Despite being the top finisher at his first marathon in 2023, Will Loevner noticed ways he could shave seconds — even minutes — off his time.
At the California International Marathon in Sacramento in December, the Indiana Township man dropped seven minutes from that initial marathon time in Cleveland, finishing the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 12 minutes.
On Sunday, Loevner will compete in the Pittsburgh Marathon as part of the group of elite runners. He’s no stranger to the course or the competition — Loevner, 28, finished runner-up at the 2024 Pittsburgh Marathon, a stubbornly hilly tract, in 2 hours, 17 minutes.
A farm manager at his family’s goat farm by trade, Loevner will be among the top runners in the field. He believes full-time workers who moonlight as elite runners have room for growth.
“I think that we’re capable of getting faster,” he said.
Marathon times have fallen precipitously over the past century or more. As they dropped, the notion of a sub-two-hour finish once thought impossible became more conceivable. And then real.
Last weekend, the men’s marathon world record fell when Sabastian Sawe of Kenya finished the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, becoming the first person to break the two-hour barrier in an official competition. The time is in the process of being certified by World Athletics.
Experts say there are various factors driving faster times, both for elites and weekend warriors. They agreed improvements in training and recovery methods, nutrition, access to information, science, equipment and technology are making a difference.
“Runners today can easily learn from elite athletes, connect with broader running communities and tailor their training in ways that just weren’t possible 10 to 20 years ago,” said Margo Malone, 32, who won the 2023 Pittsburgh Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes, 56 seconds.
A North Hills graduate, Malone is a coach with Hogan Performance and lives in New York.
“Virtual coaching and personalized training platforms have also made it easier for athletes at all levels to train smarter and reach faster times,” she said.
In 1906, a men’s marathon record was set at 2 hours, 42 minutes, according to the Associated Press. It dropped dramatically over the next 60 years, hitting 2 hours, 9 minutes in 1967. By 2023, the record was 2 hours, 35 seconds — until last weekend.
The women’s record has been inching closer to the 2-hour mark.
In 1979, the record was 2 hours, 27 minutes, 33 seconds, according to World Athletics. The fastest time currently stands at 2 hours, 9 minutes, 56 seconds, set by Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya in 2024.
Changes in training
Full or half-marathon training now typically involves fewer miles compared to decades past while also incorporating weightlifting and recovery methods such as massage and acupuncture, said Frank Velasquez, certified athletic trainer, strength and conditioning specialist and director of Allegheny Health Network’s sports performance program.
Advances in technology also have made health and exercise data easily accessible through wearable devices.
“We didn’t have the technology on our wrist” in years past, he said.
And then there are the shoes. Advances in technology have resulted in feather-light footwear.
Known as “super shoes,” carbon-fiber plated footwear has aided in propelling runners to record-breaking speeds. Sawe was wearing the new Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 when he broke the 2-hour barrier, according to multiple reports. They weigh around 3½ ounces — about as much as a deck of cards.
They list for $500 on Adidas’ website.
“Super shoes” also lessen impact on muscles, said Colin Martin, 30, of Shaler. He is competing in the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday and qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes.
“The cumulative relief that the shoes provide during training is what I believe has been their biggest impact. If you can train harder, faster and for longer periods of time, you’re going to race faster, too,” he said.
Three-time U.S. national champion Stephanie Bruce, 42, based in Arizona, was a bit skeptical about Sawe’s record-breaking performance in light of past high-profile doping scandals. But it still was an incredible feat, she said.
“Wow, look how far we’ve come,” said Bruce, who will be running the 13.1-mile half-marathon Sunday.
Pittsburgh Marathon top finish times have held pretty steady over the past 17 years. The men’s winning times average 2 hours, 15 minutes, while the women’s are 2 hours, 37 minutes. The men’s course record is 2 hours, 10 minutes, 24 seconds set in 1995, and the women’s mark is 2 hours, 29 minutes, 50 seconds set in 1988.
The half-marathon is a different story. Winning times have dropped six to seven minutes over 17 years.
The half-marathon course records are 1 hour, 1 minute, 21 seconds for men set in 2023 and 1 hour, 9 minutes, 30 seconds for women set in 2022.
Factors a runner can’t control play a role in their times. That can include a person’s leg-to-torso ratio and how their body uses oxygen, among other genetic considerations, said Dr. Jeffrey Fleming, a sports medicine physician at UPMC and the Pittsburgh Marathon associate medical director.
“I think there are individuals that just are more adapted to running long distances,” he said.
There is a mental component, too.
Just knowing that a marathoner finished in under 2 hours is enough to give runners a boost, Martin said.
“It takes one brave individual to be the first to break a major barrier, and the rest of the world will follow and further elevate the sport,” he said.
Bruce agreed.
“When someone does something … you’re like, ‘Why not me? If they can do it, why can’t I do it?’” she said. “I think that’s a huge part of it.”
It’s not only long-distance times that are dropping: Records have been broken this year in the men’s and women’s indoor 800-meter races, according to Runner’s World. The women’s 400-meter hurdles record was broken at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as was the mark for the mixed 4×400-meter relay.
Next frontier?
Marathon times are only going to get faster, experts predicted.
Martin said he doesn’t think even the professionals have it fully figured out.
“There is still so much variety in how groups train and coach their athletes, and training philosophies will continue to adapt and improve to try to gain an advantage over the competition,” he said. “Times will stop improving when athletes stop experimenting with training, and I never see that being the case.”
In turn, qualifying standards at major races will become stricter — and already have. For the 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials, for instance, men must run 2 hours, 16 minutes to qualify and women 2:37. In 2020, the standards were 2:19 for men and 2:45 for women.
That’s an indication of how much the bar has been raised, Malone said.
“When athletes see others achieve something extraordinary, it expands what feels possible,” she said. “That mindset shift combined with continued innovation in training and technology will keep pushing performances forward.”