Fellowship Christian alumna Hurley sets American debut record in Chicago

Roswell native Emma Grace Hurley set the American women’s marathon debut record Sunday, Oct. 11, finishing the Chicago Marathon in 2:20:47.

The Fellowship Christian School alumna placed seventh in the women’s race and was the first American woman to finish. Organizers confirmed the debut record in their post-race announcement.

Hurley, 28, had never raced farther than 25 kilometers before taking on the 26.2-mile distance. Her performance came three weeks after she finished fifth at the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen.

From Roswell to professional running

Hurley competed at Fellowship Christian before attending Furman University, where her athletics biography lists Roswell as her hometown.

After graduating in 2020 without a shoe-company offer, she returned home, worked in software sales and coached high school runners. Coaching helped renew her interest in competing, according to a Marathon Handbook profile.

She joined Atlanta Track Club’s elite group on a trial basis in October 2021 under Amy and Andrew Begley. When the coaches left the club at the end of 2023, Hurley followed them to Indianapolis. She signed with ASICS in early 2024.

A breakthrough season

Chicago capped a year of strong road performances.

Hurley ran 24:29 at Chicago’s Shamrock Shuffle on March 22, breaking Deena Kastor’s American women’s 8K record from 2005.

On April 12, she won the USATF 10 Mile Championships in Washington, D.C., in 50:42. She followed that with a victory at the USATF 25K Championships in Grand Rapids on May 9, finishing in 1:22:51. USATF’s 10-mile report, 25K report

Her Sept. 20 performance in Copenhagen produced a half-marathon personal best of 1:06:23, according to World Athletics. Marathon Handbook reported that her fifth-place finish was the highest by an American woman in the championship’s history.