Emma Grace Hurley ran 2:20:43 at the 2026 Chicago Marathon on Sunday for the fastest marathon debut by an American woman in history, breaking a record that stretches back to Deena Kastor in 2001 and has run through Kara Goucher, Jordan Hasay, and Fiona O’Keeffe. She finished seventh overall on a warm day where most of the leading women with PBs under 2:20 and 2:18 finished minutes off their goal times or didn’t finish at all. She did it mostly alone aside from the miles shared with her trusted pacemaker Caleb Kerr.

If you’ve been following Emma Grace’s year – the 8K American record in Chicago in March, the USATF 10-Mile title at Cherry Blossom, the Copenhagen team silver and 5th place finish at the World Road Running Championships – none of this is entirely surprising. But it was also the marathon and there’s always so many unknowns and things that could go wrong. Yet, she lived up to all the hype and now sits as No. 6 on the U.S. all-time list.

You can listen to the full interview with Emma on the CITIUS MAG Podcast. The following highlights have been transcribed and edited lightly for clarity. Stream, download and listen to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

CITIUS MAG: All right, now I welcome on 2:20 marathoner, Emma Grace Hurley. Has that settled in yet?

EMMA GRACE: Thank you so much. Oh my goodness. The last two days…well, Sunday was just a whirlwind. You have all of the things you have to do right after the race. And then we went to lunch, and then pretty much immediately after lunch we went to the champions dinner. So that was just such a full day, and I feel like by the time I got to sit down it was ten o’clock at night. A huge whirlwind. And then yesterday was like the big letdown. All of a sudden I’m driving through the Indiana cornfields on the way home and there’s like nothing going on, and it’s a little bit sad. I got to talk to my coach in the car, talked to my friend Jen on the way home, got to process out loud. I think it’s set in a little bit, but at the same time, it’s still so fresh.

CITIUS MAG: You texted me yesterday saying, “No one tells you how questionable walking is the day after. Why wasn’t I warned?” How are we doing mobility-wise on Tuesday?

EMMA GRACE: Not great. So here’s the thing. Everyone says, ‘The shoes are better, you’ll be fine.’ And the shoes are better, but you’re still running a marathon. They don’t run it for you. So this morning I took my dog on a walk and it took us two hours to walk three miles — which may have been partly because she was sniffing everything. She has to learn about her environment and I just let it happen. But I did see a couple of people who knew I’d run the marathon and they said, “You’re moving pretty well.” And then my dog would sniff and I’d have to move side to side, and they were like, “Just kidding.” So: as far as walking in a straight line, we’re doing great. I can walk up steps. I can walk up a hill. I can’t go down. I can’t go side to side. I can’t sit down and I can’t stand up. There’s a lot of things I can’t do, but it’s getting better.

CITIUS MAG: When you were debriefing with your coach, what was the overall feedback? And then — the funny thing about marathons is you get finished with one and immediately start brainstorming about the next one. Did that happen on the call?

EMMA GRACE: You’ve met him! What do you think?! Yes. We immediately had plans. But first, we were very pleased about how the day went. I tend to fare really well in heat and I think that showed. Looking at the results, you can see that most people, especially in the women’s race, were off. That top group was going for 2:12 and they finished 2:14, 2:15. Same on the men’s side. People were a minute or two off. So all things considered, I feel like we really maximized where I was on the day.

The immediate takeaways: One: We anticipated more people being around me, and I think I could have been more mentally prepared to be alone. Even with just Caleb and me as the two of us, we really thought we’d be in a pack. Part of the pre-race conversations were Andrew empowering Caleb to protect my space. And then it was so interesting to find ourselves alone — so I think I should have been more mentally prepared that from a racing standpoint, nothing was going to happen for me until mile twenty-four.

And something else I noticed: training over the summer, once it got cooler, I could take so many carbs — getting over a hundred grams an hour in some workouts. But I wasn’t able to do that in the summer. I think I should have fueled the way I was fueling in the summer: a little more salt heavy, a little less carbs. Because I was really trying to slam carbs in the first hour, especially, and I think I overdid it for how warm it was. I don’t look at sixty degrees and think “warm,” but for a marathon, it is.

