Clayton Young to race Chicago Marathon with hamstring tear
US Olympic marathoner Clayton Young will race the Chicago Marathon despite a diagnosed 12-centimeter hamstring tear, aiming to break the American record of 2:04:43.
Clayton Young, a 33-year-old US Olympic marathoner, is planning to race the Chicago Marathon on Sunday with a torn hamstring. He is attempting to break the American record of 2:04:43 set by Conner Mantz on the same course last year, despite a significant injury.
Despite a diagnosed 12-centimeter longitudinal hamstring tear, Clayton Young has chosen to continue training and race the Chicago Marathon against medical advice to rest. Young's hamstring had been bothering him since June. The tear is a 12-centimeter longitudinal split in the left semitendinosus tendon near its origin at the sit bone. Young announced the diagnosis last week.
His doctors, Jonathan Jackson of Intermountain Health and Eric Millstein of the Commons Clinic, did not grade the injury but considered the risk of a full rupture low. They advised a platelet-rich plasma injection and four weeks off. Young chose to continue. "This is not desperation, in my mind," Young said. He believes he can worsen the injury but not cause long-term damage.
Coach Ed Eyestone initially cautioned against racing but agreed to let Young try. Each workout since the injury has been an assessment. On October 1, Young ran a key session of three two-mile repeats, all faster than American record pace.
| Workout Segment | Pace per mile | Versus Record Pace |
|---|---|---|
| First 2-mile rep | 4:44.5 | Faster |
| Second 2-mile rep | 4:39.5 | Faster |
| Third 2-mile rep | 4:34.0 | Faster |
Young has substituted race-pace work for VO2 max sessions in the final four weeks. He feels little pain during easy runs. At race pace, he reports a dull ache rated '1 or 2' on a scale of 10.
Context of the injury and recent performance
The tear likely occurred with about 250 meters to go in the Great North Run half-marathon on September 13. Young finished that race seventh in 1:02:04. A failed speed session on September 17 prompted the MRI that revealed the 12-centimeter split.
After the diagnosis, Young and his medical team opted to monitor his leg's response instead of resting. He has since completed a 22-mile run, gradually working down to 5:00 mile pace, and a double threshold day at 4:30 to 4:40 per mile. These paces are only about ten seconds per mile slower than his usual threshold work. Both sessions left the hamstring tight but were his first faster-than-marathon-pace efforts since the injury.
Young has documented his last six marathon buildups on a YouTube channel with 43,000 subscribers. He announced his American record attempt on the Nobody Asked Us podcast on September 2. He has sponsorships with Brooks, Stryd, Commons Clinic, and Suunto, which run through the 2028 Olympics without reduction. Young stated finances are not his primary motivation. "I have enough respect for the marathon that I’m not there just to start the race and pick up a paycheck," he said.
He notes Chicago's flat course is kinder to the injury than Boston's descents. The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s by the race's end. Young expects to take around 30,000 strides on Sunday. He will line up at the start with the goal of running 2:04:43 to match Conner Mantz’s American record.
