Ryan Hall
Ryan Hall, the American half marathon record holder, has become one of the premier faces in American distance running. He was forced to drop out of a race for the first time of his career in 2012 during the Olympic marathon due to a hamstring injury. He posted the second-fastest marathon time ever by an American of 2:06.17 with his fifth place finish at the 2008 London Marathon. Hall ran 2:08:24 in his debut marathon in 2007. It was the fastest ever debut marathon time by an American. He went from prodigy to American record holder in a span of a few years. He became the first American to break the one-hour barrier in the half marathon and broke Mark Curp's record, which had stood for 21 years, by more than one minute. He ran the fastest time by an American at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships in Japan, placing 43rd. As a prep standout, Hall ran the third fastest high school time ever in the 1,500 meters of 3:42.70. The California state champion, Hall held the second fastest high school 1,600m time of 4:00.52 in the country. Wife Sara (Bei) Hall is also an elite distance runner, who won the 2011 Pan Am Games steeplechase. Hall placed in the top four at the Boston Marathon for three straight years from 2009 until 2011, which included his personal best 2:04:53 to place third in 2011. The Halls are active with charitable groups such as Team World Vision. They worked on a campaign in 2008 entitled, "More Precious than Gold," that raised nearly a million dollars to help bring clean water wells and irrigation systems to poor communities in Zambia.
Ryan Hall, the American half marathon record holder, has become one of the premier faces in American distance running. He was forced to drop out of a race for the first time of his career in 2012 during the Olympic marathon due to a hamstring injury. He posted the second-fastest marathon time ever by an American of 2:06.17 with his fifth place finish at the 2008 London Marathon. Hall ran 2:08:24 in his debut marathon in 2007. It was the fastest ever debut marathon time by an American. He went from prodigy to American record holder in a span of a few years. He became the first American to break the one-hour barrier in the half marathon and broke Mark Curp's record, which had stood for 21 years, by more than one minute. He ran the fastest time by an American at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships in Japan, placing 43rd. As a prep standout, Hall ran the third fastest high school time ever in the 1,500 meters of 3:42.70. The California state champion, Hall held the second fastest high school 1,600m time of 4:00.52 in the country. Wife Sara (Bei) Hall is also an elite distance runner, who won the 2011 Pan Am Games steeplechase. Hall placed in the top four at the Boston Marathon for three straight years from 2009 until 2011, which included his personal best 2:04:53 to place third in 2011. The Halls are active with charitable groups such as Team World Vision. They worked on a campaign in 2008 entitled, "More Precious than Gold," that raised nearly a million dollars to help bring clean water wells and irrigation systems to poor communities in Zambia.
