Ryan Hall (born October 14, 1982, in Kirkland, Washington) is a retired American long-distance runner who holds the U.S. record in the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

. With his half marathon record time (59:43), he became the first U.S. runner to break the one-hour barrier in the event. He is also the only American to run a sub-2:05 marathon (2:04:58 at the 2011 Boston marathon). However, this time is not eligible to be a record due to the course being point-to-point and a net-downhill course. Hall won the marathon at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials and placed tenth in the

Olympic marathon The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the prog ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

High school

Hall came on the running scene as a high school junior. He graduated from high school in the same year as

Dathan Ritzenhein Dathan James Ritzenhein (born December 30, 1982) is a retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of On Athletics Club. He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009-2010, when it was broken by Bernard ...

and Alan Webb, behind whom he finished in the 2000

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships The Eastbay-Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the ...

. His younger brother, Chad Hall, went on to win the national meet in 2006. Hall was the California state cross country champion during his junior and senior seasons at

Big Bear High School Big Bear High School is a high school in Big Bear City, California. It is the only conventional high school in the Bear Valley Unified School District. It was established as an institution in 1948 but has since moved to a new building. Athletics ...

. He finished third at the Foot Locker Nationals in Orlando during his senior season, and also set the Mt. SAC course record in 2000. In track, he was the National Scholastic mile champion in his junior season at 4:06.15, and was the CIF California State Meet champion in the 1600 meter run during his senior season with a state record time of 4:02.62, and won the state title during his junior season in the 3200 meter run at 8:55.12. Hall competed at the Peregrine Systems U.S. Open at Stanford in the 1500 meters, running 3:42.70, and at the 2001 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Collegiate

Ryan Hall's college career at Stanford University started with injuries that held him back from the promise he showed in high school. In 2001, Hall won the Murray Keating Invitational in his college debut and finished 76th at the

NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship The NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual men's runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams a ...

s. He red-shirted the 2002 track season. In his sophomore year of cross country, he won the Stanford Invitational and the Notre Dame Invitational. He was named first team all Pac-10 and earned All-American honors with his 37th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He followed this up with a 3:43.37 1500m best his freshman year of track in 2003. The highlight of his collegiate cross country career came in his junior year in 2003. He was named the Pac-10 Cross Country Athlete of the Year after leading Stanford to the NCAA Championship by finishing 2nd to Colorado's Dathan Ritzenhein. His 2004 track season was cut short due to injury but he did record a best of 13:45 in the 5000, which began Hall's change in distance from the 1500. He came back from injury to finish 26th at the NCAA Championships in 2004 to once again earn All-American status. The breakout that everybody expected from Hall since high school took place in the 2005 track season. He earned his first-ever individual

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

by winning the 5000 meters in 13:22.32, finishing less than a second ahead of his teammate Ian Dobson in a race where the two runners dominated. He graduated from Stanford with a BA in Sociology.

Post-collegiate

Professional (2005–2010)

Hall has been sponsored by ASICS since 2005. His coach at the time was Terrence Mahon, a former runner at

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

. In 2006, he won his first national title in the 12K cross-country championships, winning by 27 seconds. On September 16, 2006, Hall won the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, New York, setting a new course record of 28:22. Hall's road-running success continued when he broke the U.S. 20k record on October 8, 2006, running 57:54, 48 seconds faster than the previous record run by Abdi Abdirahman in 2005. On January 14, 2007, Hall won the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon in a time of 59:43. The performance eclipsed the previous North American record of 1:00:55, set by Mark Curp on September 15, 1985, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. On April 22, 2007, Hall placed 7th in the Flora

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

. His time of 2:08:24 was the fastest marathon debut by any American. On November 3, 2007, Hall won the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in a Trials-record 2:09:02 in New York City, New York. With this win, he,

, and

Brian Sell Brian Sell (born April 11, 1978) is a retired American long-distance runner who specialized in various long-distance track events before specializing as a marathoner in his professional career with Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Sell represente ...

qualified to run the marathon at the 2008 Olympic Games in

, China. On April 13, 2008, Hall placed 5th in the Flora London Marathon. Hall, 25, competing in only his third marathon, finished in 2:06:17. Hall was featured on the cover of the September 2008 ''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in Em ...

