At the finish line of the recently concluded 2025 California International Marathon (CIM), Sara Hall once again commanded everyone's respect.

42 years old, 2 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds, runner-up.

Although this time she couldn't outrun the up-and-comer Molly Born, who is a full 16 years younger than her, when she crossed the finish line she had already won something heavier than a medal — a ticket to the marathon trials for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

If she takes the start line, it will be her ninth attempt to make the U.S. Olympic team. From the fresh-faced teenager of 2004 to the 42-year-old veteran, Sara Hall has logged 21 years of running.

Why is Sara Hall still running? Why, at an age when most elite athletes have long retired, is she still one of America’s top marathoners?

To many newer runners, Sara Hall seems to have always been the 'Iron Lady' who has dominated American women's marathon history.

She is a former American half marathon record holder (1:07:15), and she is an elite marathoner who has run 2:20:32. But in reality, her career hasn't been the smooth rise of a 'chosen one'—it's been a blue-collar tale of grit, full of twists and turns.

In her younger years, Sara—though a Stanford standout—spent much of her professional career living in the shadow of her husband Ryan Hall. Ryan is one of the greatest talents in American marathon history; as early as 2007 he ran 2:08:24, the fastest American marathon debut at the time.

Ryan Hall in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials won the marathon and finished tenth in the Olympic marathon in Beijing. He owns an astonishing PB of 2:04:58.

At that time Sara Hall, as a track athlete, was excellent but always just a breath away from the world elite. She went through countless valleys, even what for an athlete felt like a "darkest moment" — the shackling "Olympic curse." Beginning in 2004 she took part in eight Olympic trials (from 1500m, 5000m, 10000m to the marathon) but never once made an Olympic team.

Sara's marathon debut came at the Los Angeles Marathon in March 2015, where she finished 22nd in 2:48:02. After that, Sara kept breaking her personal bests, eventually reaching 2:20:32.

But she had many regrets on the marathon scene — especially in two Olympic trials.

In the build-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sara was highly touted at the Atlanta Olympic Trials; her training and form were strong. Before that she had already run a half marathon PB of 1:08:58 at the Houston Half, and she seemed fully prepared. She stayed in the lead pack through the first 30 km, but at 35 km Sara unfortunately dropped out.

With Paris 2024 as her target, Sara Hall made her eighth appearance at the Olympic trials and her third in the marathon, but disappointment struck again. At the trials in Orlando the 40-year-old ran her heart out to post 2:26:06, breaking the U.S. Masters record, yet her 5th-place finish once again left her off the team.

For many, after such long and repeated disappointment the natural choice would have been to hang up their shoes and retire. But Sara Hall never stopped running.

What’s most moving about Sara Hall is not just that she runs fast, but her generous, resilient heart.

2015 was a turning point for the Halls. That year Ryan announced his retirement due to long-term injuries and physical exhaustion, and Sara—who had just moved her focus to the marathon—made a stunning decision: she adopted four sisters from Ethiopia—Hana, Mia, Jasmine and Lily.

Overnight, she went from being a professional athlete focused on training to becoming the mother of four teenage girls who didn’t speak the language and came from entirely different cultural backgrounds. Everyone assumed Sara’s career was over. After all, raising four children and committing to high-intensity marathon training sounded completely incompatible.

Yet a kind of miracle happened. Becoming a mother didn’t break Sara; if anything, it felt like pouring fresh fuel into an empty tank. She often says it was her children who taught her the true meaning of “hard work” and who gave her an emotional anchor beyond running.

After Ryan became her full-time coach, the couple kicked off Sara’s “second life.” Ryan used his brilliant experience and deep understanding of his wife to craft a bespoke training plan for her.

Although a bit short on “luck,” Sara’s performances began an incredible age-defying resurgence.

At the 2020 London Marathon, in a rain-soaked battle, the 37-year-old staged an epic sprint in the final few hundred meters, outsprinting all competitors except world champion Brigid Kosgei to finish second, shocking the world.

On December 20 of that year, Hall won the Marathon Project in Chandler, Arizona, with a personal best of 2:20:32. Although she missed Dina Kastor’s U.S. record of 2:19:36 by less than a minute, the time made her the second-fastest American woman in history at that point.

She showed her four daughters — and the world — that a woman’s professional life shouldn’t be defined by age; motherhood is not an endpoint but a source of strength.

Back at the recently concluded CIM — which also served as the USATF Marathon Championships — Sara Hall showed a level of competitiveness that was simply stunning against opponents a generation or even two younger. Her 2:24:36 is elite-level and would be highly competitive even at the six World Marathon Majors.

This result not only earned her second place, but, more importantly, it secured her qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Trials.

By then, Sara Hall will be 45. To most people, attempting the Olympics at that age seems fanciful. But for Sara, it might be the most romantic footnote of her career. As she often says in interviews: "I still love the feeling of pushing myself to the limit. As long as my body allows, I will keep running."

And her story with Ryan has shifted from "the genius runner and his wife" to "the legendary queen and her coach." At the CIM course, Ryan, just as in past years, stood with a supply bottle in hand, his eyes fixed closely on his wife's figure. This may be the most moving love story in the running world — I was once the wind; now I am the mountain behind you.

What makes Sara Hall unique is not how many times she's won, but that after trying so many times she still has the courage to stand on the starting line.

She is not some myth who has never failed; she embodies every ordinary person who struggles with life and dreams, falls, brushes off the dust and keeps running. For Los Angeles 2028, whatever the outcome, when the 45-year-old Sara Hall stands on the start line of the trials for the ninth time, she has already won.

Here's to every "Sara Hall" still running through this cold winter. And it's never too late to start running at 45.

Mother, wife, athlete.