868. Emma Grace Hurley's 2026 USATF Half Marathon Championships Recap

"It's been a really, really tough couple days. I've never been such a combination of stressed and sad."

At Sunday's USA Track and Field Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta, the top three women — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley, and Ednah Kurgat — were led off course in the final mile of the race. The three were on track to take the podium, and to earn spots to represent the United States on a World Championship team. All signs were pointing to Jess, Emma Grace, and Ednah becoming Team USA ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen this September. National titles, prize money, sponsor bonuses, and, of course, the glory of breaking the tape and earning that moment were all on the line.

Much has been said about the race, the misdirection, and the immediate aftermath. Molly Born ultimately broke the tape, as Jess, Emma Grace, and Ednah clawed their way back into the mix. But what happens now? The one unanimous takeaway from that day in Atlanta is that no one feels good about how the day played out.

Today, Emma Grace Hurley comes to us from her much-deserved post-race vacation in the Cayman Islands to offer her unique perspective on all of this. Emma Grace spent the early years of her running career as a member of Atlanta Track Club Elite. She has served on committees for USA Track and Field, and currently lives in Indianapolis, where she is coached by former Atlanta Track Club Elite coach Andrew Begley. Emma Grace has a deeper understanding than most about how these various organizations work, about what goes into pulling off a road race of this scale and, of course, about what it's like being an athlete with so much at stake.

FOLLOW EMMA GRACE @emmagracehurley

SPONSOR: UCAN. Click here to get a UCAN Edge Energy Gel sample pack, and use code ALI for 30% off your entire UCAN order.

Follow Ali:

SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(910)

907. Alana Levy, 2:34 Marathoner

"I think one of my biggest problems is I finish every race and think, 'I think I can go faster!'" If you follow the sport, you probably recognize Alana Levy. The New York City-based runner and member ...

29 Sep 1h 27min

906. Marathon Talk, Best Running Friends Edition

"Don't let anyone or anything make you feel like less of a runner." There's a chill in the air. It's officially fall. And that means it's officially fall marathon season. Whether you're gearing up for...

24 Sep 1h 20min

905. Arielle Chernin, Brookline Food Pantry Operations Manager & 3:02 Marathoner

"It's running friendship in true form. We would not otherwise be friends. We're different ages, our kids are different ages, we live completely different lifestyles. She's as organized and type A as i...

22 Sep 1h 9min

904. Cody Rigsby, Peloton Instructor

"But I'm really grateful. I had so much time to make mistakes, look stupid, look cringe, not know what I'm doing — so that when the opportunity arose, I was ready to go. I knew who I was, and I was re...

17 Sep 1h 13min

903. Caroline Moss Wants to Run a Marathon (?), Episode 4

"Sometimes you've gotta just get a little messy." Caroline Moss has long had a dream: to run the New York City Marathon. As a New Yorker, it's her favorite day of the year. The catch: Caroline has nev...

3 Sep 1h 36min

902. Tara Rincón, News 12 Long Island Senior Content Producer

"It's such a rewarding job because you're working on things that affect your actual community. Some of the big stories are down the road from my house." When Tara Rincón was in college, she needed an ...

27 Aug 1h 19min

901. No Stupid Questions: The TMI Episode, with Ashley Desanno

"Don't let bodily things make you not show up." Welcome to the fourth episode in a new series on the Ali on the Run Show called "No Stupid Questions." This is where experts come in to answer everythin...

20 Aug 1h 5min

900. My 2026 SeaWheeze Recap

"The days leading up to this race were rough, and the days after have been bright and full of sunshine." For the first time since 2019, lululemon's SeaWheeze half marathon and festival were so back! I...

18 Aug 1h 27min