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4 things to know about Emma Bates, the top American woman to finish the Boston Marathon
Bates led the elite women for much of Monday's race, eventually dropping back as Heartbreak Hill — and a pothole-induced injury from last fall — caught up with her.
Coming off a pothole-induced foot injury from the Chicago Marathon last fall, Emma Bates seemed poised for the ultimate comeback Monday as she led the pack of elite women throughout much of the Boston Marathon.
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And while Bates ultimately dropped back as the group crested Heartbreak Hill, the 31-year-old cemented her place as the Boston Marathon’s top American woman for the second year in a row, finishing 12th in 2:27:14.
It was another strong showing for the Minnesota native, who coasted to a fifth-place Boston Marathon finish last year in a personal best of 2:22:10.
“I was leading right from the gun, and it was more just like trying to feel my own pace, my own rhythm, and then … the whole pack would surge and I would kind of be in the back and then I would take the lead again,” Bates told WCVB after Monday’s race.
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She said the swift pace eventually caught up with her around mile 21 at Heartbreak Hill.
“I think I just didn’t have quite enough in my legs today, just being injured in the fall — I just wasn’t quite as fit as I thought,” she said. “But I’m glad I went for it.”
Bates also savored her moment at the finish line, high-fiving spectators and sharing a hug with fellow Americans Des Linden and Sara Hall.
She’s no stranger to Boston
Though Bates now calls Boulder, Colo. home, the marathoner has some familiarity with the Boston course — she lived here for two years after joining the Boston Athletic Association’s High Performance Team in 2015. Ahead of the 2023 Boston Marathon, she told reporters she used to train on the notoriously hilly second half of the course when she lived locally.
From All-American to top American
Going back even further, Bates had a decorated collegiate career while competing for Boise State University. A 12-time All-American athlete, she was the national champion in the 10,000-meter race after claiming first place at the 2014 NCAA Track and Field Championships.
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She moved back to the Boise area in early 2018 and spent some time living partially off the grid and running on the trails near her remote cabin, according to a 2019 ESPN article.
Her Olympic trials were foiled by a pothole
Bates’s marathon highlights include winning the 2018 USA Marathon Championships and placing second in the 2021 Chicago Marathon.
Heading into the 2023 Chicago Marathon, “I was super pumped about trying to run a huge PR, maybe even potentially break the American Record. I was feeling great,” she told performance sports technology company Coros earlier this month.
Mid-race, however, she stepped in a pothole and tripped, causing a plantar tear. While Bates finished the race in 13th place with an impressive time of 2:25:04, she left the finish line in a wheelchair.
After focusing on cross-training for a few months, she was able to return to running in early January, according to Coros. However, a setback during her recovery prompted Bates to pull out from the Olympic marathon trials in February, the Associated Press reported.
She rehydrates with style
According to WCVB, Bates was partly fueled on Monday by the promise of a beer her friend had waiting for her at the Boston Marathon finish line. She told the YouTube channel Believe in the Run in 2022 that Corona, Modelo, and Pacifico are her go-tos after a heavy workout.
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“It doesn’t need to be fancy. Modelo Negra is by far my favorite, and then Corona in the summertime — there’s nothing better,” she said. “After every long run and workout, I’m just cracking one of those open.”
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