Emily Mackay
United States
Emily Mackay (born May 12, 1999) is an American middle-distance runner specializing in the 800m and 1500m. A former standout at Binghamton University, she turned professional with New Balance Boston, quickly establishing herself as one of the top U.S. milers. Mackay reached the finals of the 1500m at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials and continues to rise on the national and international stage.
Personal Bests
5000 Metres
14:45.81
3/2/2025
3000 Metres
New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
8:35.35
2/2/2025
Mile Road
4:34.75
12/7/2024
1500 Metres
3:55.90
6/30/2024
800 Metres
1:57.87
6/8/2024
Recent Mentions
Emily MacKay Proves Her Fitness With 14:45.81 5000m (U.S. #3 All-Time) At BU Last Chance Meet
CITIUS MAG
about 2 months ago
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Olympic middle-distance star Emily Mackay joins us today, fresh off a blazing new 3,000m personal best set in February in Boston.
Emily, who currently runs for Team New Balance Boston, is coming off a tremendous 2024 season where she represented Team USA in the Paris Olympics. She qualified for the 1,500m after coming in second during the trials with a time of 3:55–which puts her third all-time for American women in the distance.
Prior to the Olympics, Emily was a bronze medalist in the 1,500m at the 2024 World Indoor Championships; she also took home bronze in the 1,500m at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile.
Emily graduated from Binghamton University as a five-time NCAA Division 1 All-American. She was a multi-discipline specialist, showing strength and versatility by placing a school-best 14th overall at the 2020 NCAA XC Championships, in addition to coming in seventh overall at the 5k in the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.
She received her undergraduate in Psychology and went on to acquire her MBA in 2022. Emily is a very balanced and impressive person on many levels. Her current 800m PR is 1:57 and her PR in the 3,000m is 8:35 (which she ran at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix).
In today’s conversation, Emily takes me through her recent success in sport, the journey to get to that point, how she has progressed over the years, her Olympic experience, her dreams for the future, training with the best in the US, and many other subjects relating to running, life, and well, coffee.
Tap into the Emily Mackay Special.
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Are you racing all of your speed workouts or are you ending them with some gas left in the tank? “10 weeks of B+ workouts are better than 4 weeks of A+ workouts.” That’s a quote from Mark Coogan who recently helped Emily Mackay and Elle Purrier St. Pierre get to the Olympics, so he knows a thing or two about smart training. In the video I mentioned doing 800m repeats at 10km pace instead of 5km pace as an example. While I like the example, there’s difference between running a 10k around 30 minutes and a 10k over 40 minutes. That’s why in my own coaching I might say to do a certain interval workout at 30 minute race pace instead of 10km race pace. #HigherRunning #AnySurfaceAnyDistance #AthleteEmpowerment #TrainSmarterRunFaster #Running
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The U.S. Olympic Trials are back and better than ever in the second half of the 8-day program, with incredible drama, upsets, and underdog stories across the board.
The race of the day (and perhaps the week?) was the women’s steeplechase, where a fast early pace and a topsy-turvy final lap ended with a whole slew of personal bests and rewriting of the record books. Tokyo Olympian Val Constien ended up on top thanks to a phenomenal final 400m, running 9:03.22 to PR by 11 seconds and land at #3 on the U.S. all-time list. Constien had ACL surgery last year and after a long road back is better than ever.
We got our first peeks at the 400m hurdles crew, and the main takeaway from the first round is that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Rai Benjamin are looking like world beaters out for an easy jog. McLaughlin-Levrone in particular shut it down entirely over the final two laps and still ran 53.07, the third-fastest performance in the world this year behind her own season’s best and Femke Bol’s world lead.
Speaking of first looks, Erriyon Knighton doesn’t seem to have missed a step as he ran his first 200m in four months, cruising through the first round with a 20.15 just behind Noah Lyles’s 20.10 in an earlier heat. And a stacked final is set for the 5000m, where reigning U.S. champ Abdi Nur takes on two of the three members of Team USA in the 10,000m, the 1500m Trials champ, and two NCAA champs.
The middle-distance rounds will continue to get more and more cutthroat, with the women’s 1500m featuring Elle St. Pierre, Heather MacLean, Cory McGee, Emily MacKay, Elise Cranny, Nikki Hiltz, Sinclaire Johnson, and more heading to the semis and Olympians Bryce Hoppel and Clayton Murphy looking ready to once again do battle in the 800m.
"I feel the most confident I’ve ever been."
