Boston Marathon Qualifier: How Andrew Smith Ran 2:53 at Houston

Houston Marathon qualifier Andrew Smith ran 2:53:52 in January 2026 to earn his Boston Marathon 2027 BQ — with a hamstring cramp at mile 24 nearly derailing everything.

In this episode of DFW Running Talk, Andrew shares the full three-year marathon journey that took him from signing up for his first half marathon on three days' notice to qualifying for Boston. We cover his first marathon at Irving (4:03), running NYC for charity through Hope Story, hiring a coach, the training cycle that changed everything, and the chaotic race-day at Houston — strep throat nine days out, his family stuck at home, and a brutal cramp in the final miles he had to run through on a prayer.

Topics: Houston Marathon 2026, Boston Marathon qualifier, BQ training, marathon race strategy, Dallas marathon community, running coach, marathon fueling, DFW running

DFW Running Talk is Dallas-Fort Worth's running podcast. New episodes every week. Subscribe at dfwrunningtalk.substack.com.

This episode is sponsored by Rob Goyen and Rise Racing Co. The Panther City Ultra at Marion Sampson Park on April 4th brings trail running to Fort Worth with distances from 5K to 50K. Limited to 300 runners. Use code DFW for 10% off at https://www.riseracingco.com/panther-city-ultra