Chelsea Clinton Just Barely BQs in New York With Impressive Even Splits

Editor’s note: the New York Roadrunners have confirmed the accuracy of Ms. Clinton’s splits after we reached out for confirmation.

Chelsea Clinton ran a strong 2025 New York City Marathon in 3:44:22, just 38 seconds under the Boston Marathon qualifying time for her age group.

It was the kind of quietly impressive performance that serious runners will appreciate, especially given how smooth and consistent her pacing appeared across all five boroughs.

According to her official NYRR splits, Clinton, 45, averaged 8:34 per mile and hit halfway in 1:52:27, almost perfectly even pacing that doubled exactly to her final time.

That level of steadiness is uncommon on New York’s course, which winds through bridges, long drags in the Bronx, and the deceptively hilly final miles in Central Park. Her 5K and mile splits stayed strikingly uniform, with almost no variation from start to finish.

That evenness stood out to us, as her splits are like a masterclass in consistency when it comes to running the tricky New York City Marathon course.

It’s worth noting that official tracking data sometimes rounds or interpolates splits between timing mats, especially on crowded courses like New York. Still, it’s rare to see pacing this steady on one of the world’s toughest marathon routes.

Clinton finished 13,204th overall out of roughly 59,000 runners, 3,448th among women, and 443rd in her age group, with an age-graded equivalent of about 3:30.

She later shared her finish on social media, writing that she was “so proud” to have run the marathon again with her best friend, (a woman named “Jen”) and she thanked her parents for cheering them across the line. “If you’re able,” she added, “I hope you’ll join us in supporting @CityHarvest, which provides vital healthy food to New Yorkers who need it.”

Bill and Hillary Clinton were both spotted at the finish, hugging their daughter after she finished. President Bill Clinton, 79, looked in good spirits, clapping and smiling in the crowd.

Whether or not her 3:44 will be enough to actually secure a Boston Marathon spot remains to be seen, as the annual demand has driven actual qualifying times several minutes faster than the posted entry standards for each age group. Regardless, hitting that standard is no small feat on a course as challenging as New York.