Emily Sisson, aged 32, is an American long-distance runner. On October 9, 2022, she set the North American record in the marathon when she clocked 2:18:29 to finish second at the Chicago Marathon. Sisson also held the American record in the half marathon from May 2022 until July 2023.
Sisson represented the United States in the 10000 meters event at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships, finishing ninth and tenth, respectively. In June 2021, she won the 10000m race at the 2020 US Olympic Trials and went on to place tenth in the 10000m final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
In 2024, Sisson secured a second-place finish in the marathon event at the US Olympic Trials, thereby qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Emily Sisson Qualified For the 2024 Paris Olympics
Emily Sisson, a former high school runner from Nebraska, secured a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics by coming in second at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. She clocked 2:22:42, qualifying her for her second Olympic Games after previously running the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics.
This achievement makes up for Sisson dropping out of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials after completing 21 miles. Her outstanding career in long-distance events and her North American marathon record cement her status as one of the greatest distance runners from Nebraska high school competition.
Sisson making the Olympic marathon team compensates for her earlier dropout at the 2020 Trials. It highlights her superb career accomplishments and marks a major high point in her athletic journey. As she gets ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the stress will be on her training and preparation specifically for the marathon event, building excitement about how she will perform on the world’s biggest sporting stage.
Emily Sisson Still Learning About the Marathon Despite Being the Fastest
Even though she holds the American record for the fastest marathon time by a woman, she is still an eager learner of this event.
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“When I grew up dreaming about the Olympics, I envisioned the typical experience where you get to celebrate with your friends and family in the host city,” “That’s not the whole reason you go to the Olympics. You go there to compete against the best in the world, but after Tokyo I realized that was something I felt like I was missing and drove me really to work hard to get back to Paris.”
Sisson said Sunday at the New Balance Grand Prix in Brighton.
“I thought I made really good decisions during the race,” “There were a lot of positive takeaways.”
“I remember my first marathon. That was what was a little daunting to me. When I got to mile 23 in the marathon, I thought, this is the furthest I’ve ever run. That’s really cool. So the more marathons I do, I think the more confidence I gain.”
Sisson said.
At the trials, Sisson finished second, just 30 seconds behind Fiona O’Keeffe’s record-breaking performance.
Emily Sisson’s Early years in Wisconsin with her Parents
Emily Sisson was born on October 12, 1991, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I grew up in the midwest, but I really grew up as a person in Rhode Island,” “You go through so much in your college years and post-college, so I feel like New England’s really a primary home.
Sisson said.
Her parents are Mark and Nancy Sisson. Her father competed in cross country and track at the University of Wisconsin from 1979 to 1983, while her mother was a competitive gymnast. Emily has three sisters named Annika, Arla, and Grace. She also has two dogs, Desmond and Tor.
Emily holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Providence College. Her height is 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) and she weighs 47 kg. She enjoys reading and traveling in her spare time.
For her final two years of high school, Emily attended Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Missouri.
After her freshman year, Emily decided to transfer to Providence College in Rhode Island, explaining that her experience at Wisconsin was “not a good fit.” She cited the opportunity to train under coach Ray Treacy as a reason for the move.
Emily Sisson Celebrates Five Years of Marriage with her husband Shane Quinn
Emily Sisson and Shane Quinn got married on August 17, 2018, in Ireland, which is Shane’s home country. She spends most of the year living in Providence with her husband, Shane Quinn, who was also a former All-American runner for the Providence College Friars. The couple maintains a second residence in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Their love story began at Providence College, where their shared passion for track and field athletics created a connection that eventually led to a lifelong commitment.
In 2023, Emily and Shane celebrated five years of marital bliss. Emily marked the milestone with a heartfelt Instagram post featuring a captivating photo from their wedding day. She captioned “5 years married Happy Anniversary,”
Looking at Emily’s Instagram she shared adventures and genuine bonds of their relationship. Shane is a therapist by profession. Shane actively participates in Emily’s rigorous workouts.
In the five years since their wedding, Emily Sisson and Shane Quinn have chosen to keep their family planning private. Despite their openness on social media, the couple has remained especially silent about having children.
Emily Sisson’s Early Running Career
Emily Sisson began running in the seventh grade. While still in middle school, she transferred to Millard North High School for her sophomore year, where she continued her winning streak by reclaiming the state title in cross country and earning additional state championships.
In her early career, Sisson achieved several medals at the USATF 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. On the international stage, she secured a bronze in the 5000m at the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. At the 2010 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.
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In 2009, Sisson achieved a third-place finish at the Footlocker National Championships. However, she did not participate in her final high school track season, choosing instead to prepare for the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Competing in the under-20 race at this event, she finished 18th.
In the fall of 2010, Emily started competing for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In her first cross-country season, she finished 14th at the 2010 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. During the outdoor track season, she clocked 15:53.9 to place 10th in the 5000m event at the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
2012 – 2014
In 2012, she participated in 11 competitions, including the URI GoRhody Invitational on Jan 21, where she placed an astounding 1st position, and the 2012 Boston University Terrier Classic competition on Jan 27-28, where she placed 2nd. She also remarkably placed 1st at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 4-6 and the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round competitions on May 24-26 in the same year.
