Anchorage runner hits his stride with blazing Boston Marathon time, shot at Olympic Trials

May 8—Riley Howard was a successful high school runner, earning all-state honors at Service High. His collegiate career was solid but unspectacular.

But at age 28, Howard is reaching new heights. Howard ran a blistering time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 37 seconds at last month's Boston Marathon, finishing in 49th place overall.

Not only was it the fastest time an Alaskan has ever run at the race, but it qualified him for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

"I love running," he said. "I know a lot of people who have burned out at my age, who were really good in high school. I feel like I just keep ramping up. I just enjoy it so much, I don't really get tired of it."

In 2025, he competed in the Boston Marathon for the first time and admitted to being a little rattled as he stepped to the starting line alongside a throng of other runners.

"Last year's race, I was little starstruck at first," he said. "You leave three hours before your race, you've got to bus out there and wait in a line of 200 people to use an outhouse. It's a little stressful at first, just to get to the starting line."

But once he hit the course, Howard was spectacular, finishing 58th in a time of 2:22:24. At the time, that was the fastest time an Alaskan had posted on the hallowed Boston course.

That race also set the stage for 2026, where Howard arrived with a greater level of comfort. He started from the front, found a good group to run with and had an informed game plan.

"Just knowing where the downhills are, where the uphills are, knowing where the big crowds are, knowing where I can make my moves," he said. "Even little things like knowing where other water stations are makes a big difference."

Howard's family was in attendance in Boston, which was an added bonus to the excellent finish. His phone sounded like a casino full of slot machines for the next week, beeping and pinging with congratulatory messages.

"To make the Olympic Trials, it's an incredible achievement," he said. "But to do it at Boston, it just makes it that much sweeter."

The time cutoff for Olympic Trials qualification is 2:16. He'd run 2:17:11 at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in fall 2025. The course was much flatter than Boston, but Howard knew earning a berth at the Trials was in the range of outcomes.

"With Boston, you just never know," he said. "It's point to point. You could have a headwind. The weather could be 80 degrees, could be 30 degrees. I really just kind of lucked out."

While he may have had some good fortune, Howard has mostly been successful through a lot of hard work.

He's a regular runner on Anchorage trails and in local distance races. And he logged hundreds of miles at The Dome in Anchorage over the winter.

Howard spent time competing as a collegiate athlete in both Nebraska and Colorado but said Anchorage's running scene is unrivaled compared to anywhere he's been.