CITIUS MAG: It’s sneaky with Chicago too, because even though the start is at seven, you’re still getting beat down by the sun in that second half.

EMMA GRACE: And the first half is almost all shaded and the second half is almost all in the sun. It felt like two different races almost.

CITIUS MAG: That finish line moment of you throwing up has become a meme now. But it also goes to show you gave everything you had and poured yourself into this on a really tough day.

EMMA GRACE: Yeah. If I’m gonna be a meme for trying really hard, that’s fine. That’s all right. I think that’s okay.

CITIUS MAG: I did love your comment on Jan Figuroa’s Instagram post — he posted a photo of you and you said something like, “Thanks for getting my good side.” You’re being a really good sport about the whole thing.

EMMA GRACE: Well, it’s funny because the last time I did that after a race was after a road mile, and it was actually worse. So I think it might just be something that happens to me when I race something different or something I haven’t done in a while.

CITIUS MAG: Were there parts of the weekend that felt like, this is bigger than anything before?

EMMA GRACE: Oh my goodness. It’s so funny because I didn’t anticipate it feeling as different as it did. I just ran a World Championship; I’ve been at New York, I’ve been at Boston. But it’s different when you’re in it. There were just a couple of moments — going into the press conference and seeing dozens of people just staring at you, waiting to hear what you say. That was a little intimidating. That was fun. And then (my agent) Ray (Flynn) being very careful with my time, almost rushing me out of there a couple of times. That felt different. And then getting put on a golf cart to go sit on a stage. A lot of it was just more fanfare — so many people paying attention — and I chose to view that as exciting rather than overwhelming. It would be easy to make it feel bigger than it is. But I kept reminding myself: I’m still just there to go run as hard as I can, and I don’t know how to not do that. I’m still doing the same thing I’ve been doing all year in every race. It’s just further.

CITIUS MAG: Even with all the pre-race hype — and we contributed a considerable amount to that, with the podcast, the workout video, multiple media rounds — you entered this with a lot of attention and anticipation. At any point did you think, was that a little too much beforehand?

EMMA GRACE: I think it was okay. I was talking to my coach about it, and the way I pictured it. This is so silly. I was picturing being out in the rain but having a raincoat and an umbrella and rain boots. Like, ‘Cool, it’s raining, but it’s not getting to me.’ So I think it was fine. And I did it to myself. I chose to run a World Championship three weeks before. I did this to myself.

CITIUS MAG: It also didn’t happen out of nowhere, which is something people need to realize. It just took a while for a lot of people to jump on the bandwagon.

EMMA GRACE: That is kind of funny, because from my perspective it does feel like a lot of small steps got me here. I don’t think everyone was paying attention to the eight 2nd places in a row at U.S. Championships — which is fair. But from my perspective I’m like, it’s just another baby step. I appreciate the excitement. It was fun to be part of that.

CITIUS MAG: When you were taking those baby steps, what did you see in those performances that the rest of us weren’t necessarily paying attention to?

EMMA GRACE: In 2024, which was my first year in Indianapolis, I think I was second or third at maybe seven US Road Championships — somewhere between six and eight finishes. I remember consciously saying and talking to (my coach) Andrew (Begley) about how we weren’t doing enough volume or the right workouts to be where we wanted to be yet. I remember knowing at the time that I wasn’t there in training yet. And if I was there in 2024, who knows how tired I’d be by 2028. So it was a very conscious: I know I’m not there yet, but it’s not a lack of capability. It’s more strategic. There’s a reason I’m not there yet. And at the same time it’s a question mark. It’s not guaranteed that adding another double or more volume is going to get you there. And I knew that to be where I wanted to be, there were things I needed to be doing that I wasn’t. Nothing major — I was still running like seventy miles a week. That’s just not enough to be really good anymore.

CITIUS MAG: When, mileage-wise, was the first unlock for you?

EMMA GRACE: In 2025, when we started getting above 85 — and even into the 90s — that’s when I felt like, okay, this is fun now. This is allowing me to go for some things. I think going into the Atlanta half in 2025 was kind of the first time where I felt like, okay, I’m showing up and I’m ready and I’m where I want to be.

