Clayton Young is carving out a reputation for consistency on the sport’s biggest stages and was the top American marathoner at the World Championships in Tokyo.

Young fought through chaos — an early false start, a massive pack that stayed bunched past halfway, even a fall at 14 kilometers where he was clipped from behind and hit the pavement. He bounced right back, gave a thumbs up to the cameras, and rejoined the leaders. For nearly 40 kilometers he was right there, stride for stride with the world’s best, before the brutal late pace broke the field apart.

In the end, Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu took gold in 2:09:48 in a photo finish, but Young battled through to take ninth in 2:10:43 — the same place he earned in Paris last summer.

He crossed the line, emptied the tank and showed once again why he’s among America’s most reliable marathoners in championship racing.

He spoke with Chris Chavez LIVE from the ASICS House in Tokyo.

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Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Clayton Young | @_clayton_young_ on Instagram

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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