Emily Mackay is having a heck of a year on the run! The Team New Balance Boston athlete earned a bronze medal at World Indoor Championships in the 1500m earlier this year, and has kicked off her outdoor season with strong performances including a personal best at the Prefontaine Classic, where she ran 3:59.76. In this conversation, Emily reflects back on her early running days, and shares why she dreamed of going pro with the NB Boston team (including teammates Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Heather MacLean) and coach Mark Coogan. She talks about the confidence it took to make that major move with 400m to go at World Indoor Championships, and about why that race was both a confidence-booster and a big learning experience. And, with the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials looming, Emily — who is absolutely one to watch in the 1500 — talks about the pressure to perform in an Olympic year.
FOLLOW EMILY @emily_mac7
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What you’ll get on this episode:
- What Emily’s watching right now (3:00)
- What a day in the life of a professional middle-distance runner is like (6:10)
- All about Emily’s 1500m personal best at the Prefontaine Classic (10:30)
- The confidence it took to make a major move at World Indoor Championships with 400m to go (15:00)
- Was that a breakthrough race for Emily? (18:40)
- The pressure to perform in an Olympic year (27:30)
- What it’s like when your teammates are your competitors on race day, and how Emily ended up on Team NB Boston (31:10)
- How — and why — Emily became a runner (39:35)
- What training looks like right now, with the Trials on the horizon (42:05)
- What will it take to make the U.S. women’s 1500m Olympic team? (46:25)
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Nikki Hiltz and Emily Mackay battle down the stretch in the Track Fest 800m
Sound Running
11 months ago
The Track Fest Women's 800m 1. Nikki Hiltz - 2:00.46 2. Emily Mackay - 2:00.85 3. Makenna Keegan - 2:00.89 Event Website & Results - https://www.soundrunning.run/ten Follow Sound Running on Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/soundrunning
"I am a little bit less experienced than some of these other runners that I'm going up against. And I was like, 'That's what's going to make me a better runner' is getting experience with both tactics and championship racing because it is different than just going out and time trialing...
And I think that this indoors, especially at the World Championship, just proving to myself that I can hold my own in a tactical championship race gave me that extra bit of confidence I need going into this year. I feel like I finally proved to myself that I. I am good at tactical racing. Before I thought, 'Oh, maybe I'm just a fast runner, but I can't run a good tactical race.'
And that's something that I was a little bit self-conscious about last year. Like, 'Oh! People think that I can't put it together when it really matters.' It's not really about what other people think but I just wanted to prove to myself that I can run a good race when it matters. And now that I've done that, I feel super confident."
Emily Mackay is a professional runner for Team New Balance Boston and just earned a bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 2024 World Indoor Championships. We already had World Indoor silver medalist Nikki Hiltz on the show. We published an episode of Office Hours with Mark Coogan last week. Now, we get to hear from the Binghampton star turned global medalist.
Emily has personal bests of 2:00 for the 800m and 3:59 for 1500m. Glasgow was their first time representing the United States at a global championship and they made the most of it. Emily made a BIG move with 400 meters left in the race to push the pace from the front and although it was aggressive and she tied up toward the end – it was all worth it when she hung on for bronze.
Hear all about that race but also how she’s managed to develop so well since turning pro in 2022. She’s got an amazing personality and I loved her passion for her team.
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Emily Mackay | @emily_mac7 on Instagram
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👟 NEW BALANCE has officially launched the long-anticipated FuelCell SC Elite v4, including upgrades that focus on the details that are vital for athletes to perform to their best this year. The shoe was designed to excel in both innovative technology and all-around comfort that lasts through 26.2 miles. Check it out here: https://www.newbalance.com/pd/fuelcell-supercomp-elite-v4/
🍊 OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda with only 2-5g of sugar that is good for your gut health. – and it's delicious. Use code CITIUS25 for 25% off non-subscription orders. Learn more at https://DrinkOlipop.com (click the link or use our promotional code for the discount)
🩴 VELOUS RECOVERY FOOTWEAR is the active recovery footwear brand that is designed to help you Restore, Revive and Reenergize before and after you train. They are launching two new styles to their recovery mix for Spring ‘24. The Active Slide and Active Flip collection. Enjoy a 20% discount by entering the code: CITIUSMAG20 at checkout at VelousFootwear.com
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"When Elle races in a championship, I always say, ‘You want to be in the race with 400m to go for a shot at making the team or winning. Just give yourself a shot.’ Because you can’t control what other people are doing and you don’t know how the chips are going to fall. I was really confident she was going to be there with 400m to go. I was just watching her closely. I watched her chop her steps a couple of times and was thinking, ‘Gosh. She’s just chomping at the bit.’ I didn’t know she was going to beat (Gudaf) Tsegay because she’s run 14:00. But, (Elle’s) an animal."
