Emily Sisson

Sisson at the2019 London Marathon
Personal information
Born	(1991-10-12)October 12, 1991 (age 34) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Employer	New Balance
Height	5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Athletics
Event	Long-distance running
College team	Providence Friars
Turned pro	June 2015
Coached by	Ray Treacy
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	2021 Tokyo 10,000 m, 10th 2024 Paris Marathon, 23rd
World finals	2017 London 10,000 m, 9th 2019 Doha 10,000 m, 10th
Personalbests	Track 5000 m: 14:53.84 (Irvine 2021) 10,000 m: 30:49.57 (Palo Alto 2019) Road Half marathon: 1:06:52 (Houston 2023) Marathon: 2:18:29AR (Chicago 2022)
Medal record Women'sathletics Representingthe United States World Marathon Majors 2022 Chicago Marathon Pan American Junior Championships 2007 São Paulo 5000 m

Emily Sisson (born October 12, 1991)^[1] is an Americanlong-distance runner. She set the North American record in the marathon on October 9, 2022, when she ran 2:18:29 to finish second at theChicago Marathon.^[2][3] Sisson also held the American record in thehalf marathon from May 2022 until July 2023. She represented the United States in the10000 metres at the2017 and2019 World Athletics Championships, finishing 9th and 10th. In June 2021, she won the 10000m at the2020 US Olympic Trials and placed 10th in the 10000m final at the2020 Summer Olympics. In 2024, she placed second in the marathon at theUS Olympic Trials, qualifying for the2024 Summer Olympics. She competed in the 2024 Paris OlympicsWomen's marathon on 11 August 2024, where she finished 23rd.

As a high schooler, Sisson set a U.S. national record for high school girls in the5000 metres with a time of 15:48.91.^[4] She also earned a bronze medal at the2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. While atProvidence College, she became a two-time NCAA Champion in the 5000m and set the collegiate indoor record for women in the same event.^[5] In addition, Sisson has won multiple national titles inUSTAF-sponsored road races from 5 km to 20 km. She has competed professionally forNew Balance since June 2015.

Sisson started running in the seventh grade, and while still in middle school, she won a silver medal in the3000 metres at theUSATF National Junior Olympic Championships in 2005.^[6] After transitioning to high school, Sisson won multiple state championships in track and cross country inNebraska.^[7] As a freshman in 2006 atMarian High School, she won the state cross country championship in the fall and the 3200m in the spring. She then transferred toMillard North High School for her sophomore year, where she continued her winning streak by reclaiming the state title in cross country and earning state titles in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m.

In her last two years of high school, Sisson transferred toParkway Central High School inChesterfield,Missouri.^[7] There, she added two state cross country titles to her record, along with state championships in the 1600m and 3200m.^[8] In 2009, she achieved a third-place finish at the Footlocker National Championships. However, Sisson did not participate in her final high school track season, choosing instead to prepare for the2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships inBydgoszcz,Poland.^[8] Competing in the under-20 race at this event, she finished 18th.

Sisson's achievements in her early career also include several medals at theUSATF U20 Outdoor Championships: a gold in the 5000m in 2007, a silver in the 3000m in 2009, and another gold in the 3000m in 2010.^[9] Internationally, she secured a bronze in the 5000m at the2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships.^[10] At the2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, she placed 10th in the 3000m and 6th in the 5000m. Her 5000m time of 15:48.91 set a national record for U.S. high school girls.^[4]

Sisson began competing for theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison in fall 2010. In her first season of cross county, she finished 14th at the2010 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.^[11] During the outdoor track season, Sisson ran 15:53.9 to finish 10th in the 5000m of the2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She decided to transfer toProvidence College inRhode Island after her freshman year, explaining that her experience at Wisconsin was "not a good fit" and citing the opportunity to train under coachRay Treacy.^[12]

At Providence College, Sisson was a two-time NCAA champion, winning titles in the5000m at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in 2015. She also set a collegiate indoor record for the women's 5000m with a time of 15:12.22 at the Big East Indoor Track & Field Championships on 28 February 2015.^[5] In cross country, Sisson attained All-American honors at the2012 and2013 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, finishing 15th and 7th, respectively.

Sisson announced her decision to sign a professional contract withNew Balance in June 2015.^[13] As a professional athlete, Sisson continued to train under her collegiate coach,Ray Treacy, while pursuing anMBA at Providence College.^[14]

2015 - 2016

Sisson made her professional racing debut withNew Balance at the2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she participated in the 10000m and finished fifth.^[15] On 20 September 2015, she took part in the 5 km Road Running Championships inProvidence, Rhode Island, finishing third.

Sisson finished 10th in the 10000m of the2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.^[16] In September 2016, she placed second in both the US 20 km Road Running Championships and the US 5 km Road Running Championships, withAliphine Tuliamuk taking first place in both races.^[17][18] At the US 10 km Championships on 10 October 2016, Sisson captured her first national title, winning by 44 seconds in front ofSarah Pagano.^[19]

Sisson debuted in thehalf marathon on 19 March 2017 at theNew York City Half Marathon.^[20] She ran 1:08:21 to finish 2nd behindMolly Huddle. Her debut performance ranked among the top five fastest times ever recorded by an American woman in the half marathon.^[21] At the2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Sisson placed third in the 10000m, earning a berth to compete in the event at the2017 World Championships in Athletics.^[22] At the world champions, held inLondon, Sisson ran 31:26.36 to finish in ninth.^[23]

On 21 June 2018, Sisson placed fourth in the 10000m of the2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.^[24] Later that year, on 3 November 2018, she won the US 5 km Road Running Championships.^[25]

