Emily Sisson will make her Boston Marathon debut on April 20, becoming the first female American marathon record holder to compete at the world's oldest marathon since Deena Kastor in 2018. Sisson's American record of 2:18:29, set at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, gives her the credentials to contend at the highest level, but Boston's unique course presents challenges that flat-course speed alone cannot solve.
The question surrounding Sisson's Boston debut centres on how her running style translates to the rolling terrain between Hopkinton and Boylston Street. Her American record was set on Chicago's pancake-flat course, where her metronomic pacing and ability to sustain effort over the second half produced a negative split. Boston's infamous Newton hills — four ascents between miles 16 and 21, culminating in Heartbreak Hill — demand a different tactical approach. Going through halfway too fast on the net-downhill opening sections has destroyed many a fast marathoner at Boston.
Sisson's training base in Providence, Rhode Island, offers some geographical advantages. The New England terrain provides natural hill training opportunities, and Sisson has spent the past several months incorporating Boston-specific preparation into her programme. Her coach has emphasised controlled effort through the early miles and strategic aggression on the Newton hills — a race plan that mirrors the approach used by defending champion Sharon Lokedi last year.
With Conner Mantz's withdrawal from the men's race, Sisson now carries the heaviest burden of American expectations at Boston. It is a role she has handled with characteristic composure throughout her career, from her 2022 record run to her Olympic performance in Paris. Win or lose, her debut at Boston represents a significant moment for American women's marathon running — the country's fastest female marathoner finally testing herself on the sport's most demanding course.