'' magazine and talks about his "run for glory" in the marathon in the 2008 Summer Olympics in

. On August 24, 2008, Hall was the second American to cross the finish line the 2008 Men's Olympic Marathon, placing 10th with a time of 2:12:33. He ran at a much more conservative pace than the lead pack did, and gradually moved from 21st place at the 15k mark up to 10th at the 40 km mark. His teammates

and

finished 9th and 22nd, respectively. Hall was chosen as the 2008 Road Runner of the Year in the Open Male division by the

Road Runners Club of America Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running c ...

. On April 20, 2009, Hall participated in the 2009 Boston Marathon, finishing third overall in 2:09:40 behind

Deriba Merga Deriba Merga Ejigu ( am, ደርባ መርጋ አጅጉ; born 26 October 1980) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. He mainly competes in the marathon. He finished fourth in that event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went on to win ...

of Ethiopia and Daniel Rono of Kenya. Merga and Rono finished with times of 2:08:42 and 2:09:32, respectively. He returned to the race in 2010, but only managed fourth place, although his time of 2:08:41 was the fastest ever by an American at Boston. In 2010, Hall finished fourth in the Boston Marathon, and fourteenth in the

Philadelphia Distance Run The Philadelphia Distanced Run is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States on the third Sunday of September. The competition was established in 1978 as the Philadelphia Distan ...

half marathon. Due to fatigue, he withdrew from the

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

. In October, Hall left his coach Terrence Mahon) and the Mammoth Track Club. He won at the 2010 USA 7 Mile Championships.

Sub-2:05:00 at the 2011 Boston Marathon

On December 16, 2010, Hall announced that he would be running the 2011 Boston Marathon, marking his third consecutive appearance in the race. On April 18, 2011, Hall ran the fastest marathon ever by an American, 2:04:58, to finish fourth. Kenya's

Geoffrey Mutai Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 ...

ran 57 seconds under the recognized world record at the time, in winning in 2:03:02, and credited Hall with setting - and maintaining - a fast early pace. However, this was not an American record, since the Boston course is not eligible for records owing to its point-to-point course and elevation drop of greater than 1 m/km; a strong net tailwind (15–20 miles/hr) contributed to the runners' remarkable 2011 times.

2012 Olympics and 2013

In January 2012, Hall ran a 2:09:30 at the Olympic marathon trials in Houston, Texas. Although leading at the halfway point, Hall eventually finished second behind

Meb Keflezighi Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (; Ge'ez: መብራህቶም ክፍልእዝጊ, ''Mebrāhtōm Kifl'izgī''; born May 5, 1975) is a retired Eritrean-born American long distance runner. He is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and fin ...

, still securing a spot on his second Olympic team. At the Olympics in London, Hall dropped out of the marathon around the eleven mile mark while he ran this race with a hamstring injury. After his disappointment at the Olympics, Hall signed up for the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

for later that year, but was unable to run it and withdrew from the race (before it was cancelled due to

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

) in September. In 2013, Hall signed up for the Boston Marathon and the

, but withdrew from both due to injuries.

2014

In April 2014, Hall finished 20th in a time of 2:17:50 at the

2014 Boston Marathon The 2014 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday, April 21 (Patriots' Day). It was the 118th edition of the mass-participation marathon. The race is organized by the Boston Athletic Association. On account of the 2013 ...

, his first marathon finish since the 2012 Olympic trials. In September 2014, Hall announced that he was being coached by Jack Daniels. Hall announced that he will be running the Utah Valley Marathon in June 2015 but did not record a finish. In 2014, Hall signed up for the 2014 Utah Valley Marathon and the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, but withdrew from both due to fatigue.

2015

On March 15, 2015, at the

Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon (formerly known as the City of Los Angeles Marathon) is an annual running event typically held each spring in Los Angeles, California, since 1986. The marathon was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Ga ...

, Hall took the lead at the start running the first mile in 4:42 at near world-record pace but dropped out at the halfway point after losing touch with the lead pack at the fifth mile. His wife

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

was competing in her first marathon in the same race.

2016

In January 2016, Hall announced his retirement from racing, citing the harmful effects it has had on his body. He took up weightlifting, and increased his bodyweight from 58 kg to 75 kg.

2017

In January 2017, Hall somewhat came out of retirement to run the 3rd Annual World Marathon Challenge. Spurred on and inspired by his friend Matthew Barnett (who also completed the race), Hall left his shoes, literally, at the final finish line in Sydney – a symbolic act to signify the end of his running career.

Personal bests

(+) En route in race at longer distance
(*) Wind-aided and point-to-point course *All information except for 10 Miles taken from IAAF profile.

