Who were the fastest U.S. marathon runners in 2022?

The New York City Marathon marked the last major marathon of 2022. That in mind, a look at where U.S. marathon runners stand with 15 months until the Olympic Trials, where the top three finishers are likely to qualify for the Paris Games ...

This was the greatest year in U.S. women’s marathon history going strictly by times. A 16-year-old American record was broken by Keira D’Amato in January, and then Emily Sisson broke D’Amato’s record in October. Nine women went under 2:26. Before 2022, a total of 15 U.S. women broke 2:26 all-time.

No American woman made the top five in Boston or New York City (no American man did either, marking the first time that happened for both genders in one year since 2001). But the U.S. women had the best collective results of any nation at the world championships in July in Eugene, Oregon -- fifth, seventh and eighth.

Sisson, 31, broke the American record in Chicago in her first mass marathon since dropping out of the February 2020 Olympic Trials as arguably the pre-race favorite.

D’Amato, a 38-year-old mother of two, left competitive running for eight years after college. She returned in the Tokyo Olympic cycle and placed 15th at the last Olympic Trials, when she was not considered a contender to make the team. Now she is very much in the discussion, if not a favorite.

Sara Hall, who with husband Ryan has raised four adopted Ethiopian sisters since 2015, ranks third in the nation this year. Since 2004, she raced seven Olympic Trials races without making a team spanning the 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, 3000m steeplechase and the marathon. Come the Paris Games, she will be age 41, older than any previous U.S. Olympic female runner, according to Olympedia.org.

Emma Bates, 30, was the fastest American in 2021 and the No. 2 American finisher this year at worlds and in New York City. Among this year’s top tier, she has been the most consistent runner and is the youngest.

Others to watch: Aliphine Tuliamuk, the surprise 2020 Olympic Trials winner, was the top American in New York City (seventh, 2:26:18, on a difficult course) in her first marathon since running the Tokyo Games seven months after childbirth.

Molly Seidel, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, ran one marathon in 2022, dropping out of Boston with hip pain. She then withdrew before the world championships, citing a “complete struggle” physically and mentally since Boston in April.

Fastest U.S. Women’s Marathons in 2022

As has been the trend, the U.S. men have not been as strong as the U.S. women.

Conner Mantz, who made his marathon debut in Chicago and posted the fastest time for an American man this year, ranks 148th in the world for 2022 by best times. In comparison, 11 American women rank in the top 142 in the world this year.

If Mantz remains the fastest American through the end of the year, and 14 more men from other nations pass him in the world time rankings, it will be the first year in modern World Athletics records that an American man does not rank in the top 161 in the world.

In recent years, two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp kept American men’s marathon running afloat (Rupp was the lone U.S. man in the top 295 in the world last year). But Rupp, now 36, struggled with injuries this year, causing him to stop several times in the late miles of the world championships (finished 19th) and possibly being the reason for dropping out during New York City on Sunday.

The good news: Two U.S. men broke 2:09 for the first time since 2006, and four broke 2:09:30 for the first time ever. Ian Butler (personal best 2:09:45) and C.J. Albertson (personal best 2:10:23) are still to run the Valencia Marathon on Dec. 4.

Mantz was the fastest American from his one marathon in 2022. Scott Fauble, who entered the 2020 Olympic Trials as a contender and finished 12th, was the top American in Boston and New York City, putting him right up there, too.

Fastest U.S. Men’s Marathons in 2022

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