. The course has so much character. It will test you to the max. There are few courses that have both hills and yet still give you the opportunity to run fast, as Boston does. The crowd is massive and ear-ringing. There is no experience like running the Boston Marathon.”

Hall is a 2005 Stanford graduate and three-time All-American in cross-country. He is married to professional runner Sara Bei Hall and the couple founded The Hall Steps Foundation in 2009 with a mission to end global poverty. “I love the Boston Marathon. It has been one of my favorite races since I ran my first time in 2009.

After watching the tragic events that unfolded at the finish line of last year’s race and knowing the resilience of both the running and Bostonian culture, I knew this year’s race was going to be a sweet run at redemption that I am hungry to be a part of. For this reason, I believe this year’s running will be one of the most historically significant marathon races in history.”