Achievement chronology

*2000 - 3rd place at Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championships *2003 - 2nd-place at

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Cross-Country Championships *2005 -

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

5000m *2005 - 3rd-place at the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

in the 5000m *2006 - 1st place at the

USA Cross Country Championships The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, a ...

(12K) *2006 - U.S.

Half Marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

Champion *2006 - 1st place, Great Cow Harbor 10K (Northport, NY); course-record time of 28:22 shattered previous mark of 28:44 set by Jeff Jacobs in 1991 *2006 - U.S. 20K Record Holder (57:54). Inaugural

IAAF World Road Running Championships The World Athletics Half Marathon Championships is a biennial international half marathon competition organised by World Athletics. The competition was launched as the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and held annually until 2010. It ...

in Debrecen, Hungary. *2007 - U.S. Half Marathon Record Holder (59:43). Aramco

Houston Half Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wit ...

in Houston, Texas. *2007 - 7th place, 2:08:24 at the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. *2007 - 1st Place, 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon (2:09:02) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

*2008 - 5th Place. 2008 Flora

(2:06:17) in

*2008 - 10th Place. 2008 Marathon - Summer Olympics (2:12:33) in

, China *2009 - 1st Place. 2009 15K - Publix Super Markets Gasparilla Distance Classics Race (43:26) in

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater ...

*2009 - 3rd Place. 2009 Boston Marathon (2:09:40) in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

*2009 - 3rd Place. 2009 NYC Half-Marathon (1:02:35) in

*2009 - 1st Place. 2009 ING Philadelphia Distance Run Half-Marathon (1:01:52) in

*2009 - 4th Place. 2009 ING NYC Marathon (2:10:36) *2010 - 4th Place. 2010 Boston Marathon (2:08:40) *2010 - 1st Place. 2010 Bix 7 (32:55) (a USA 7 Mile Championship event) *2011 - 2nd Place. 2011 USA Half Marathon Championship (1:02:20) *2011 - 4th Place. 2011 Boston Marathon (2:04:58) *2011 - 5th Place. 2011

(2:08:04) *2012 - 2nd Place. 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials at Houston (2:09:30) *2012 - Did Not Finish. 2012 Olympics Marathon in London, UK *2014 - 20th Place. 2014 Boston Marathon (2:17:50) *2015 - Did Not Finish, 2015

*2017 - Finished, 2017 World Marathon Challenge (average time 3:39)

Personal life

Hall married his college girlfriend Sara Bei, also a professional runner, in September 2005. Ryan and Sara are both devoted Christians. Hall's younger brother Chad won the 2006 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships, the de facto national championship for high school cross country individual runners. Chad was following in his sister-in-law's footsteps, as Sara Hall (née Bei) won the girl's championships in 2000, the same year Ryan himself finished 3rd. Chad attended the University of Oregon. In 2008, Chad transferred to University of California, Riverside and graduated in 2012. In 2009, Ryan and his wife Sara formed the Hall Steps Foundation to empower the running community to use the energy and resources that fuel runners’ athletic achievements for social justice efforts. Ryan's home town of Big Bear Lake created the "Move a Million Miles for Ryan Hall" campaign to support Ryan's quest for 2008 Olympic Marathon gold by collectively logging 1,000,000 exercise miles.

Notes

* On a downhill course.

References

External links

* * * * * *
The Hall Steps Foundation

Ryan Hall's Official Blog

Biographical article
from

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

Audio interview

Interview: Ryan Hall Takes on the London Marathon: Part Deux

Ryan Hall teleconference interview after his record-setting victory at the 2007 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in NYC

Interview with Ryan Hall after he crushed the American debut record at the 2007 London Marathon

TheFinalSprint.com's interview with Ryan Hall; the new American half-marathon record-holder

Video - Race/Interviews

Ryan Hall Before the 2009 Boston Marathon

Ryan Hall, His Coach Terrence Mahon, His Dad, His Grandfather, and Martin Lel Give Their Reaction After His Amazing 2:06:17 at the 2008 Flora London Marathon

Ryan Hall Breaking the American Record for Half Marathon by Flotrack.org(59.43)

Track and Field videos of Ryan Hall on Flotrack.org

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrNwdjKOKBs "26.2 for Africa" A short film with Ryan Hall* ttp://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e593f8eba239bada1a0c The Ryan Hall Story at GodTube
Ryan Hall on The Forward Podcast with Lance Armstrong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Ryan 1982 births Living people American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Sportspeople from Kirkland, Washington Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California Track and field athletes from California Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States People from Big Bear Lake, California Christians from California