Racing a marathon is physically hard. But for pure mental anguish, little can match the anxiety felt by an elite runner's spouse. For more than two hours, the husbands and wives—and in some cases, parents, children, and coaches—can do nothing but watch a video feed and hope for the best.
For Sunday’s New York City Marathon, event organizers invite family members to watch the race on TVs from a reception area near the finish line called the Blue Line Lounge. There the families can eat and drink and socialize—if they can muster the enthusiasm.
For some, the anxiety of race morning eases as the years go on. For others, the waiting game only gets more difficult. Here's a look at how some spouses and family of your favorite elites deal with race day.
Desiree and Ryan Linden
Ryan Linden and top U.S. marathoner Desiree Linden have been married for a year, but they’ve been a couple for eight. Since this will be Desi's first New York City Marathon, Ryan’s strategy for the race is to simply watch and wait.
“I think I’m going to go find a spot and sit down and watch from there," Ryan said, "but it’s that nervous pacing back and forth because you get so uptight the whole time.
“I think it’s gotten worse [over the years]. Because you see how she’s done in her training and how she’s performed in races and you always want her to do her best.”
Breakfast for elites begins at 5 a.m. For Adam Goucher, hell fetch
The Lindens are not alone in dealing with stress. Trudie Puskedra, married for a year to Luke Puskedra, is not looking forward to enduring his marathon debut on Sunday.
“I think it’s going to be longest two hours of my life so far,” she said.
The Puskedras met as sophomores at the University of Oregon, where he ran cross country and track while she played No. 3 singles on the women’s tennis team. They supported each other in collegiate competition, but the stakes are higher now.
“I understand what he’s going through in terms of nerves,” Trudie said, “but you’re a lot more nervous as a spectator than a competitor because you have no control over the situation.”
Mark Wetmore and Adam Goucher
Breakfast for elites begins at 5 a.m. For Adam Goucher, he’ll fetch Ryan Linden and top U.S. marathoner his wife, Kara, and bring it up to her in their hotel room. He’ll walk her to the bus to the start, which leaves at 6:30 a.m. on the nose.
Goucher and Kara’s coach, Mark Wetmore, plan to take the subway to various points along the course, watching in Brooklyn and on the Upper East Side, before cutting back across Central Park to the finish.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve coached a marathoner, so I don’t remember, but yeah, I get a little bit nervous,” Wetmore said.
Annie Bersagel and Oyvind Sundby
Annie Bersagel and her husband, Oyvind Sundby, who is a mountain runner, will get up and do a short shakeout run together, maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
“I just do what she wants me to do,” Sundby said. “I just try to have her stay relaxed; I think that’s my most important job.”
Bersagel and Sundby live in Norway, and their prerace conversations these days are mostly in Norwegian. After the race starts, Sundby plans to stake out a spot outdoors in Central Park and wait for his wife to finish.
Merhawi Keflezighi
Meb Keflezighi’s Results: 2024 NCAA DI Cross-Country Championships.
“I get nervous, but it’s controlled,” Merhawi said. “I am trying to focus as much as possible on what’s going on, but I do end up talking to people when there are commercial breaks.”
This year, Merhawi will have another job: helping to keep track of his three nieces, Meb’s daughters. The children are ages 8, 6, and 4. Merhawi said Meb’s wife, Yordanos, gets so nervous, she nearly puts herself into a trance.
“Yordanos, she’s at a whole different level,” Merhawi said. “She’s running the race with Meb in her head and in her heart.”
Deena and Andrew Kastor
Of the elites spouses, only Deena Kastor’s husband, Andrew, who is also her coach, seems to enjoy the event. (This is Deena's fourth time running New York.)
“We see the same people year after year. It used to be really hard and I used to get nervous, but at this point, I’m pretty relaxed,” he said. “I’m actually even more relaxed when I know Deena’s really fit. I’ve done my job and now she has to go out and do her job. Whether I’m stressed out or not, she’s still going to run the exact same, so I might as well be relaxed.”
He also doesn't mind heading over to the Blue Line Lounge and enjoys the champagne brunch.
“I’m chatting, refilling my plate or glass with mimosa or a Bloody Mary or something,” he said. “It’s really a social thing with us."
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
