Heather MacLean Leaves New Balance Boston, Will Train With Juli Benson Moving Forward

In another shakeup at New Balance Boston, 2021 US Olympian Heather MacLean has left the team and will be coached by Juli Benson moving forward, her agent Paul Doyle confirmed to LetsRun.com. Earlier on Tuesday, LetsRun.com reported that New Balance Boston and 2024 US Olympian Emily Mackay had also parted ways.

MacLean had been with NB Boston and coach Mark Coogan since 2018 and her career represents one of the team’s greatest success stories. A native of Peabody, Mass., MacLean ran for UMass from 2013-18, graduating with personal bests of 2:03.45 in the 800m and 4:19.19 for 1500m. Despite qualifying for just one NCAA track final (she finished 9th in the indoor mile final in 2016), Coogan and New Balance took a chance on MacLean. Three years later, that gamble paid off as MacLean ran 4:02.09 in the 2021 US Olympic Trials final — a personal best of nearly three seconds at the time — to finish 3rd and qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

MacLean followed that up by winning the 2022 US indoor 1500 title and would subsequently lower her 1500m personal best to 3:58.31 in 2024. More recently, MacLean ran an American indoor record of 3:59.60 for 1500 meters in Boston on March 2, three weeks before finishing 7th at the World Indoor Championships in China.

Doyle told LetsRun that MacLean is “deeply grateful for her time with NB Boston, especially coach Mark Coogan” and provided the following statement from MacLean:

“Mark is an incredible coach and someone I truly care about. He brought me from 4:19 to 3:58 and helped me make my first Olympic team. It’s been an amazing journey, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together. I just felt it was time for a change, and after speaking with Juli Benson, I knew in my gut it was the right move for me.”

MacLean, who remains sponsored by New Balance, will still be based in Boston. Benson, who coached Jenny Simpson to the 2011 world title, also began coaching 2024 US 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz in February.

The departures of MacLean and Mackay mean NB Boston will be down three US 1500m Olympians this summer as Elle St. Pierre, who is still on the team, gave birth to her second child on May 6.

In addition, Coogan told LetsRun.com that 2024 US 10,000m Olympian Parker Valby, who joined the team last fall, has relocated to Gainesville, Fla., for the time being as she rehabs a foot injury. Coogan said the plan is for Valby to join the team for altitude camps once she is healthy and that he is hopeful that she will race at the USATF Outdoor Championships, which begin on July 31 in Eugene.

After the recent departures, the New Balance Boston team now consists of Valby, St. Pierre, Katrina Coogan, Kate Mitchell, Millie Paladino, Lea Meyer, Christian Noble, and Derek Johnson, though Coogan told LetsRun.com the team plans to add new athletes after next week’s NCAA championships.

Talk about Team NB Boston on our world famous messageboard: NB Boston – Is Something Up? Confirmed: Mackay & MacLean have left group.