Keira D’Amato has become one of the best marathoners that the United States has ever seen. She has taken down the American Record in both the marathon (which was then broken by Emily Sisson) and half marathon (which D’Amato still holds). D’Amato will be representing the United States at the upcoming World Championships in Budapest. After a couple of record-breaking years, a special performance could be in store.
A Super Personality for the Sport
D’Amato gives a great example for many young athletes and people to follow. The wife and mother of two is much more than the typical hyper-focused marathoner. She allows for her personality to come out.
She had a different path to marathon stardom than most. D’Amato ran for American University, where she had some success that culminated to All-American honors. She then ran post-collegiately with a group called DC Elite that was led by coach Scott Raczko.
After getting an ankle injury that would ultimately require surgery, D’Amato decided to hang the racing shoes up. After retiring from competitive running, she thought that she would never return to the competitive scene.
Eight years later, that all changed. After spending years working in real estate and getting married and having two kids, she felt the urge to return. D’Amato decided to sign up for a marathon, and the rest is history. She rejoined coach Scott Raczko and together the two have found tremendous success.
With this unique journey, D’Amato has kept her energy and personality in the sport. She keeps a fun and light-hearted attitude around her running which makes it even more enjoyable for her and her fans following her journey. She brings this energy into media and event appearances that she makes regularly.
One special touch that D’Amato has with her fans occurs through her Strava account. While logging all of her intense training, D’Amato posts a pun everyday.
They are always worth a quick read. Check out one of her recent puns below.
American Records and More
Keira D’Amato has made the biggest waves over the past few years with her two American records.
D’Amato’s first record came from the 2022 Houston Marathon, where D’Amato took down Deena Kastor’s record from 2006. The previous record stood at 2:19:36, which D’Amato broke by over twenty seconds in 2:19:12.
A sub-2:20 of this caliber is simply incredible, and immediately puts D’Amato on the level of some of the best in the world. Emily Sisson has since broken the record in 2:18:29 at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, giving D’Amato another record to continue to chase.
D’Amato just had another electrifying performance at the Gold Coast Half Marathon in Queensland, Australia. She ran 1:06:39 to take down Emily Sisson’s American Record of 1:06:52.
D’Amato spoke quite a bit afterwards about how meaningful this race was coming off of an injury earlier in the year. She was unsure about whether she would be able to even race the event. But, she ending up surpassing all expectations after working so hard to make it back.
Citius Mag shared a clip from their podcast with D’Amato where she discussed her mindset leading into this electrifying performance.
This race is especially interesting to take into account as it was done within D’Amato’s build towards the World Championships marathon. It could mean that this race was only a fitness checkpoint in her continued build towards the World Championships.
If a half marathon American Record is only a fitness checkpoint, what could D’Amato’s form look like at her final peak over the full marathon distance?
Her Second World Championships
One special note to take into account is that Keira D’Amato already has experience in World Championships. She actually raced the 2022 World Championships marathon.
Last year, she was a late fill-in for Molly Seidel after she developed an injury in her World Championships build. D’Amato stepped in on very short notice, changing plans almost immediately.
D’Amato did not let this shortened build scare her, as she put herself right in with the leaders from the gun. She finished in eighth place, helping to place three US women in the top-10. This performance was truly incredible to watch.
What can also be noted about this performance is D’Amato’s racing intuition. She is known for her blistering PBs and American Records. But, she can race incredibly well too. Closing a marathon like this with some of the best women in the world is extraordinary.
Typically, championship marathons are erratic and have quite a lot of pace change, along with blistering closes. So, the fact that D’Amato was able to handle this well on a shortened build gives a lot of reassurance that she can compete with other athletes with similar PBs.
This racing experience could be the difference that could get D’Amato onto the podium.
Racing Off-Distances
One notable part about how D’Amato prepares for high-level marathons is how willing she is to race other distances.
In 2023 alone, D’Amato has raced 12km, 25km, and two 10km races.
Racing off-distances like that may seem a little odd at first for a marathoner. But, it is actually a very good experience for D’Amato. She is able to get a lot more racing experience, while also getting extra hard efforts in her training cycle.
Not only are the benefits of these races great for improving marathon performance, but D’Amato has also ran well over these distances.
Just a few weeks ago, D’Amato placed third in the point-to-point 10k in Maine. She also finished as the top American. This was another great result in a very high level field. The winner was none other than the reigning Boston Marathon champion, Hellen Obiri.
One well-known performance that came in an off-distance was D’Amato’s world record over 10 miles. She set it by running a fast 51:23 at the Up Dawg 10-miler in 2020.
These off-distance races are yet another indicator that Keira D’Amato is in elite form heading into the World Championships marathon.
So, what can be expected at the World Championships?
When looking at all of these accomplishments, its clear that D’Amato is fit. She is poised for another breakout on the international stage.
When taking into account her eighth place finish last year on a shortened build, it is fascinating to think about what is possible for this year. Thus far, it seems she is having the build of her life, and the record book has seen what is possible when D’Amato has a great build.
Now, the medal table could be seeing the product of a lethal D’Amato build. Her big jump over the half marathon lends itself to that finishing speed that will be the difference in Budapest.
As much as strength is the focus in a marathon, speed plays an important role come championship time. The close will be dramatic in Budapest and D’Amato will likely have to dip to those faster gears in order to hang tough. So, her build could be setting her up very well to hang right there with those fast moves.
With the new levels that D’Amato is continuing to find, she will likely be targeting a medal. She could even be going for the win. With a skillset that D’Amato has, it certainly is in her wheelhouse.
Looking Ahead
Although it is easy to get excited looking at the World Championships marathon this month, its never too early to start looking ahead.
D’Amato has made it clear that her focus after this marathon will be on the Olympic Trials in Orlando. There will certainly be a gauntlet of US women there, all looking to make the Olympic team.
After that, the Paris Olympics are almost exactly a year away. With D’Amato continuing to improve, could she bring home a medal to the United States? Could she challenge for the win? Continue to follow Keira D’Amato’s journey to find out.
Stay tuned for further professional Track & Field content, including meet previews, race analysis, and season projections.
Featured image courtesy of Gold Coast Marathon.
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