Runner Chases US Marathon Record Despite Hamstring Tear

Sometimes the biggest victories happen when athletes refuse to let setbacks define their story.

Clayton Young, 33, plans to chase the American marathon record at the Chicago Marathon this Sunday despite discovering a tear in his hamstring just weeks before the race. The Paris 2024 Olympian has dreamed of breaking the U.S. record for years, and he's not backing down now.

The record belongs to Young's own training partner, Conner Mantz, who ran 2:04:43 in Chicago last year. Young came close at the Boston Marathon earlier this year with a personal best of 2:05:41, missing the mark by just under a minute.

What changed Young's mindset from dreaming about the record to actually declaring it publicly? British runner Josh Kerr's bold "Project 222" campaign to break the mile world record, which succeeded this summer.

"A lot of us elite athletes saw what Josh did and thought, 'Maybe we should be putting our dreams and goals out there a little bit more,'" Young explained on the Nobody Asked Us podcast. Kerr set a date, announced his goal publicly, and delivered with a new world record of 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League.

Young felt a pull in his hamstring during his kick at the Great North Run in England. Medical assessments confirmed a tear, leaving his Chicago attempt uncertain on a day-to-day basis.

But his recent training gives him hope. Young completed a 22-mile run and several other marathon-pace workouts that suggest his fitness remains strong despite the injury.

Last year, an ankle issue derailed Young's plans at the World Championships in Tokyo, where he finished ninth instead of on the podium. He withdrew from the Valencia Marathon afterward, leaving what he calls "unfinished business."

Why This Inspires

Young's willingness to declare his goal publicly, even knowing he might fall short, represents a shift in how athletes approach their biggest dreams. Rather than protecting himself from potential disappointment by staying silent, he's chosen transparency and vulnerability.

"I called my shot," Young told Citius Magazine. "I'm hanging on to the truths that I know, which is Clayton Young is a marathoner, and he is a gamer and he is a baller."

His YouTube channel, launched before the Paris Olympics, has documented the entire journey, including the hamstring injury and the mental battle ahead. Young shares that it will take both physical resilience and mental strength to toe the line in Chicago.

The former NCAA 10,000m champion at BYU knows the odds, but he's racing anyway. Whether he breaks the record or not, Young is already showing what courage looks like when the path forward isn't guaranteed.