In 2013, she participated in 13 competitions. She secured 1st position in nine competitions: the URI Sorlien Memorial Invitational on Jan 19, the Boston University Terrier Classic on Jan 25-26, the Big East Men’s & Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb 16-17 in the 3000-meter event, the NEICAAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb 22-23, the BIG EAST Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 3-5, the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown on Sep 27, the Big East Cross Country Championships on Nov 2, and the Boston University Season Opener on Dec 7. She also achieved 2nd position in the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Oct 19 of the same year.
In 2014, she participated at the Boston University Season Opener competition on Dec 7, where she placed 1st position, and also secured another 1st in the 5000 meters event at the BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb 21-22. She placed 2nd position in the 3000 meters event at the BIG EAST Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb 21-22 and also in the Boston University Opener competition on Dec 6 in the same year.
Emily Sisson’s Professional Running Career
In 2015, Emily Sisson made her professional racing debut with New Balance at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she participated in the 10000m event and finished fifth. On September 20, 2015, she took part in the 5 km Road Running Championships in Providence, Rhode Island, securing a third-place finish.
In 2016, Sisson finished 10th in the 10000m event at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In September of the same year, she placed second in both the US 20 km Road Running Championships and the US 5 km Road Running Championships, with Aliphine Tuliamuk taking first place in both races. On October 10, 2016, Sisson captured her first national title at the US 10 km Championships, winning by 44 seconds ahead of Sarah Pagano.
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In 2017, Sisson made her debut in the half marathon on March 19 at the New York City Half Marathon. She clocked 1:08:21 to finish second behind Molly Huddle. Her debut performance ranked among the top five fastest times ever recorded by an American woman in the half marathon. At the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships that year, Sisson placed third in the 10000m, earning a berth to compete in the event at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. At the world championships, held in London, Sisson ran 31:26.36 to finish ninth.
On June 21, 2018, Sisson placed fourth in the 10000m event at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Later that year, on November 3, she won the US 5 km Road Running Championships.
Further 2019 years
On January 20, 2019, Sisson ran 1:07:30 in the Houston Half Marathon to place fifth. Her time was the second-fastest ever by an American woman, coming within five seconds of the national record. The following March, Sisson set a personal best of 30:49.57 for the 10000m at the Standard Invitational. This performance set a new record for the meet. Before this, only two American athletes, Molly Huddle and Shalane Flanagan, had recorded faster times.
Sisson made her marathon debut on April 28, 2019, finishing sixth at the London Marathon with a time of 2:23:08. This was the second-fastest debut time for a marathon by an American, just eight seconds behind Jordan Hasay’s debut record.
The following summer, Sisson participated in the 10000m at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She came in second, qualifying her to compete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. At the World Championships, she achieved a 10th-place finish with a time of 31:12.56.
In 2020, Sisson participated in the marathon at the U.S. Olympic Trials, held in Atlanta on February 29. She dropped out of the race at mile 22, an outcome that left her “broken-hearted.” Sisson returned to racing on December 6, 2020, after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She finished fifth in the Valencia Half Marathon, clocking 1:07:26 and missing the American record in the event by one second.
Emily Olympics and World Championships
In 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. Her time of 14:53.84 was a personal best. She also won the US 15 km Road Running Championships on March 20.
The following summer, on June 26, Sisson competed in the 10000m at the U.S. Olympic Trials, making a strong comeback after previously withdrawing from the marathon in the same trials. She won the race, setting a meet record and qualifying for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. In the Olympic final of the 10000m, Sisson finished 10th in 31:09.58.
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On May 7, 2022, Sisson broke the American record in the half marathon at the USATF Half Marathon Championships, taking first place in 1:07:11. Her time surpassed Sara Hall’s previous record in the event by four seconds. She ran the first 10 km in 31:57 and reached 20 km in 1:03:52.
On October 9 of the same year, at the Chicago Marathon, Sisson set a North American record in the marathon. She completed the race in 2:18:29, finishing second to Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich. Sisson reached the halfway point in 69:26 and ran the second half in 69:03. This performance broke Deena 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.
Road to Paris Olympics 2024
On January 15, 2023, Sisson ran 1:06:52 in the Houston Half Marathon, bettering her own American record in the event by 19 seconds. She averaged 5:06.1 minutes per mile in the race and finished in second place. Her record would stand until it was broken by Keira D’Amato on July 1, 2023.
Sisson returned to racing on March 6 at the US 20 km Road Running Championships, where she came in first. On October 8, she competed in the Chicago Marathon. Despite battling a side stitch, she was the top American at the finish, running 2:22:09 for seventh place.
On February 3, 2024, Sisson ran 2:22:42 at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon to place second and earn a spot in the marathon at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She finished as the runner-up to Fiona O’Keeffe and ahead of Dakotah Lindwurm, both of whom also made the Olympic team.
