2018 Performance of the Year

Help us pick our performance of the year! We’ve narrowed it down to 16. Now it’s up to you guys!!

VOTING HAS ENDED!!

Here’s how it works:

Round 1 voting will take place from Tuesday, December 18 at Noon EST through Thursday, December 20 at Midnight EST. Round 2 will go from Friday, December 21 through Sunday December 23 at midnight EST. Semi-final voting will be Monday, December 24 through Wednesday, December 26 at Midnight. FINAL round voting will open on Thursday, December 27 and go until Friday, December 28 at 5pm EST. Our winner will be announced that immediately after voting ends! For more info on our match-ups read below:

FINALS:

Kellyn Taylor, after a disappointing DNF at the Boston Marathon in historically tough conditions, turned around 61 days later and won the Grandma’s Marathon in convincing fashion. Her 2:24:28 in Duluth shattered her PR by more than four minutes, the course record by more than two minutes and made her the seventh-fastest American of all time.

After more than a decade of close calls, Steph Bruce finally won her first National title at this year’s Peachtree Road Race. And she had to beat a heck of a field to do it. Pulling away from Sara Hall over the second half of the race, she eventually caught teammate Aliphine Tuliamuk with less than 1k to go. Powering home with a blazing last quarter-mile, Steph won the race by eight seconds in 32:21.

WINNER: KELLYN’s 2:24 MARATHON!!

SEMIFINALS:

Kellyn Taylor, after a disappointing DNF at the Boston Marathon in historically tough conditions, turned around 61 days later and won the Grandma’s Marathon in convincing fashion. Her 2:24:28 in Duluth shattered her PR by more than four minutes, the course record by more than two minutes and made her the seventh-fastest American of all time.

Aliphine Tuliamuk joined HOKA NAZ Elite in January of 2018. She spent much of February and March dealing with a back injury. After just one month of good training, she traveled to Pittsburgh, took the lead from the gun and won the USATF Half Marathon Championships. It was her eighth overall National title and her 1:10:04 was a team record.

WINNER: Kellyn’s 2:24

After more than a decade of close calls, Steph Bruce finally won her first National title at this year’s Peachtree Road Race. And she had to beat a heck of a field to do it. Pulling away from Sara Hall over the second half of the race, she eventually caught teammate Aliphine Tuliamuk with less than 1k to go. Powering home with a blazing last quarter-mile, Steph won the race by eight seconds in 32:21.

Scott Fauble ran 2:12:35 in his debut marathon to finish ninth at the flat, fast Frankfurt Marathon in 2017. A year later he ran 2:12:28 on the undulating layout in New York to finish seventh at the TCS New York City Marathon. Just four seconds from being top American, Faubs beat the likes of Shadrack Biwott and Chris Derrick to solidify his place as a top contender for the 2020 Olympic Marathon team.

WINNER: Steph’s National Title

SECOND ROUND:

Kellyn Taylor, after a disappointing DNF at the Boston Marathon in historically tough conditions, turned around 61 days later and won the Grandma’s Marathon in convincing fashion. Her 2:24:28 in Duluth shattered her PR by more than four minutes, the course record by more than two minutes and made her the seventh-fastest American of all time.

When the California International Marathon announced that Steph Bruce was going to run the 2018 USATF Marathon Championships, some fans thought it was a typo. She had just finished 11th at the TCS NYC Marathon four weeks earlier. But it was no typo. Steph recovered from her 2:30:59 in NYC to run 2:29:21 at CIM, breaking a seven-year-old PR by 14 seconds and finishing second overall (her fourth podium at a National Championship in 2018).

WINNER: Kellyn at Grandma’s

Aliphine Tuliamuk joined HOKA NAZ Elite in January of 2018. She spent much of February and March dealing with a back injury. After just one month of good training, she traveled to Pittsburgh, took the lead from the gun and won the USATF Half Marathon Championships. It was her eighth overall National title and her 1:10:04 was a team record.

