Alyssa Bahel is on one hot streak. The 2015 East Hampton High School graduate and track star ran the 2026 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 3:09:34, the 275th woman to finish in a field of nearly 39,000 runners.
In spite of her incredible performance, Bahel called the race “rough,” blaming her shorts. “I never wear spandex, and I was chafing so badly. I had a ton of blood down my leg.”
Bahel has now run four of the six original World Marathon Majors: Berlin, Boston, New York, and Tokyo. She hopes to complete the remaining two — Chicago and London — by 2027. “I’m signed up for Chicago in October and then I’ll try to get into London next April,” Bahel said. “If all goes well, I’ll have completed the six majors within three years. I’m working toward a goal of sub-three hours by the end of the majors, if it’s physically possible.”
Her best bet may be Chicago, a famously flat course, but that may not matter. Bahel set her current personal record, 3:06:24, last November in New York, considered one of the most challenging and hilly majors. She achieved that goal just six weeks after running an impressive 3:09:53 in Berlin — the hottest Berlin Marathon on record.
Bahel ran the Tokyo Marathon for charity, raising $10,050 for Team for Kids, which supports New York Road Runners’ youth and community programs.
