“Had to dig pretty deep but your cheers and happy birthdays kept me going” - Sara Hall reflects on her Boston Marathon 2024 finish

Sara Hall, former American record holder in the half-marathon, completed the Boston Marathon for the second time yesterday and took time out to thank fans after the race.

Earlier this year Hall finished fifth at the United States Marathon Olympic trials, missing out on making it to her first Olympics despite clocking an American Master's record time of 2:26:06.

Competing at the 2024 Boston Marathon on her 41st birthday, Hall managed to place fifteenth, clocking a time of 2:27:00. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) after the race, the American extended her gratitude to fans, and claimed that this was her ‘best birthday ever’, writing:

“Best birthday ever! ✨ Boston you were so hard and so amazing as always. It was warm, started feeling my quads very early. Kept fully sending it and hoped my body would hold up. Had to dig pretty deep but your cheers and happy birthdays kept me going- thank you!”

Sara Hall made her Boston Marathon debut in 2023. She clocked a 2:25:00 last year, finishing 17th. The American claimed that she went into the race with minimal preparation, and was keen on racing again this year to see what she could achieve when she was better prepared.

Sara Hall’s Boston Marathon 2024 run supports Ethiopian women

For Sarah Hall, the 2024 Boston Marathon was more than just another competition. The American used her race to raise money for women in Ethiopia, targeting a total of $100,000.

Taking to X, she explained that the money would go to loans for women in Ethiopia and encouraged her fans to donate any possible amount towards the cause’s 'Go Fund Me.'

“[The loans] give people the dignity to provide for their own families and work their way out of poverty. Just a small loan can help someone be able to start a small business that they then repay and it gets donated or lended to the next person, which they then repay and it just keeps getting paid forward,” she explained.

Sara Hall has a strong bond with Ethiopia, having found a special connection with the country when she went there alongside her husband Ryan Hall in the early 2000s for training trips.

The couple later adopted four girls from the East African nation, and often travel back to the country with their daughters.