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Fourth place is the kiss of death for most elite runners. Fourth is first off the podium. And every four years, fourth is the first one left off the Olympic team.
But Jess McClain knows a thing—actually two—about fourth place. And this year, fourth place represents rebirth.
At the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 3, McClain hard-charged into downtown Orlando, Florida, to place, you guessed it, fourth. Her time of two hours, 25 minutes, and 46 seconds (5:35 minute per mile pace) was just 15 seconds shy of third-place Dakotah Lindwurm. But despite the hot and humid conditions under the midday sun, it was a personal best for McClain by nearly four minutes.
Just five months later, after a sharp pivot from training on the roads, McClain laced up on the track to finish fourth once again—this time in the 10,000 meters at the U.S….
