Susanna Sullivan & Jess McClain 2025 World Championships Marathon Recap & Reflections After Finishing 4th and 8th

The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

CITIUS MAG

Running, Sports

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The World Athletics Championships marathon in Tokyo was always going to be a test of patience, heat management, and guts and two American women rose to the occasion.

For over an hour, Susanna Sullivan was the story of the race. A sixth-grade math teacher from Virginia, she surged to the front by 5K, running alone through the streets of Tokyo with nothing but the sticky, humid air and a clock for company. By halfway, she had built a 63-second lead on the pack of global stars behind her. And when they finally came for her, Sullivan didn’t panic. She held her rhythm, managed the late miles and battled all the way to the line for fourth place in 2:28:17 — just seconds away from becoming the third American woman ever to medal in a World Championship marathon.

Alongside her, Jess McClain was running her own masterclass in composure. McClain tucked in behind Sullivan early, endured the surging heat, and stayed locked in when the race splintered. Running smart and steady, McClain delivered the best global performance of her career, finishing eighth in 2:29:20. In a field stacked with some of the fastest women of all-time, McClain proved she belongs.

Peres Jepchirchir and Tigist Assefa settled gold and silver with a final-lap sprint inside Japan National Stadium. Uruguay’s Julia Paternain stunned the world with a historic bronze. But it was Sullivan and McClain who gave Team USA its heartbeat. Two working professionals, two fearless racers.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠

Guest: Susanna Sullivan & Jess McClain | @susannasullivan4 on Instagram & @jesstonn on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

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PRESENTED BY ASICS

For the third consecutive year, CITIUS MAG is proud to partner with ASICS for our global championship coverage. With their support, we’re able to bring you the best coverage of the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Support our sponsor and check out ASICS’s latest including the MegaBlast and SonicBlast. Shop at ASICS.com

Transcript

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0:26.9	All right, Chris Chavez here live in Tokyo, and I'm joined now by two of Brooks's star marathoners
0:34.2	and Team USA studs after an epic performance in the World Championship Marathon.
0:40.2	Susanna Sullivan, fourth place, Jess McLean, eighth place, two in the top ten.
0:46.2	Awesome day.
0:47.4	Thrilling race to watch.
0:48.9	But I guess like now that it's been two days, how's the body feeling after such a grueling
0:53.4	effort?
0:55.8	Yesterday I felt, I think about as good as I've ever felt the day after a marathon, but today
1:00.8	I don't feel any better. So I feel okay.
1:04.8	Jess, how about you?
1:05.9	Yeah, I'm actually, I'm feeling pretty good. I lost my voice at the track, cheering for some
1:09.8	1,500 men and pole vultures.
1:11.1	But no, I'm feeling good. I think, honestly, Tokyo's the perfect city to be in post race because
1:16.5	there's so much to do and see. So, like, staying on your feet, keeping moving. Anytime I'm
1:21.2	sitting down for extended periods of time, getting back up is kind of comical. But other than that,
1:25.1	like, feels good as we can for the conditions and
	...

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