Two-time Olympic medalist Paul Chelimo leads a competitive men’s field at the 2025 The Marathon Project on Sunday, December 21, 2025, as he continues his transition to the marathon distance.

Paul Chelimo Seeks Marathon Breakthrough

Chelimo brings an impressive track resume to the race. The American runner earned silver at the 2016 Olympics and bronze in 2020, both in the 5,000 meters. His track credentials include times of 7:31.57 for 3,000 meters, 12:57.55 for 5,000 meters, and 27:12.73 for 10,000 meters.

His marathon journey has been challenging. Chelimo withdrew from his debut at the 2024 Olympic Trials after 12 kilometers. He completed the Generali Maratón de Málaga in Spain last December, finishing 10th in 2:18:08.

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Veteran and Rising Stars Join Field

Brian Shrader enters as one of the race’s most experienced marathoners. The Harvard assistant coach has posted three consecutive sub-2:11 finishes. He clocked 2:09:46 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2023, followed by 2:10:25 in 2024 and 2:10:29 in Sydney this past August. Shrader made his mark on the U.S. distance scene with a win at the 2014 USATF 12k road championships before debuting in the marathon with a 2:13:27 at Chicago in 2019.

Germany’s Johannes Motschmann brings steady improvement to the starting line. After his 2020 marathon debut of 2:14:38 in Vienna, he has dropped his time significantly. Motschmann ran 2:11:30 at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon and 2:10:39 at the TCS London Marathon in 2024. He placed 11th at the 2025 BMW Berlin Marathon in 2:10:40. The German runner also set a half-marathon personal best of 1:01:03 at the 2025 Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

Canadian Duo Targets Fast Times

Thomas Broatch and Thomas Fafard are among the top entrants representing Canada at the 2025 The Marathon Project. Broatch won the 2023 Canadian Championships at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The 26-year-old then finished in the top 10 at the Chevron Houston Marathon in both 2024 and 2025. His personal best of 2:10:35 positions him as a potential member of Canada’s 2028 Olympic team.

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Meanwhile, Fafard makes his marathon debut as the race’s most anticipated first-timer. The Canadian runner has recorded 3:58.10 in the mile, 7:38.07 for 3,000 meters, and 13:05.07 over 5,000 meters. His half-marathon time of 1:02:17 suggests he may adapt well to the longer distance.

Hansons Brooks Runner Eyes Breakthrough

JP Flavin continues the Hansons Brooks tradition of developing strong marathoners. The NC State graduate finished in the top 50 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships before joining the training group. Flavin ran 2:12:34 at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon and earned top-20 finishes at Boston Marathon in consecutive years. His marathon best stands at 2:10:50.

2025 The Marathon Project Men’s Top Entries

• Paul Chelimo (USA)
• Brian Shrader (USA)
• Thomas Broatch (CAN)
• Johannes Motschmann (GER)
• JP Flavin (USA)
• Thomas Fafard (CAN)
• Dillon Maggard (USA)
• Barry Keane (IRL)
• Ben Rosa (USA)
• Nadeel Wildschutt (RSA)
• Nick Hauger (USA)
• Kevin Salvano (USA)
• Turner Wiley (USA)

Additional Men’s Entries:

• Daniel Chaves Da Silva
• Andrew Alexander
• Connor Winter
• Tai Smith
• Cody Beale
• Jonathan Phillips
• Stephen Jones
• Thomas Toth
• Kristoffer Mugrage
• Will Cross
• Thomas Nobbs
• Jackson Neff
• Craig Hunt
• Brendan Martin
• Tim McGowan
• Zachary Ornelas
• Brian Masterson
• Andrew Oslin
• Grant O’Connor
• Jarrod Ottman
• Zachary Ripley
• Chad Beyer
• Johnny Rutford
• Alex Norstrom
• Kyle Johnson
• Eric Vazquez-Olivas
• Sem Sultanov
• Aidan Reed
• Tom Derr
• Adam Wollant
• Kevin Colon
• Jake Perrin
• Marcos Bailon
• Ryan Archer
• Spencer Friske
• Blake Buysse
• Nicholas Spector
• Zachary Kinne
• Collin Oswalt
• Hosava Kretzmann
• Calum Neff
• Blake Whalen
• Evan Gaynor
• Meng-Tsung Chu
• Peter Borger
• Christian Colón Rivera
• Paolo Tiongson
• Carlos Cabrera
• Jason Karbelk
• Ben Fletcher
• Jackson Friesth
• Gilbert Boit
• Matthew Mulligan
• Evan Elder
• Curtis Weisenberger
• Andrew Rylaarsdam
• Corbin Harris
• Graham Crawford
• Travis Mahoney
• Michael Jordan
• Hunter Hicks
• Paul Arredondo
• Andy Wacker
• Jarrett Kirk
• Mason Brown
• Cole Hoff
• Bailey Smith
• Leo Donlea
• Andrew Cusmano
• Mike Meehan
• Chris Taylor
• Hugo Ward
• Jozef Meyers

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