A U.S. women’s marathon era nobody predicted hits Boston

New U.S. road running star Molly Seidel streamed the Houston Marathon on Jan. 16 and saw another American, Keira D’Amato, break the 16-year-old national record in the women’s marathon.

Seidel could have been jealous. Instead, she texted D’Amato to tell her how incredible it was that she ran 2:19:12. D’Amato responded with a throwback to the previous generation of U.S. women’s marathoning.

You’re next.

This weekend was supposed to mark the gathering of an emerged trio of American stars in, of all places, Boston, home of the world’s oldest annual marathon set for its 126th edition on Monday (broadcast schedule here).

Seidel, the surprise Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, signed up for her first Boston Marathon. Sara Hall also entered, coming off major marathon podiums the last two years and an American record in the half marathon on that same January day in Houston. D’Amato races in the Boston Athletic Association road 5km on Saturday.

Hall withdrew last week, citing a knee injury, but it doesn’t change what took place over the last two years. A new era of U.S. women’s marathoning dawned. It’s one nobody predicted.

For much of the 2010s, Shalane Flanagan, Des Linden, Kara Goucher and Amy Cragg occupied that elite tier. They made up the top four at the Olympic Trials in 2012 and 2016. Cragg won a world championships bronze medal in 2017. Three months later, Flanagan became the first U.S. female runner in 40 years to win the New York City Marathon.

Linden watched that broadcast from home in Michigan. Five minutes before Flanagan crossed the Central Park finish line, she tweeted from her iPhone, crying, “Thank you @ShalaneFlanagan for giving us something to believe in.”

Flanagan responded, “Now it’s your turn,” with emojis of a