CITIUS MAG: When you sat down with Andrew and Caleb, what was the final game plan after looking at the weather?

EMMA GRACE: The night before, we talked about it. We didn’t adjust much for the weather because even the day before, it still looked like there’d be cloud cover, and 60 to 65 degrees with cloud cover is a lot different than 60 to 65 and sunny. We were pretty optimistic it wouldn’t get as toasty as it did. It wasn’t bad — it just wasn’t ideal.

So we were still pretty optimistic about being able to run the plan. The last six miles were the question mark. The plan was to get out and run 5:15s, then settle into 5:18 to 5:22 from Mile 18 to Mile 20, and if we could pick it up, great — and if we needed to stay consistent there, that was fine too.

CITIUS MAG: Can you explain to me why in those opening miles you weren’t drafting off your pacer? It was driving us crazy watching. Like, ‘She’s got a pacer! Why is she running next to him the whole time?’

EMMA GRACE: He kept telling me to settle down. I’m sorry. I think it just felt antisocial. Like I just wanted to be on a run with my friend. I felt a little bad because we did think we’d be in more of a group, and he was really just having to do all the work by himself. And thank goodness he was there. What if I didn’t bring a pacer and I was stuck between 5:17 and 5:22? For your first marathon, I don’t think you can just go to Chicago and figure that out.

As far as the women’s pacing went, there was a gap between 5:17 and 5:22, and I wanted to be in the middle. We anticipated more men from the American development field would be around us, and there weren’t any. So as soon as we let the 5:17 group go — we were with them for two miles — it was just us the rest of the way. No contact after that. We had a couple of hard passes — I think we passed two men and two men passed us — but otherwise nothing. And I just felt bad, because he was doing all the work and I felt unsociable running behind him.

CITIUS MAG: With just a pacer, being by yourself, no big moves until mile twenty-four — what were you thinking about in those early miles? Where did your mind go?

EMMA GRACE: The first half was so entertaining. I could actually take things in. I couldn’t really look around much, but I could hear people and that was super fun. Historically, people don’t really know who I am, so it was interesting. Copenhagen was the first time a lot of people were cheering for me. The only other time I’d had that kind of experience was when I ran six and a half miles of the Falmouth Road Race next to Emma Bates and just pretended. But here, when they say “Emma Grace” — not “Hurley” from the bib— you know they know. That was so cool. So if anyone listening was out there cheering, thank you, it made me so excited.

Through about Mile 15, I could really absorb everything. Then it shifted to paying attention to effort. But I had one moment at Mile 8 where I did the math: ‘Oh my gosh, there’s 18 miles to go.’ That was the one jarring marker. Everything else I was kind of fine, but that one really hit me.

CITIUS MAG: Beyond 25K was all new distance for you. You’re all alone at eighteen miles. What are you telling yourself?

EMMA GRACE: Very shortly after Caleb stepped off, Andrew and Amy (Begley) were on a corner — a corner where no one else was. And they said two people were coming back. I was kind of mad because it took me four miles to see them. But just hearing that at that point gave me something to focus on other than the void.

And I think this is the cool thing about the marathon: There are so many other people doing it. So many people behind me giving their best effort so I owe it to myself, but also to all of them, to give mine. And so many people go into making the day happen that I owe it to them too. Thinking externally really helps me get the most out of myself. If I’m focused on how I’m feeling, we spiral. But thinking about other people, who’s out here, if they’re doing this, then I ought to give my best effort — at that point there’s really only 30 or 40 minutes left. That’s not pleasant, but it’s not somewhere I haven’t been before. I’ve had some really unpleasant 35-minute stretches. So it’s familiar. And doing it alone, having to get that out of myself — I was fortunately able to see them eventually, and that gave me something concrete. And then when it got tough, you just cycle through all the reasons to keep going.

CITIUS MAG: When were you aware of what place you were in? Because beforehand you’d said top ten would be great, and the list of women entered with PRs under 2:20 was long.

EMMA GRACE: And top ten was a reach. Like, that was an “I hope.”

CITIUS MAG: There were probably more than ten women entered with PRs under 2:20…And there was a lot of carnage, a lot of DNFs. Were those things you saw along the course?

