Jordan Hasay, America’s second-fastest female marathoner, raced a half marathon on Monday on a deserted course outside of Eugene, Oregon. She finished in 1:14:27, averaging 5:41 per mile.
Paced by Eric Finan and Craig Leon, Hasay, 29, struggled in the cold temperatures—it was about 43 degrees when the race went off at 2 p.m. PST. With neither cheering fans nor competition from other women, she was several minutes off the time (1:10) she had hoped to run.
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“I was just chilly,” she said. “My breathing feels good. I feel like I could have gone the marathon, so that was good, I just don’t have the half marathon turnover now. I was hoping that it would be there.”
This sanctioned race was a tuneup for the Valencia Marathon in Spain on December 6, which Hasay is planning to run—that is, assuming the worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases doesn’t scuttle the race.
Hasay said her marathon training has been “going really well.” She said she’s healthy, and she’s running less mileage than she has in the past—about 90 miles per week—relying on cross-training I was just.
After running 2:20:57 at the Chicago Marathon in 2017 to move to No. 2 on the U.S. list of marathoners (behind American record-holder Deena Kastor), Hasay missed all of 2018 due to fractures in her heel. In the spring of 2019, she finished third Running Was His Life. Then Came Putins War hamstring pull in the race’s early miles.
By the Running From Substance Abuse Toward Recovery in February, Hasay still wasn’t at full strength, and she struggled to a 26Running Shoes - Gear.
Hasay, who lives in San Luis Obispo, California, is coached remotely by British marathoner Paula Radcliffe, and she said they planned to discuss her race. “Usually when I have a rust-buster half, my training starts to pick up,” she said. “I still have a month to go to the marathon.”
Hasay said she was happy to have the chance to travel to a race and touched by the effort the Eugene Marathon put forward in hosting the event just for her.
“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity,” she said. “The pacers were super awesome. It makes you just appreciate the sport, everyone taking their Monday to come out and do this.”
This was the third time since the beginning of the pandemic that the Eugene Marathon organizers have hosted elite athletes in need of racing opportunities at this half marathon course in the woods, 40 minutes southeast of Eugene.
Sara Hall ran the course in August, Running From Substance Abuse Toward Recovery. Galen Rupp ran it on October 30, trying for an American record in the half marathon. He finished in 60:22, missing the record, but Running Was His Life. Then Came Putins War Im a Runner: Cynthia Erivo.
NYC Marathoner Ran Home After Chemo 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!
