The Boston Marathon Women’s Elite Field Was Historic. London’s Will Be, Too.

This depth of talent is relatively recent, and it’s growing. The 26.2-mile distance has been covered in under 2:18 — a pace of just over 5:15 a mile — by 27 women. Twelve of those times were run in 2022. Two have been run so far in 2023.

It’s something that is echoed, to a small extent, in the men’s field, as world records continue to fall and the number of people running fast times continues to increase. The most obvious explanation for this flood of fast times is the now ubiquitous presence of super shoes, which have a carbon-fiber plate in the sole that acts as a kind of spring.

But while the growth in the men’s field is incremental, the growth in the women’s field has been far more dramatic. For women marathoners, there is more money to be won and new investment in the sport. There are also simply more women racing at a high level.

Mary Kate Shea, the director of professional athletes at the Boston Athletic Association, has had a front-row seat to the talent boom, and has long competed to lure talent to the Boston Marathon. She has recruited elite fields for 25 Boston Marathons, doing so when “there was no depth around the world.”

Not anymore.

“There are so many races around the world, so you are all recruiting from the same pool,” Shea said. “It’s refreshing that each race in the spring season has great fields.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/22/sports/boston-marathon-women.html