Chasing the Clock: Casey Cline’s Pursuit of a Sub 3-Hour Marathon
The Why
“People see things in you that you don’t see for yourself. When a coach believes in you and helps you build confidence through training, it helps you realize what you’re capable of.”
The 3-hour marathon. It’s a coveted feat. Chased by many. Caught by few. But why? Why is the 3-hour time barrier such a big deal? It’s meaningless to a degree. It’s more of a personal vendetta against the clock. You receive the same bagel as the other racers. So, why chase it?
Chase is the keyword here. Casey Cline refers to her goal of running a 3-hour marathon in terms of pursuing it. It’s an apt way to describe a challenging goal. The Oxford Language Dictionary defines chase as “pursue in order to catch or catch up with.”
It’s not the goal itself that she’s chasing. Most goals are arbitrary. Their value is that which we decide. It’s the person who can break the 3-hour time barrier. That identity is what Casey Cline is trying to catch up with.
Casey comes from a sprinting background. She ran the 100 and 400 in high school. But anything north of one lap around the track was a hard pass. “I told my track coach that I’d quit if I ran an 800. So, when he made me run one, I actually did.”
It’s odd hearing Casey admit she quit. Her personality is not conducive to quitting. But removing that external stimulus helped her realize the importance of running. When Casey entered college, running helped her deal with the rigors of design school.
“It’s a pretty intense class structure. It’s meant to weed people out,” explains Casey. “I needed an outlet, and running became that outlet. I even signed up for Run Conditioning as an elective. We had to run a 10k for our final.”
Running began to serve a larger purpose, though. In grad school, it became a source of inspiration for her work as a landscape architect. As she says, “I wanted to run 26 miles before I turned 26. So, I’d run instead of sitting in the studio waiting for ideas to come to me. You get a lot more inspiration from being out in the world. In every city I travel to, I run ’cause I can explore how things are designed.”
After her second marathon, a friend of Casey’s approached her with a challenge. “She told me I was going to qualify for Boston,” remembers Casey. “I didn’t know what that meant at the time. But that became my mission.”
Running the Boston Marathon is something worth adding to your life’s resume. Originating in 1897, it’s the world’s oldest foot race. And it’s been the site of many historic events. For instance, in 1967, Katherine Switzer became the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon as an official contestant.
But the biggest draw of Boston is the clock. Athletes must post a qualifying time to receive an invitation. Boston qualifying (BQ) times vary depending on your age bracket. For men aged 18–34, it’s the 3-hour time barrier. For women in the same age bracket, it’s three and a half hours.
It took Casey seven marathons to earn a spot at this historic race. Now she’s qualified seven different times. “There are people with natural talent,” remarks Casey. “So I just have to work harder. And I know how to work.”
The last time Casey ran Boston, she finished in 3 hours and 16 minutes. That was a PR for her. She had no clue she could run that fast, let alone feel like it was easy. So, the idea of shaving 16 minutes off a personal best to hit sub-three felt within reach.
Tangential to Casey’s pursuit of a three-hour marathon is completing the six major marathons. These iconic events include the Boston Marathon, Toyko Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Berlin Marathon, London Marathon, and the New York Marathon.
Casey has completed five of the six, with Toyko now being the final frontier. But at the time, she still had London left to go. London was supposed to be where she broke the three-hour time barrier, but she rolled her ankle on mile seven.
“We’re crashing and burning,” remembers Casey. “I kept telling myself, ‘You have 19 miles left to crawl.’ Afterward, I went to the medic tent and just bawled. I was trying everything to keep it together.”
Casey knew she needed to get back in the saddle after her experience in London. So, she signed up for the Blue Ridge Relay to regain some confidence. Consisting of teams of four to 12, athletes cover 208 miles. But for a 200-mile race, it’s a fast course, and Casey’s pace threw her hips out of alignment. “It was a dumpster fire,” laughs Casey. “The sciatic nerve was pissed off. I had to get on an ultra-g treadmill to retrain my foot strike.”
Moments like London and the Blue Ridge Relay tend to consume you. They act as reference points. And begin to define who you are as a person. Any accomplishment prior ceases to exist. And part of you wants to wallow in your self-pity. It would have been easy for Casey to back off after London. Instead, it was a leveling-up moment.
As Casey says, “When you’re staring down the barrel of something challenging, you have to fail fast. Learn fast. And then keep going.” London taught Casey that she had to become more durable. So, she signed up for the Antelope Canyon 50-miler. But London also made her more grateful for what her body can do.
“Running 50 miles in the desert, I felt like a little kid. I had this realization that we don’t need a lot of stuff. Give me a pair of running shoes, some PB&Js, and a view, and I’m happy. It rained 10 of the 12 hours, but I had the best time. I was 47 miles in, and I was in this reverie. And I was hurting; no one was around me. Then Judah and the Lion came on, and a wave of energy flooded me. I threw my hands up; the sun was setting, the rain had stopped, and I just felt alive.”
