With 48 days to go before the World Championships marathon in Tokyo, Clayton Young says he’s in the middle of “some of the best workouts I’ve had”, a statement backed up by his recent training footage and race performances.
The two-time U.S. Olympic marathoner has spent the past five to eight weeks stacking what he calls “solid training”, logging between 110 and 120 miles per week.
His sessions have ranged from marathon-specific long runs to sharp 1,600-meter and 800-meter intervals, often in the company of fellow American Conner Mantz.
While the pair have become synonymous with each other’s marathon builds, this cycle they’re on different paths, with Mantz targeting Chicago and Young locked in on Tokyo.
“Maybe this is the beginning of Conner and I doing different races,” Young says in the video. “I think he’ll be all the better for it in Chicago, and I’ll be all the better for it in Worlds.”
Part of his preparation has been adapting to the heat and humidity expected in Japan. In the video, Young straps on a core temperature sensor that syncs with his heart rate monitor to fine-tune heat acclimatization.
It’s the kind of meticulous, data-driven work that has become a hallmark of his approach since returning from knee surgery in early 2023, a comeback that has since included a 2:08:00 in Chicago, a ninth place finish in the Paris Olympic marathon, and a personal best 2:07:04 in Boston this April.
Lessons From Maine
The build-up also included a stop at the Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, his first time at the event. Young went out hard, covering the first mile in 4:15, but admitted the final stretch was a grind.
“I was fifth place until about 150 meters to go, and then boom, boom, boom, I think I faded to ninth,” he said. Despite the late fade, his 27:5x was the fastest 10K of his career, on road or track.
Coach Ed Eyestone praised the effort but noted the tactical lapse: “I think he could have sealed up a fifth place… he kind of relaxed a little bit the last 600, 800. You can’t let anybody back in.”
For Young, it was less about the placing than the experience. He ticked off post-race intervals the following week, saying the race accomplished what it needed to in sharpening his pre-marathon instincts.
Process Over Outcome
There’s an easy temptation to frame Young’s Tokyo push around medal talk, he admits he’s “more and more excited” about his chances, but the footage makes clear he’s keeping his focus on the work, not the hype.
“Process, baby, process,” he says with a grin during one workout. That process, at the moment, is entering what he calls the “grindy part” of the build, the last two or three big long runs and marathon-specific sessions before taper.
Young knows what’s waiting for him in Tokyo, oppressive heat, a deep Ethiopian field, and a chance to cap 2025 on “a high note.” But for now, the daily focus is on staying healthy, maintaining momentum, and showing up ready.
“As long as I can stay above water and keep on top of it, I think it’s going to be one of my best builds, if not the best build of my career.”
