Susanna Sullivan

Susanna Sullivan (born May 13, 1990) is an American distance runner and teacher based in Northern Virginia. A multiple-time World Marathon Majors top-10 finisher, she placed sixth at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, 10th at the 2023 London Marathon, seventh at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, and 10th at the 2025 London Marathon. She has represented the United States at the World Athletics Championships twice, finishing 58th in 2023 and fourth in 2025. Her personal best of 2:21:56, set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, ranks her as the 10th-fastest American woman of all time in the marathon.

High school Sullivan competed for George Mason High School (now Meridian High) in Falls Church, Virginia. In cross country she earned multiple All-State honors, placing 3rd at the Virginia state championships as a sophomore and junior, and 2nd as a senior. On the track, she won state titles in the 1600 meters and 3200 meters in 2007.

Collegiate career At the University of Notre Dame, Sullivan competed in cross country and track, earning varsity letters but never an all-conference selection. She has described her collegiate career as “lackluster” and “completely unspectacular,” citing fatigue and recurring injuries.

Post-collegiate career

2012–2020 Sullivan joined Capital Area Runners after graduating in 2012. She debuted in the marathon at Grandma's Marathon in 2015, finishing 9th in 2:35:37 to qualify for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, where she placed 20th in 2:41:18.

In 2017 she sustained a hamstring injury in a car accident, which sidelined her for an extended period. She returned to the marathon at the Richmond Marathon in 2019, where she ran 2:42:35 — at that point the slowest marathon of her career — but the result nonetheless met the qualifying standard for the 2020 Olympic Trials. At the Trials in Atlanta, she placed 145th in 2:45:57.

2020–present Following the 2020 Olympic Trials, Sullivan began training under Andrew Gerard, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at George Mason University. Later that year she competed at The Marathon Project in Arizona, finishing 20th in 2:33:27.

In 2021 she placed 15th at the 2021 Boston Marathon in 2:33:22, finishing as the fourth American woman.

In 2022 she won the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run (52:32), becoming the first local runner to win the women’s title since 1983, placed third at Grandma’s Marathon (2:26:56), and finished sixth at the 2022 Chicago Marathon (2:25:14), her first top-10 at a World Marathon Major.

At the January 2023 USA Cross Country Championships, Sullivan finished eighth in the senior women’s 10 km, which placed her as an alternate for the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.

In April 2023 she placed 10th and was top American at the 2023 London Marathon in 2:24:27.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, she finished 58th after competing with a fractured kneecap that worsened during the race. Owing to ongoing recovery from that injury—and a COVID-19 infection the week of the race—she withdrew from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando.

In October 2024, Sullivan ran a lifetime best of 2:21:56 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, finishing seventh overall and first American.

In 2025, she was again the top American at the 2025 London Marathon (10th, 2:29:30). In September, she placed fourth at the 2025 World Athletics Championships marathon in Tokyo (2:28:17); this performance marked the highest finish by an American woman in the event since Amy Cragg won bronze in 2017. She concluded the year at the New York City Marathon in November, finishing 11th in 2:28:34. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, she was ranked No. 2 in the U.S. in the marathon by Track & Field News.

Sullivan opened her 2026 season at the Houston Half Marathon on January 11, running a personal best of 1:08:44 to finish 12th.

Personal bests Event Performance Venue Date 5000 m 15:25.94 Boston, USA Feb 10, 2023 5 km (road) 15:36 New York City, USA Nov 2, 2024 10,000 m 31:55.80 San Juan Capistrano, USA Mar 4, 2023 10 km (road) 32:18 New York City, USA Jun 8, 2024 15 km 49:48 Utica, USA Jul 10, 2022 10 Miles 52:32 Washington D.C., USA Apr 3, 2022 Half marathon 1:08:44 Houston, USA Jan 11, 2026 Marathon 2:21:56 Chicago, USA Oct 13, 2024

Major competition results Marathons Date Race Location Time Place Notes Jun 20, 2015 Grandma's Marathon Duluth, Minnesota 2:35:37 9th Debut Feb 13, 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Los Angeles, California 2:41:18 20th Nov 16, 2019 Richmond Marathon Richmond, Virginia 2:42:35 5th Feb 29, 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials Atlanta, Georgia 2:45:57 145th Dec 20, 2020 The Marathon Project Chandler, Arizona 2:33:27 20th Oct 11, 2021 2021 Boston Marathon Boston, Massachusetts 2:33:22 15th 4th American Jun 18, 2022 Grandma's Marathon Duluth, Minnesota 2:26:56 3rd Oct 9, 2022 2022 Chicago Marathon Chicago, Illinois 2:25:14 6th First WMM top-10; 15th-fastest American all-time (as of Oct 2022) Apr 23, 2023 2023 London Marathon London, England 2:24:27 10th Top American Aug 26, 2023 2023 World Athletics Championships Budapest, Hungary 2:44:24 58th Oct 13, 2024 2024 Chicago Marathon Chicago, Illinois 2:21:56 7th PB; Top American; 10th-fastest American woman all-time Apr 27, 2025 2025 London Marathon London, England 2:29:30 10th Top American Sep 14, 2025 2025 World Athletics Championships Tokyo, Japan 2:28:17 4th Top American; Best U.S. finish since 2017 Nov 2, 2025 New York City Marathon New York, New York 2:28:34 11th 5th American

Road races (selected)

Track (selected) Date Meet Event Location Time Place Notes May 27, 2022 USATF Championships 10,000 m Eugene, Oregon 32:12.77 17th Feb 10, 2023 Boston University Valentine Invitational 5000 m Boston, Massachusetts 15:25.94 — Personal best Mar 4, 2023 Sound Running – The TEN 10,000 m San Juan Capistrano, California 31:55.80 9th Personal best Jun 29, 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 m Eugene, Oregon 32:43.58 19th