Antelope Canyon was in March. And it was meant to build a strong base. But it also reminded Casey that one moment doesn’t define her. She ran Boston the next month in three hours and 25 minutes. If she could run Boston after doing a 50-miler, a three-hour marathon was possible.
And on July 30th, at The Jack and Jill Marathon in Seattle, Casey will have her chance. “The goal is to hit sub-three. Here. Now,” asserts Casey.
Casey views her talents as gifts. It’s almost as if she believes she has a lease on them. And it would be the worst thing imaginable to waste what she’s been given. “My why,” she says, “is to glorify God with the gifts he’s given me, knowing that nothing is impossible without him.”
“I’ve always felt like an outlier. But when I walked into that meetup, I was surrounded by people who were on the same page as me. I’ve never felt more inspired than that moment.”
The Community
Every Tuesday at 5:30 in the morning, Casey hosts a run club. Camaraderie aside, there’s a reason she goes so early: it weeds out the BS.
“Over the years, I’ve tried to keep my circle tight,” says Casey. “Not everyone is on your bus, and that’s okay. The right people will stay. The rest will fall off. I’m very protective of my time. It’s the most expensive thing I have. So, the people I choose to spend time with are getting my most valuable resource.”
And by keeping a tight circle, she’s seen its impact on those who’ve chosen to stay. As she says, “Everyone who attended Track Tuesdays last year PR’d their marathon goals. Two athletes will start to feed off each other. People who stay will continuously show up, and they’ll show out.”
But the greatest benefit of finding like-minded individuals is the feeling of joining a collective pursuit.
For Casey, that moment came when she attended her first BPN event as a member of BPN’s athlete team. “I’ve always felt like an outlier. But when I walked into that meetup, I was surrounded by people who were on the same page as me. I’ve never felt more inspired than that moment.”
The Training
Casey believes training is “meant to build character. It should be designed to help you understand that the goal you’re chasing is within your wheelhouse.”
Now that she’s working towards a three-hour marathon, a typical week for Casey will start with a 9-mile run on Monday. On Tuesdays, Casey hosts her run club, where she’ll focus on interval training. A Run Club workout might look like this: a 2-mile warmup. 3 miles at a 7-minute pace. Followed by 4x800s. Then, another 3 miles at a 7-minute pace. Finished with a 2-mile cooldown.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are strength training days. So, she’ll lift first and then hit a 9-mile run.
Casey emphasizes the importance of being a hybrid athlete. She prefers CrossFit because of its variety and balance. One day she’ll focus on big, traditional lifts. Another day she’ll dial in on ancillary muscles.
“Crossfit helps you figure out different ways to use your body,” says Casey. “There are plenty of ways to build your fitness. And if you can find new ways to build resilience, you’ll recalibrate and pivot much quicker when you’re in a race.” For instance, Casey will incorporate hill or mountain repeats.
“I have to remind myself of the rule of thirds. Some days, you do well. Some days, you coast. And some days, you fail. But you need all three.”
The Food
For Casey, chasing big goals means dialing in on the small things. And this starts with her nutrition. To help mitigate injuries and reduce inflammation, she’ll use Strong Reds and Strong Greens supplements from BPN.
Casey also tries to automate as much as possible. So, she’ll meal prep before the start of the week, which frees up time for her to do her long runs.
Some people prefer to fast before a run. Casey is not one of those. She’ll have a scoop of peanut butter, a banana, and an electrolyte cocktail.
During her runs, she opts for gels. There’s no hard and fast rule dictating when and how many gels you need to consume. So try a few iterations and see what works for you. Casey will have one gel every hour with some water.
“I have to remind myself of the rule of thirds. Some days, you do well. Some days, you coast. And some days, you fail. But you need all three.”
The Gear
Casey is predominantly a road athlete, but she’s competed on all sorts of terrain. So, she’ll adopt her gear accordingly.
When training, you should also consider the intent of the workout. For instance, since Casey’s focus is the road marathon, she rotates between three types of shoes.
As she says, “I have a boring shoe. These are for slow recovery runs. There’s no pop to them. I have an everyday running shoe. I prefer the Saucony Endorphin Speed. I also have a track shoe. These don’t have cleats. But they’re a bit lighter and have more pop. I use the Saucony Endorphin Pro.”
The rest of her gear kit includes the Brooks 3 Pocket Sports Bra, which she dons for long runs to hold her gels and a hand-held water bottle.
The Advice
That incessant chatter in your head. It can be overwhelming. It builds like drums from the deep. Blinding you from opportunities and possibilities. Until all you hear is doubt.
This is why you need a coach or a mentor. They can break through the noise. They can help you undo the tangled knot you created in your head.
As a coach, Casey is adamant that even coaches need coaches. She understands the benefit of having someone who’ll keep you grounded. “I have to remind myself of the rule of thirds,” says Casey. “Some days, you do well. Some days, you coast. And some days, you fail. But you need all three.”
Casey’s goal of a sub-3-hour marathon wasn’t hers until someone else believed she could do it.
“People see things in you that you don’t see for yourself,” explains Casey. “When a coach believes in you and helps you build confidence through training, it helps you realize what you’re capable of.”