EMMA GRACE: People had told me: in the marathon, if things happen, just keep going. If you can just mentally stay focused and get there, things will open up as the race goes. And I think it was as early as Mile 8 that we saw someone step off. Even going through the half, Caleb did phenomenally. Andrew had said to go through at 1:09:50, and I think we went through at 1:09:50. How amazing is that? And even at halfway, we kind of got that check-in, looked up, and two people were right there. So there was an immediate,’ OK, here we are.’

I didn’t know what place I was in until I finished. I had no idea. I heard someone — I think Izzy (Batt-Doyle) had asked someone where she finished, and I heard “sixth.” So I knew I was seventh.

CITIUS MAG: That moment on Michigan Avenue, where Izzy started coming up on you. How unexpected was that? You’d been alone for so long.

EMMA GRACE: The whole race, nothing happened for 24 miles. And then in the 2.25 miles, everything happened. I heard someone at the finish say, “Now it’s an American battle” and I was looking around trying to find where the other American was, because in my head they weren’t talking about Izzy. I know she’s Australian. So when she passed, I was like, “Go, Izzy!” I was genuinely excited because we had talked about maybe ending up in the same place. She was coming from training in the southern winter and I was coming from the northern summer, so we were going to get there in two separate ways. But we’re both ASICS athletes. I always cheer for her. She was moving so fast I knew I wasn’t going to keep up, but I was happy.

And then I heard the “American battle” comment again and had this whole moment of confusion — Who? Where? It never even crossed my mind they might be talking about Izzy until someone told me afterwards that they were trying to figure out who she was. Which I’d actually told her ahead of time, “Why is no one talking about you? This is crazy.” Because she’s so good.

CITIUS MAG: As you saw the finish line, did the emotions start to get to you?

EMMA GRACE: I felt emotional that morning. I was just so excited. But by the time you reach the finish, you’re so spent, mentally, physically, emotionally, that all I could think was: Get there, and whatever’s left, use it to get there. Not yet. I was just trying to get my body to that line.

CITIUS MAG: So no tears at the final four hundred or crossing the finish line?

EMMA GRACE: Not yet. I’m still dehydrated. I had some tears that morning because I was just so excited and couldn’t contain it. But none after.

CITIUS MAG: What’s it like holding that card up? Fastest American women’s marathon debut record — they fit a lot of words on it.

EMMA GRACE: It was a lot of words. But that is such a cool moment. So few people get to do that. I always want to take it in and appreciate it because I feel so lucky to get to have those moments. And I know it takes a village. Andrew does so much planning and thinking, and I have the easy job of just showing up and running. It takes so many people being out there to have that moment — even the volunteers and the race organizers. I can’t have that moment without literally thousands of people doing something far more thankless. So I always really appreciate not just the ability to have a performance like that, but the amount of people behind it that it takes to get to the start line, get to the finish line, and have the opportunity.

CITIUS MAG: Deena Kastor held the record at 2:26:58 back in 2001. Then it went to Kara Goucher, Jordan Hasay, Fiona O’Keeffe, now you. We’ve taken 6 minutes and 11 seconds off this record in the last twenty-five years. I looked it up to find parallels between you and Deena, and — you were both twenty-eight when you set the record, and you’re both ASICS athletes. You got some Deena time this weekend too. What was that like?

EMMA GRACE: That’s so cool. She’s just one of the best to ever do it, and being in the same brand feels almost like being teammates. But that’s super cool. I do think the way she prepared and maximized herself is really admirable. I also feel like she thought about things similarly to how Andrew has brought me around to thinking about them: Capitalize on the big days, really focus on those, don’t get caught up in all the other stuff. And she won a medal at the Olympics. That’s amazing and so hard to do, and it feels so far off for us right now.

But I also got a selfie with Joan Benoit Samuelson. The three of us. I think that’s just amazing, and I admire the way she was able to continue improving after that, the amount of consistent success she had at the very top. And even more admirable than her success as an athlete is how she holds herself now — how she’s so happy for people doing it after her. More than her career, I want to be like her as a person someday. If I can have a career like hers and be even a fraction as gracious as she is, all good.

Listen to the full episode here.