Sara Hall out of Berlin Marathon - still planning on running NYC

I'm a huge Sara fan.

Still, things are going to look an awful lot different in 2023.

she is always going to over promise and under deliver.

Everyone said it was too much racing. She said no.

well here we are.

She’s dodging Keira D’amato. Yeah, Sara beat her at Worlds, but Sara knows Keira is in better shape now.

Well, it gives her six more weeks to get healthy and ready so likely a smart move as long as it hasn't turned into a major problem.

And last time she did Berlin and tried to come back at NY 5 weeks later, she DNF NY. Not easier when you are 3 years older either.

Um yeah but that was for food poisoning. Is food poisoning the same thing as overtraining?

Riiiiiiight!!! That's what it is. (rolls eyes)

Sara Hall has done a ton of racing over the last few years, and has been competing at a high level for a really long time. I'm a HUGE fan of hers, but I do wonder if she's starting to reach that magical point where the body can only give so much for so long.

can't fault sara for taking risks in the final years of her career. Sucks about berlin, though. i dont see her performing as well on a course like NYC or in a tactical race. Hope she proves me wrong, though. :)

I hadn't heard that DNF was due to food poisoning. I heard she bailed after cratering after it was clear she was still fatigued from Berlin and was out of the money positions by halfway. It's amazing how many elite runners suffer from it on race day. As we all know Sara has a history of racing, A LOT. At her age, trying to do more than 2 marathons a year is likely a big mistake. She was planning on 3 from July to November this year, challenging for a 25 year old, let alone a 38 year old. I think her body is telling her knock it off. The WC's showed she can still run well, she just needs to back off the racing a bit.

Compare the preparation that each had leading up to Worlds. Regardless of the fact that Keira was running and racing, it wasn't marathon specific, nor did she even know she was running there until 3 weeks prior to the race. Given all that, Sara didn't beat her at Worlds by much.

While I don't think it's her main reason for withdrawing from Berlin, I don't think it's a stretch to say that Sara might be worried about competing against Keira with a proper (i.e. more than 3 week) lead up.

Sara needs to run less marathons each year. She's been injured quite frequently the last two years and is risking her last chance to make an Olympic team (2024). It's also much clearer that Keira seems to be the fastest US marathoner at the moment, not Sara

Ever hear of the WC Marathon in Eugene?

Is that true? Keira seems to have a much wider range, but I think Sara is undefeated head-to-head?

Berlin 2019: Sara 5, Keira 17

Marathon Project 2020: Sara 1, Keira 2

Chicago 2021: Sara 3, Keira 4

World Champs 2022: Sara 5, Keira 8

The only time I can find where Keira beat her was at the 2020 Olympic Trials where Sara DNF'ed

The Berlin-NYC "Bekele Double" is not for everyone, good for Sara to train smart and know her limits. Good luck in NYC!

the race that Keira managed to run 2:23 after less than 3 weeks of marathon training? The race Sara had been training for months to run a 2:22? Sure Sara won, but I think what Keira did was way more impressive. She's had much better results as of late, and I think she's the best shot to improve the American record (sisson is also a good chance)

A real pity, wanted to see her run a fast one in Berlin!

Seems like a sensible and smart decision. I appreciate the transparency (isn't that what we sometimes talk about here....how we wish athletes were more transparent about injuries, etc?) I wish her well in NYC.