In late April, Aliphine Tuliamuk’s hopes of running a fall marathon started to fade as she read a news story about the cancellation of the Berlin and Chicago Marathons, scheduled for Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, respectively. Race organizers offered deferrals to 2021 as they weighed their options amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuliamuk had planned to run the New York City Marathon this year, but she knew that would also likely be canceled.
Tuliamuk’s fame on the American distance running scene skyrocketed when on Feb. 29 she won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the race that selected the three men and three women who will represent the United States in the marathon at the Summer Games in Tokyo.