NYRR Media Center

After having to withdraw from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials due to injury, Noah Droddy returned to the roads to run a personal-best 2:09:09 in his most recent marathon, finishing in second place at The Marathon Project last December in Chandler, Ariz. His time was more than two minutes faster than his previous best of 2:11:42 at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.

Droddy became a fan favorite in the running community at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials thanks to his long hair, mustache, backwards hat, and sepia-tinted sunglasses that rocketed him to online stardom. While he placed last in the 10,000 meters, three months later he took second in a “life-changing” race at the USATF 10 Mile Championships in 47:28, just three seconds behind NCAA 10,000-meter record holder Sam Chelanga. He was then named one of the “10 interesting people of 2016” by the Indianapolis Star.

He went on to run his personal-best half marathon at the 2017 United Airlines NYC Half in 1:01:48 to finish in seventh place. He was 16th at the race in 2018 and then jumped up to a fifth-place finish in 2019. His half-marathon personal best from 2016 – 1:04:18 – had been a four-minute improvement from his previous best and earned him an entry to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials on the final day of qualifying.

Droddy was raised in Indianapolis, Ind., and attended Depauw University; he now trains in Boulder, Colo. His wife, Emma Kertesz, will be running in the women’s professional athlete field at the TCS New York City Marathon.