Emma Bates appreciation thread

Descending order of world ranking until 3 people actually want to do it. With the Olympic Trials in February, I think they'll have to go pretty far down the list.

With Boston results not factored in yet, here is the descending order of US women's marathoners:

27. Keira D'Amato

28. Sara Hall

42. Emily Sisson

49. Emma Bates

89. Betsy Saina

NR: Lindsay Flanagan

NR: Susanna Sullivan

NR: Maggie Montoya

NR: Sara Vaughan

NR: Aliphine Tuliamuk

NR: Nell Rojas

Bates probably shoots up to #1 US marathoner with the updated scores, and Tuliamuk and Rojas will certainly go higher. Hard to see ANY of these runners wanting to do Worlds. It's going to wind up being runners like Laura Thweatt, Stepahnie Bruce, etc.

I guess I don't get it. I heard there was an American in the mix in the women's event. I managed to find the streaming coverage (easy), and there is Emma in the lead at like mile 18! WTF. Do these people have coaches? And there is the entire lead pack like a flock of geese drafting off of her. I knew it was a matter of minutes before she drops off the front never to return.

I have coached enough runners for marathons and one common thing I tell them, "this is not a time trial, it is a race across the line. Do everything in your power to work as easily as you can. Let the other people do the work. And NEVER and I mean NEVER, lead!!!!!" how hard is that?

But I will say she looks incredibly fit and she ran strong. I just think she might've been able to mix it up had she sat in the pack the whole way...

If you watch LR's interview with Joe Bosshard, he says he is working with her on running in a pack and she likes running solo so the lead is something she likes to do.

It's actually quite admirable but yes, in the long-term she needs different strategies in different races.

Anyway, it's nice to see her improve steadily and hope she'll be ready for prime time in 2024.

Like looking in the mirror and seeing a younger and more fit me!

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Also comes up in her Citius Mag post-race interview. She doesn't running in the pack and doesn't do it well, so tends to drift around or just go in front. Given the choice between uncomfortable and leading, I think she has to go with leading for now.

Definitely a good point about the drafting, as others mention though she isn’t used to racing in a pack. She also mentioned no one was running tangents except for her so maybe this is another reason she didn’t run in the pack. Her strava segment clocked 26.21 exactly.
Also it’s not like she was leading at 18 and then died. She stuck with them until mile 23 or 24 if I’m correct when they started hammering the pace. But her last 5K was still quite fast. Haven’t fact checked this but someone mentioned it was faster than Kipchoge’s last 5K?

Desi did it better at Boston than Emma ever has in the marathon. True facts.

I’ll never understand the haters…

Unless you’re in the arena, how do you have any room to talk about “what Emma should have done” or “so and so did this better?”

Emma was gutsy, consistent and ran a personal best. Truly, what more could you ask for in one of our American athletes? Isn’t consistent progress and a grounded but fierce persona exactly what we want in our women athletes?

Don’t tell me “but we shouldn’t settle for 5th,” unless you’re putting in the work and effort to get there yourself. Unless you were out in the field yesterday, and beat Emma, you’re a bit of a doofus to be throwing even a hint of shade.

Let Emma tell herself that she can do more (she will), or go be someone who’s actually in contention and willing to fight with the best of the best.

Now go throw down some miles, not your thumbs on a snarky response. ;)

Two great points here. One, Emma is great, but could work on her kick (she only races the marathon and I guess that could limit occasions to kick hard). Two, this was no distant fifth. She was right in the mix. I am impressed.

Emma's Marathon History
2018 - California International (US Marathon Championships) - 2:28:18 (1st)
2019 - Chicago - 2:25:27 (4th)
2020 - Olympic Trials (Atlanta) - 2:29:35 (7th)
2021 - Chicago - 2:24:20 (2nd)
2022 - World T&F Championships (Eugene) - 2:23:18 (7th)
2022 - New York - 2:26:53 (8th)
2023 - Boston - 2:22:10 (5th)

All Time American List
2:18:29 - Emily Sisson - Chicago - 2022
2:19:12 - Keira D'Amato - Houston - 2022
2:19:36 - Deena Kastor - London - 2006
2:20:32 - Sara Hall - Chandler, AZ - 2020
2:20:57 - Jordan Hasay - Chicago - 2017
2:21:14 - Shalane Flangan - Berlin - 2014
2:21:16 - Deena Kastor - London 2003
2:21:21 - Joan Benoit - Chicago - 1985
2:21:25 - Deena Kastor - Chicago - 2005
2:21:42 - Amy Cragg - Tokyo - 2018
2:21:48 - Keira D'Amato - Berlin - 2022
2:22:01 - Sara Hall - London - 2020
2:22:02 - Shalane Flanagan - Boston - 2014
2:22:10 - Sara Hall - Eugene - 2022
2:22:10 - Emma Bates - Boston 2023

* Tied for 14th fastest time ever by an American
* 9th fastest American performer
* 2nd fastest time ever by an American at Boston (only 8 seconds behind Flanagan)

Remarkably similar to Sara Hall. I'll just leave it at that.

it’s professional sport. performances get analysed and critiqued all the time, that’s what fans do.

also, criticism does not equal hate.