On 20 Jan 2019, Sisson ran 1:07:30 in theHouston Half Marathon to place fifth.^[26] Her time was the second fastest ever by an American woman, coming within 5 seconds of the national record. The following March, Sisson set a personal best of 30:49.57 for 10000m at the Standard Invitational. This performance set a new record for the meet. Prior to this, only two American athletes, Molly Huddle andShalane Flanagan, had recorded faster times.^[27][28]

Sisson debuted in themarathon on 28 April 2019, finishing sixth at theLondon Marathon with a time of 2:23:08. This was the second fastest debut time for a marathon by an American, just 8 seconds behindJordan Hasay's debut record.^[29] The following summer, Sisson participated in the 10000m at the2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.^[30] She came in second, qualifying her to compete at the2019 World Athletics Championships inDoha, Qatar. At the World Championships, she achieved a 10th place finish with a time of 31:12.56.^[31]

Sisson participated in the marathon at the2020 US Olympic Trials, held inAtlanta on 29 February 2020. She dropped out of the race at mile 22, an outcome that left her "broken hearted".^[32][33] Sisson returned to racing on 6 December 2020, after a hiatus due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. She finished fifth in theValencia Half Marathon, clocking 1:07:26 and missing the American record in the event by one second.^[34]

In early 2021, Sisson competed in the 5000m twice. She recorded times of 14:55.82 and 14:53.84, finishing first and fourth in these races, respectively.^[35][36] Her time of 14:53.84 was a personal best. She also won the US 15 km Road Running Championships on 20 March.^[37]

The following summer, on 26 June, Sisson competed in the 10000m at the2020 US Olympic Trials, making a strong comeback after previously having withdrawn from the marathon in the same trials. She won the race, setting a meet record and qualifying for the2020 Summer Games inTokyo.^[38] In theOlympic final of the 10000m, Sisson finished 10th in 31:09.58.

On 7 May 2022, Sisson broke the American record in thehalf marathon at the USATF Half Marathon Championships, taking first place in 1:07:11.^[39][40] Her time surpassedSara Hall's previous record in the event by 4 seconds. She ran the first 10 km in 31:57 and reached 20 km in 1:03:52.^[39]

On 9 October 2022, at theChicago Marathon, Sisson set a North American record in the marathon.^[2][3] She completed the race in 2:18:29, finishing second to Kenya'sRuth Chepngetich. Sisson reached the halfway point in 69:26 and ran the second half in 69:03.^[41] This performance brokeDeena Kastor's 16-year-old record by 43 seconds, and it marked the first time an American woman finished under 2:19 in the marathon.

On 15 January, Sisson ran 1:06:52 in theHouston Half Marathon, bettering her own American record in the event by 19 seconds.^[43] She averaged 5:06.1 minutes per mile in the race and finished in second place. Her record would stand until it was broken byKeira D'Amato on 1 July 2023.^[44]

Sisson returned to racing on 6 March at the US 20 km Road Running Championships, where she came in first.^[45] On 8 October, she competed in theChicago Marathon. Despite battling a side stitch, she was the top American at the finish, running 2:22:09 for 7th place.^[46]

On 3 February 2024, Sisson ran 2:22:42 at the2024 US Olympic Trials Marathon to place second and earn a spot in the marathon at the2024 Olympic Games in Paris.^[47] She finished as runner up toFiona O'Keeffe and ahead ofDakotah Lindwurm, both of whom also made theOlympic team. She competed in the 2024 Paris OlympicsWomen's marathon on 11 August 2024, finishing in 23rd place with a time of 2:29:53.^[48]

Sisson was born inMilwaukee,Wisconsin.^[49] Her father, Mark Sisson, was a runner for theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison from 1979 to 1983 and a 4:02 miler;^[6] her mother was a competitive gymnast.^[9] Sisson has three sisters. She holds anMBA fromProvidence College.^[9]

All data sourced fromWorld Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.^[1]

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
Representing USA
2007	Pan American Junior Athletics Championships	São Paulo, Brazil	3rd	5000 m	17.47.81
2009	Pan American Junior Athletics Championships	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	4th	3000 m	10:17.15
2010	World Junior Championships	Moncton, Canada	10th	3000 m	9:16.80
			6th	5000 m	15:48.91
	World Cross Country Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	18th	Junior race	20:08
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	9th	10,000 m	31:26.36
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	10th	10,000 m	31:12.56
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	10th	10,000 m	31:04.46

Data from athlete's profile on Track & Field Results Reporting Service.^[50][51]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toEmily Sisson.

• Emily Sisson atWorld Athletics
• Emily Sisson atDiamond League
• Emily Sisson atwww.USATF.org
• Emily Sisson at All-Athletics at theWayback Machine (archived October 23, 2017)
• Emily Sisson at Providence Friars at theWayback Machine (archived May 28, 2016)
• Emily Sisson – Providence atTFRRS (Track & Field Results Reporting System)
• Interview post NCAA 5000 meters indoor record atVimeo
• Emily Sisson atTeam USA (archive March 29, 2023)
• Emily Sisson atOlympics.com
• Emily Sisson atOlympedia

• 1991 births
• Living people
• Sportspeople from Chesterfield, Missouri
• Track and field athletes from Missouri
• Track and field athletes from Nebraska
• American women middle-distance runners
• American women long-distance runners
• Providence Friars women's track and field athletes
• USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
• Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
• 21st-century American sportswomen
• NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
• NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
• Wisconsin Badgers women's track and field athletes
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics

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