BOSTON — Zouhair Talbi and Jess McClain ran the fastest times ever for Americans at the Boston Marathon on Monday, both finishing fifth in their respective divisions.Talbi finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds in the men’s race. McClain finished in 2:20:49 in the women’s competition. There were seven American men and 12 American women in the top 20, including five women in the top 10.“I think we’re in an era in distance running, on the men and women’s sides, but especially the women’s side, where we’re all making each other so much better every time we line up with one another,” McClain said. “And I think it’s just going to get stronger and stronger.”That’s what’s it’s going to take, Talbi said, to take American distance running to the next level.“We need to push each other, everyone needs to be in the pack,” said Talbi, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics for Morocco and became an American citizen last year.Both were pleasantly surprised by their fast times. Talbi said he was more focused on trying to catch the runner ahead of him, which pushed him to run faster. McClain said she tries to ignore her watch during a race.Talbi won the Houston Marathon in January in 2:05:45, a course record. He said he felt confident heading into Boston since he had achieved his personal best times at races this year.“Everything was clicking, everything was good,” he said. “And I was like, this is the day.”McClain finished seventh in her Boston debut last year and was the top American woman that time, too.“Obviously I wanted to come in and defend the first American title, and to do that on a day like today with am …
