The Boston Athletic Association has released the professional field for this year’s Boston Half Marathon, and once again, it’s brimming with international talent and top-tier Americans.
Taking place on November 9 and winding through the city’s scenic Emerald Necklace, the race will feature over 70 pro athletes from 13 countries with Team USA’s Clayton Young and Keira D’Amato leading the domestic charge.
Young, fresh off a stellar stretch that included a top-10 finish at the 2024 Olympic Marathon and a ninth-place result at this summer’s World Championships in Tokyo, will make his Boston Half debut.
He already logged a seventh-place showing at the full Boston Marathon in April and enters the half with a 1:00:52 personal best from Houston earlier this year, putting him firmly in contention even against a blistering international field.
He’ll face defending champion Yemane Haileselassie of Eritrea, as well as two sub-60 Kenyans, Isaia Lasoi (58:10) and Alex Nzioka Matata (59:20). The Boston Half course isn’t known for speed, thanks to its undulating terrain through Franklin Park and the Arnold Arboretum, but this year’s lineup still promises fireworks.
For the American men, it’s not just Young to watch. Sam Chelanga returns with a strong history in Boston, he was third here in 2012 and fourth in 2013, and boasts a 1:00:37 personal best.
Elkanah Kibet, another long-time U.S. marathoner and four-time World Championships team member, is also back, more than a decade after his fifth-place finish in 2010.
Other notable names include Chandler Gibbens, Murphy Smith, and former NCAA standout James Mwaura, who’ll be making his half marathon debut.
On the women’s side, D’Amato returns to familiar roads, having won the Boston 10K in 2022.
Her 1:06:39 best puts her just behind Kenya’s Evaline Chirchir (1:06:01) and Grace Loibach (1:06:31) on paper, but with years of experience and multiple American records to her name, D’Amato’s ability to race smart and tough should not be underestimated.
She’s part of a strong American contingent that includes Erika Kemp (1:09:10), Lindsay Flanagan (1:09:17), and Everlyn Kemboi, the 2023 NCAA 10,000m champion who’s already run 1:10:06 this year.
Megan Sailor, who was the top American last year in 1:11:27, returns with home course knowledge as a member of the B.A.A. High Performance Team.
The international women’s field is equally deep, with defending champion Fantaye Belayneh (1:07:31) looking to defend her crown, and a handful of former Boston 10K winners, including Melknat Wudu and Monicah Ngige, also lining up.
The fastest woman on paper, Chirchir, ran 1:06:01 at Ras Al Khaimah back in 2020.
All told, it’s shaping up to be a tactical, gritty battle, especially if Boston serves up its usual mix of hills, turns, and late-fall unpredictability.
More than 9,000 runners are expected to toe the line, with participants from 97 countries and every U.S. state except five.
The Boston Half, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, has become a fixture on the fall racing calendar and a meaningful fundraiser as well, since 2003, Dana-Farber runners have raised more than $10 million for cancer research, including over 600 runners in this year’s field alone.
With top-tier elites, fast-rising young Americans, and hometown heroes in the mix, this year’s Boston Half promises to be more than just a fall tune-up, it’s shaping up to be one of the deepest editions in race history.
