Tokyo 2025 Preview, #11: The Steady Miles of Jess McClain

The Steady Miles of Jess McClain

Jess McClain’s stride through Copley Square this past April was the picture of persistence. At 33, she finished seventh at the Boston Marathon in 2:22:43, one of the finest performances of her career and among the strongest showings by an American on the storied course in recent years. It was not a victory in the traditional sense, but it felt like a marker, proof that McClain is steadily shaping herself into one of the most consistent marathoners in the country.

That finish was built on another breakthrough moment months earlier, in New York City. Last November, McClain placed eighth in 2:27:19, making her the second American across the line in her first World Marathon Major. New York is rarely a place where times sparkle; the bridges and relentless rolling miles favor grit over rhythm. McClain showed she had both, moving from 11th to eighth in the final 10 kilometers with a steady drive that reflected her growing confidence. For an athlete who once walked away from professional running, these results carried extra weight.

The arc of her career has been unconventional. A decorated high school runner in Phoenix and an NCAA champion at Stanford, McClain turned professional in 2015 and joined the Brooks Beasts. But by 2018, she had stepped away from the circuit, moving home and training with her high school coach. In the years that followed, she built a life outside the sport, working as a nonprofit director and consultant, getting married, and racing only occasionally. The pandemic slowed her further, and for a time, it looked as though her days of competing at the highest level had passed.

Then came 2024. In February, McClain lined up at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando without a sponsor, a coach, or much external expectation. What followed was the performance of her life: a fourth-place finish in 2:25:46, nearly four minutes faster than her personal best. She was the first runner off the Olympic team, but in many ways, the result gave her something more lasting, a new career. Within weeks, she signed a contract with Brooks, effectively returning to the professional ranks she had left six years earlier.

Her fourth place in Orlando would have been enough to define a season, but McClain turned it into the start of something bigger. She raced Boston with poise, climbing through the field as others faded, showing both the strength and patience required on the course’s demanding profile. Then came New York, where her closing miles confirmed her as more than a trials surprise. By year’s end, she had reestablished herself as a fixture on the U.S. marathon scene.

What makes McClain’s resurgence compelling is not only the times she has run, but the way she has crafted this return. Unlike many of her peers, she remains self-coached, writing her own workouts and blending lessons from years past with new instincts about what works for her now. She builds her seasons around long blocks of steady training in Phoenix, often logging miles in punishing heat. Her background as a 10,000-meter runner and 5,000-meter specialist shows through in the way she maintains form late in races, rarely unraveling even when the competition stiffens.

The past two years have also brought a measure of perspective. McClain no longer carries the same weight of expectation that defined her early professional years. Instead, she has approached her marathoning with a clearer sense of purpose, racing because she enjoys it and because she has unfinished business on the roads. That shift in outlook has helped her thrive in environments where pressure often swallows others.

Looking forward, the question is what the next step might be. With her Boston time now under 2:23, McClain sits in rare company among American marathoners. Only a small handful have broken 2:23, and many of them have gone on to contend for podiums on the world stage. For McClain, the spring and fall majors in 2025 offer a chance to move from top-10 finishes to something even greater. With consistency across different courses already in hand, she is entering the tier where medals and major victories come into focus.

Her journey also represents a subtle shift in what professional running can look like. McClain has shown that stepping away does not mean stepping down. By finding her way back on her own terms, she has created a career with more balance and less strain. For younger athletes watching, that may be as instructive as her times.