“When I crossed the line and saw 2:24, I was actually in shock that I’d still managed a PR given how bad I felt. David [Roche] looked at my GPS file and said being able to bring yourself back from those depths is a sign of a real marathoner.”

My guest for today’s episode is Amanda Vestri. We just had the Brooks pro marathoner on a few weeks ago and talked about how she is one of the most exciting young American marathoners in the sport right now. Now, in just her second marathon, she finished 15th overall at the 2026 Boston Marathon in 2:24:49. She PR’d by nearly a minute from her debut in New York last November. She is coached by David and Megan Roche and by her own admission is only just getting started.

In this conversation, Amanda is refreshingly honest about a race that was both a personal best and a disappointment. She says the downhill-specific preparation was lacking and explains exactly what she plans to do differently in her next shot. We talk about what it was like to run alongside Jess McClain and Susanna Sullivan in the early miles and the deeply emotional moment of watching Jess close on the big screen at mile 23 while Amanda herself was hurting badly.

David Roche wrote after the race that Amanda is made of different stuff and that when it happens, every young runner is going to think about running like her. This conversation goes a long way toward explaining why he believes that.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez

Guest: Amanda Vestri | @a_vestri

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr

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