The 2026 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon is shaping up to be an exciting race, with a talented field of invited athletes ready to compete on Burlington's scenic streets this Memorial Day Weekend. From hometown heroes returning to their roots to defending champions, here's a look at some of the runners you'll want to watch. If you want to see profiles of all of the invited runners, they are being added to the Invited Runner Profiles webpage as they are submitted.

Women's Field

Rachel Schilikowsky

Rachel Schilikowsky was not planning on running a spring marathon, but after setting a 1:12:42 PR at the Scranton Half Marathon on April 12, 2026, she had a change of heart and was officially added to the 2026 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon invited runner field less than 48 hours later. The 2019 champion, Rachel is expected to push the pace from the start with the big goal in mind of qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials. Rachel will be supported at the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon by her husband and two young children.

Paula Pridgen

Paula Pridgen brings a strong presence, with the second fastest marathon time in the field (2:39:34, Grandma’s Marathon 2021) and an Olympic Trials Qualifier (OTQ) on her resume. Her last nine marathons have all been under 2:45 and she will be eyeing both the win and the masters event record (2:47:29). One of many parents in the field, she has twin daughters.

Sarah Shiman

The defending top-female Vermonter, Sarah Shiman grew up in South Burlington, VT, running track before shifting her focus to soccer and basketball. She stopped competing after high school, but rediscovered her love of running in 2023 while living in St. George, UT, surrounded by red rock and desert trails.

Sarah ran her first half marathon in 2024 with a time of 1:32:32. A year later, back home in Vermont, she dropped that to a 1:24:42 PR at the 2025 Half Marathon Unplugged, followed by a 3:05:00 at the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon. Will 2026 yield her first sub-3?

Men's Field

Kiplangat (Philemon) Terer

The 2024 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon champion, Kiplangat Terer—also known as Philemon—has the fastest marathon time in the field (2:13:29), but this will be his first race in Burlington as a masters runner. Philemon has won six marathons on U.S. soil and just moved, with his wife and three sons, to a new house built with race winnings in Eldoret, the main city of Kenya’s running-obsessed Rift Valley region. During the U.S. racing season, he stays with longtime friends in Amherst, MA.

Jacob Lehman Duke

Jacob Lehman Duke has the most recent fastest time in the marathon in the field, a 2:19:22 (California International Marathon, 2025). Born in Berkeley, CA, New England has been home for the last several years. First as a math major and captain of the cross-country team at Williams College and now as a PhD student (also in math) at Dartmouth College, which (surprisingly) gives him time to train for marathons (he was sixth at the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon in 2025) and make steady progress towards hiking the forty-eight 4,000+ foot peaks in New Hampshire. 

Sam Montclair

The top-returning male athlete from the 2025 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon and a native of Connecticut, Sam Montclair, will be back to try and improve upon his third-place finish. With a personal best in the marathon of 2:20:17 (Anthem Richmond Marathon, 2025, which was also his first marathon victory) the race between Sam and Jacob is On (which is also where Sam is a regional sales representative).

Non-Binary

Bryan Morseman

Bryan Morseman made history at the 2025 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon, running a 2:26:05 and setting the non-binary event record (fastest non-binary time since overall prize money was first awarded to the top non-binary finisher). With a marathon personal best of 2:20 and 100+ marathon finishes to their name (average time of sub 2:30), Bryan is expected to have another impressive performance and try to repeat the win and improve upon their event record.

Join Us Race Weekend

Whether you're running, volunteering, or cheering from the sidelines, we can't wait to see you on Memorial Day Weekend. Interested in what it takes to perform at this level while also being a parent, having a job, and cultivating interests outside of running? Join us for the Invited Runner Panel at the Sports & Fitness Expo (Saturday, May 23, 2026, at 3:30 PM). Sub-elite runners, they’re just like us, except really fast.