Matt Rand

Last updated
Matt Rand
Personal information
Born (1991-08-04) 4 August 1991 (age 33)
Cape Elizabeth, Maine, United States
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Event(s) Marathon, Half Marathon
College team Tufts University
TeamValor TC Portland
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Marathon : 2:17:11
Half Marathon : 1:06:23
10 miles : 49:34

Matt Rand (born August 4, 1991) is an American distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He competed in track and cross country collegiately for Tufts University, earning NCAA All-American honors, before transitioning to marathoning in 2016. Rand competed in the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. [1] [2]

Contents

Early Life

Rand grew up in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School in 2009. He played baseball and basketball while also running cross country. [3] He attended Tufts University from 2009 to 2013, where he earned NCAA All-American awards in cross country, the 10,000 meters, and the distance medley relay. While at Tufts, he was teammates and roommates with ultra-marathoner and mountaineer Tyler C. Andrews. [4] [5]

Career

In 2016 while residing in Ozone Park, New York and competing for Central Park Track Club, Rand placed 43rd at the 2016 Chicago Marathon. [6] The following year, he won the 2017 Mohawk Hudson River Marathon in Albany, NY. [7]

Rand placed 25th at the 2019 Houston Marathon and 28th at the 2019 USA 20 km Championship in New Haven, CT. [8] Shortly thereafter at the 2019 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, he placed 6th in a time of 2:18:42, which qualified him for the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (marathon). [9]

USATF New York named Rand the 2019 Long Distance Running Athlete of the Year, alongside Roberta Groner. [10]

As of early 2020, he had relocated to Portland, Maine and worked for U.S. News & World Report, while also training for the Olympic Trials. [11] In February 2020, Rand competed in the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon, placing 108th out of 235 men on a hilly course through downtown Atlanta. [12]

In 2023, Rand finished 8th of 25,418 runners in the Brooklyn Half Marathon, one of the largest half marathons in the United States. [13] [14] Over the summer, he won the Maine Men’s division at the Beach to Beacon 10K in his hometown of Cape Elizabeth, ME. [15]

In October, he placed 25th at the 2023 McKirdy Micro Marathon in a time of 2:17:11 to qualify for the 2024 United States Olympic Trials (marathon). [16]

At the 2024 Olympic Trials in Orlando, FL, Rand struggled in hot, sunny conditions. He was the last of 150 men to cross the finish line (50 of the 200 male starters dropped out). [17] His effort was featured in an article written by Dennis Young and published by Defector. Other marathoners from previous Olympic Trials were also cited in the long-form piece, including Dan Browne and Joanna Zeiger. [18]

Personal

As of 2024, Rand lives with his wife and son in Portland, Maine and operates a stone business. [19]

References

  1. ↑ "Matt Rand - 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon". Atlanta 2020 Trials. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  2. ↑ "Matt Rand - 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon". Orlando 2024 Trials. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  3. ↑ "Getting to Know Matt Rand". USATF New York. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  4. ↑ Sweeney, Paul (2020-02-28). "Tufts Alumni in the Running for U.S. Olympic Marathon Team". Tufts Now. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  5. ↑ "Rand named cross country All-American". Tufts Daily. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  6. ↑ "Chicago Marathon Results". Mika Timing - Chicago Marathon. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  7. ↑ Martin, Sean (2017-10-08). "Marathon Winners Reign in the Rain". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  8. ↑ "Matt Rand - World Athletics". World Athletics. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  9. ↑ Bakoulis, Gordon (2020-02-07). "A Passion for the Pursuit: Matt Rand Is Ready to Put It on the Line at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials". New York Road Runners. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  10. ↑ "Best of 2019 to be Honored on December 20". USATF New York. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  11. ↑ Fritz Huber, Martin (2020-02-28). "The Olympic Marathon Trials Are for Everyday Heroes". Outside Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  12. ↑ "2020 Olympic Trials Marathon Results". RTRT.me. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  13. ↑ "Brooklyn Half Marathon Results". New York Road Runners. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  14. ↑ "RBC Brooklyn Half to Be Largest Half Marathon in United States with More Than 26,000 Runners". New York Road Runners. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  15. ↑ Lazarczyk, Travis (2023-08-05). "Matt Rand sets personal best to finish as top Mainer at Beach to Beacon". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  16. ↑ "McKirdy Micro Marathon Results". Athlinks. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  17. ↑ "2024 Olympic Trials Marathon Results". Flipsnack. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  18. ↑ Young, Dennis (2024-02-22). "At The Olympic Trials Marathon, DFL Means Pain Over Regret". Defector. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  19. ↑ "Matt Rand - 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon". Orlando 2024 Trials. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
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