Lindsey Hein and Matt Chittim chat with Maria Lindberg, the first masters finisher at the 2025 Chicago Marathon, where she ran 2:34 at age 42. A former high school and college All-American, Maria has now completed 21 marathons and is running some of her fastest times ever. She explains how shifting to “intuitive” training without a coach and stacking consistent high-mileage weeks helped her drop from 2:49 to 2:34. Maria breaks down her even-keeled Chicago execution and how it led her to this PR. As a mom of three, she talks about modeling healthy habits, letting goals evolve, and avoiding comparison spirals by focusing on long-term consistency. Looking ahead, Maria plans to use her current fitness at the Indy Monumental Half and the Marathon Project before building toward Boston and the next Trials window.

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