Speaking of "American" and "going to see him up front," our friend C.J. Albertson, the self-titled "best downhill runner in the world," is entered. Albertson ran the downhills from Hopkinton to Framingham so hard in 2021 that he was out of sight of the lead pack, and even though he visibly flagged climbing through Newton, they didn't catch him until Heartbreak. Albertson is also the 50km WR holder and ran a PR 2:10 at the Olympic Trials in February. #BostonMarathon2024
If you find all this #BostonMarathon2024 speculation interesting, consider subscribing to my wife's newsletter at https://fast-women.org and follow her on Instagram (link at the linked page) for photo dumps after the race; she'll be in Wellesley between the students and the half-marathon mark.
Protocol note: in #BostonMarathon2024 , the pro athletes have name bibs. Most have family names ("Lemma", "Geay", "Lokedi", "Teshome") but if you're a former Boston winner, you get your given name on the bib ("Evans", "Hellen", "Edna", "Caroline", or just "Des"). Win in Boston, and you're on a first-name basis with the whole region.