Clayton Young: A Doctor Told Him His Career Might Be Over — How a 2:08 Olympian Turned a Near Career-Ending Injury Into His Biggest Comeback Yet

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST · Mar 10, 2026 · 1h 6m

Clayton Young fell early at the Marathon World Championships, and still finished as the top American. He also ran 2:07:04 at Boston (the fastest marathon of his life), and somehow it still felt like there was more in the tank.

Since 2024, he’s been everywhere that matters: including 2nd in the U.S. Olympic Trials, 9th at the Paris Olympics, 7th in New York, 7th in Boston, and 9th in Tokyo. This man is stacking top-10 finishes on the biggest stages in the sport of marathon running.

And now, with Tokyo, Boston, and Berlin lined up in 2026, he’s not just racing majors, it appears that he’s…