Clayton Young uses mental surge strategy at Chicago Marathon

American distance runner Clayton Young utilized a focused mental strategy to break away from competitors and finish as the top American runner at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. Runner's World Health reported that the 33-year-old athlete was running alongside fellow American competitors Charles Hicks and Vinny Mauri at the 22-mile mark before initiating his decisive surge. [1]

As Mauri dropped back, Young and Hicks traded the lead late in the race. Runner's World Health reported that Young then turned to a mental tactic of running hard for 100 seconds, a technique he has utilized since the 2025 Boston Marathon. This brief push allowed him to create a distance gap ahead of Hicks. [1]

During that surge, Young ran a 4:38 mile split between miles 23 and 24 to secure his lead, according to Runner's World Health. His performance made him the second-fastest American marathoner in history. Young noted during the race that an American marathon record was out of reach, leaving Conner Mantz's time of 2:04:43 set at the previous Chicago Marathon intact. [1]

Prior to the race, competitor Vinny Mauri prepared in Ohio using high-volume treadmill sessions, as FTMQ Health reported earlier. Mauri completed weekly training loads exceeding 120 miles, which included a single 45-mile treadmill training day in September leading up to the 26.219-mile event on October 11. [6]