The weather at the 2018 Boston Marathon was rough to say the least. Temps in the 30s, with driving rain and 20+ mph winds made for the worst conditions in the 122-year history of the race. Scott Smith battled those conditions all the way to a sixth-place finish, our team’s highest place to date at a World Marathon Major.

WINNER: Aliphine’s Half Marathon

After more than a decade of close calls, Steph Bruce finally won her first National title at this year’s Peachtree Road Race. And she had to beat a heck of a field to do it. Pulling away from Sara Hall over the second half of the race, she eventually caught teammate Aliphine Tuliamuk with less than 1k to go. Powering home with a blazing last quarter-mile, Steph won the race by eight seconds in 32:21.

Aliphine Tuliamuk gave six-time BolderBOULDER 10k champion, Mamitu Daska, all she could handle at the 40th edition of the Memorial Day race. Aliphine took the lead at 8k, forcing Daska to dig down deep for what would eventually become an 11-second victory, the smallest margin of victory among her six titles. Aliphine ran 32:48 on the hilly course at 5,300 feet. Let that sink in. 32:48 at 5,300 feet.

WINNER: Steph at Peachtree

Scott Fauble ran 2:12:35 in his debut marathon to finish ninth at the flat, fast Frankfurt Marathon in 2017. A year later he ran 2:12:28 on the undulating layout in New York to finish seventh at the TCS New York City Marathon. Just four seconds from being top American, Faubs beat the likes of Shadrack Biwott and Chris Derrick to solidify his place as a top contender for the 2020 Olympic Marathon team.

Kellyn Taylor was scheduled to race the Monterey Bay Half Marathon on Sunday, November 11th in California. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to wildfires, but not until the evening before the gun was set to go off. Kellyn hopped on a plane to Las Vegas the next morning and a few hours later was on the starting line for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. She then won the race by more than two minutes in 1:10:13, a new personal best and the second-fastest time in our team’s history.

WINNER: Faubs at NYC

 

FIRST ROUND:

Kellyn Taylor, after a disappointing DNF at the Boston Marathon in historically tough conditions, turned around 61 days later and won the Grandma’s Marathon in convincing fashion. Her 2:24:28 in Duluth shattered her PR by more than four minutes, the course record by more than two minutes and made her the seventh-fastest American of all time.

Stephanie Bruce continued to show she’s much more than just a marathoner when she finished third at the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 meters. A ferocious last 600 meters vaulted her past Emily Sisson and onto the podium–her first ever top three finish at a U.S. Track Championship.

WINNER: Kellyn at Grandma’s

When the California International Marathon announced that Steph Bruce was going to run the 2018 USATF Marathon Championships, some fans thought it was a typo. She had just finished 11th at the TCS NYC Marathon four weeks earlier. But it was no typo. Steph recovered from her 2:30:59 in NYC to run 2:29:21 at CIM, breaking a seven-year-old PR by 14 seconds and finishing second overall (her fourth podium at a National Championship in 2018).

Scott Fauble was just one of more than a dozen high level competitors to toe the line at the 2018 Falmouth Road Race. Four-time champ Stephen Sambu was the favorite with road racing ace Lenny Korir, 27:27 10k man Chris Thompson and 1:00:00 half marathoner Callum Hawkins all expected to contend. But with a mile to go it was Faubs who broke the race open with a huge surge. In the end he’d finish second to NCAA 10k Champ, Ben Flanagan by just two seconds.

WINNER: Steph at CIM

Aliphine Tuliamuk joined HOKA NAZ Elite in January of 2018. She spent much of February and March dealing with a back injury. After just one month of good training, she traveled to Pittsburgh, took the lead from the gun and won the USATF Half Marathon Championships. It was her eighth overall National title and her 1:10:04 was a team record.

In arguably the deepest men’s field at any 2018 World Marathon Major, Aaron Braun finished 14th at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. His 2:13:16 was the second-fastest time of his career and now ranks as the fifth-fastest HOKA NAZ Elite time ever over 26.2 miles. He was also the third American at Chicago for the second year in a row.

WINNER: Aliphine’s Half Marathon

The weather at the 2018 Boston Marathon was rough to say the least. Temps in the 30s, with driving rain and 20+ mph winds made for the worst conditions in the 122-year history of the race. Scott Smith battled those conditions all the way to a sixth-place finish, our team’s highest place to date at a World Marathon Major.

The NYRR Mini 10k is the world’s original women’s only road race and thus takes its place as one of the most prestigious races on the NYRR calendar. This year, Aliphine Tuliamuk took runner-up honors to the great Mary Keitany but finished ahead of Molly Huddle, Betsy Saina and her teammate Steph Bruce, among others. Aliphine’s 32:08 stands a team record for 10k on the road.

WINNER: Scott at Boston

After more than a decade of close calls, Steph Bruce finally won her first National title at this year’s Peachtree Road Race. And she had to beat a heck of a field to do it. Pulling away from Sara Hall over the second half of the race, she eventually caught teammate Aliphine Tuliamuk with less than 1k to go. Powering home with a blazing last quarter-mile, Steph won the race by eight seconds in 32:21.

Nine days after a ho-hum (for him) 28:13 10,000 meters at the Payton Jordan Invitational, Scott Fauble took the lead from the gun and pushed the pace at the USATF 25k National Championships in Grand Rapids, Mich. Coming through the half marathon mark at just a few ticks slower than his PR, he waged a fierce battle with Sam Chelanga over the final two miles. Eventually, the notoriously fast kick of Chelanga won out with Faubs second in 1:14:55.

WINNER: Steph’s National Title

Aliphine Tuliamuk gave six-time BolderBOULDER 10k champion, Mamitu Daska, all she could handle at the 40th edition of the Memorial Day race. Aliphine took the lead at 8k, forcing Daska to dig down deep for what would eventually become an 11-second victory, the smallest margin of victory among her six titles. Aliphine ran 32:48 on the hilly course at 5,300 feet. Let that sink in. 32:48 at 5,300 feet.

Scott Fauble traveled across the pond in September to compete in the world’s largest half marathon, the Simply Health Great North Run. He then went out and beat all but three athletes, besting the likes of Ryan Vail, Daniel Wanjiru, Patrick Tiernan and teammate Scott Smith, among many others. Faubs’ 1:02:18 was a 38-second personal best and is the second-fastest HOKA NAZ Elite half marathon to date.

WINNER: Aliphine at Boulder

Scott Fauble ran 2:12:35 in his debut marathon to finish ninth at the flat, fast Frankfurt Marathon in 2017. A year later he ran 2:12:28 on the undulating layout in New York to finish seventh at the TCS New York City Marathon. Just four seconds from being top American, Faubs beat the likes of Shadrack Biwott and Chris Derrick to solidify his place as a top contender for the 2020 Olympic Marathon team.

Just six days after winning her eighth National title at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, Aliphine Tuliamuk went out and won her ninth at the USATF 25k Championships in Grand Rapids, Mich. Biding her time early, Aliphine pulled away from a field that included Sarah Crouch and Emma Bates over the final six miles to seal the victory–her third straight at this event.

WINNER: Faubs in NYC

Kellyn Taylor was scheduled to race the Monterey Bay Half Marathon on Sunday, November 11th in California. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled due to wildfires, but not until the evening before the gun was set to go off. Kellyn hopped on a plane to Las Vegas the next morning and a few hours later was on the starting line for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. She then won the race by more than two minutes in 1:10:13, a new personal best and the second-fastest time in our team’s history.

Alice Wright joined HOKA NAZ Elite in July, a little over a month before she was set to compete for Great Britain at the 2018 European Championships. Despite a bout with the flu that caused her to miss five straight days of training, Alice bounced back to finish 6th at Europeans in the 10,000 meters–her first ever senior level competition representing her country.

WINNER: Kellyn’s Vegas Win

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