This is an episode of Office Hours with Kyle Merber and Mac Fleet kicking back and chatting with coach Mark Coogan of Team New Balance Boston. We had a chance to just catch up with him at The TRACK at New Balance on our recent visit to Boston for New Balance Nationals and the NCAA Indoor Championships.
At this year’s World Indoor Championships, he was trackside to watch Elle St. Pierre win gold in the 3000m and Emily Mackay take bronze in the 1500m. He takes pride in the fact that he’s been able to help develop their talent coming out of the America East conference. He discusses what he looks for in athletes, how he carefully approaches their training intensity and how his philosophy has changed or not really with all of these modern advances.
Host: Kyle Merber | @kylemerber on Instagram
Host: Mac Fleet | @macfleet on Instagram
Guest: Mark Coogan | @mark_coogan on Instagram
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👟 NEW BALANCE has officially launched the long-anticipated FuelCell SC Elite v4, including upgrades that focus on the details that are vital for athletes to perform to their best this year. The shoe was designed to excel in both innovative technology and all-around comfort that lasts through 26.2 miles. Check it out here: https://www.newbalance.com/pd/fuelcell-supercomp-elite-v4/
🍊 OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda with only 2-5g of sugar that is good for your gut health. – and it's delicious. Use code CITIUS25 for 25% off non-subscription orders. Learn more at https://DrinkOlipop.com (click the link or use our promotional code for the discount)
🩴 VELOUS RECOVERY FOOTWEAR is the active recovery footwear brand that is designed to help you Restore, Revive and Reenergize before and after you train. They are launching two new styles to their recovery mix for Spring ‘24. The Active Slide and Active Flip collection. Enjoy a 20% discount by entering the code: CITIUSMAG20 at checkout at VelousFootwear.com
HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST
💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG
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"We're here to medal. We worked so hard and no one worked harder than any of us. You just have to do it on the day. I think we all did it and it's so cool – obviously, it's indoors and sure there's an asterisk because it's not the Olympics or World Outdoor Champs, but it's a race when it matters. It's a championship. There are medals on the line and we are so competitive. We're going to run fearless. We're going to be like Hobbs Kessler, who is 20 years old and led that whole thing or Emily (Mackay) in her first world champs and she's like, 'F**k it. I'm just going to take the lead.' We're going to make bold moves. We're gonna be really hard to beat. And I think that's the momentum we're taking into outdoors. That's a statement we're making."
This is Nikki Hiltz's fifth time on the show. Our last interviews came after last summer’s World Championships in Budapest and also after they broke the U.S. outdoor mile record at the Monaco Diamond League. The hot streak has continued into 2024.
Last month, Hiltz won the U.S. Indoor Championships for the second consecutive season. And just this past weekend, they ran two personal bests at the World Indoor Championships to earn a silver medal in the 1500m final. Ethiopia’s Freweyi Hailu earned gold in 4:01.46. Hiltz came in less than a second behind her for the third-fastest indoor 1500m performance in U.S. history. Team New Balance Boston’s Emily Mackay finished third for bronze.
The U.S. had a super strong showing at the World Indoor Championships. We topped the medal table with 20 total medals. Seven of those medals came in middle distance events – including four in the 1500m between Hiltz, Mackay, Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler.
In this episode, Nikki recaps their whole trip to Glasgow, the learnings from another World Championship experience, the statement made by American middle distance runners and how their outlook shifts to the outdoor season now.
Read our recap of World Indoors here: https://citiusmag.com/articles/2024-world-indoor-championships-winners-losers
Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Nikki Hiltz | @nikkihiltz on Instagram
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS
🍊 OLIPOP is a prebiotic soda with only 2-5g of sugar that is good for your gut health. – and it's delicious. Use code CITIUS25 for 25% off non-subscription orders. Learn more at https://DrinkOlipop.com (click the link or use our promotional code for the discount)
👟 NEW BALANCE has officially launched the long-anticipated FuelCell SC Elite v4, including upgrades that focus on the details that are vital for athletes to perform to their best this year. The shoe was designed to excel in both innovative technology and all-around comfort that lasts through 26.2 miles. Check it out here: https://www.newbalance.com/pd/fuelcell-supercomp-elite-v4/
🩴 VELOUS RECOVERY FOOTWEAR is the active recovery footwear brand that is designed to help you Restore, Revive and Reenergize before and after you train. They are launching two new styles to their recovery mix for Spring ‘24. The Active Slide and Active Flip collection. Enjoy a 20% discount by entering the code: CITIUSMAG20 at checkout at VelousFootwear.com
HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST
💵 Pledge any dollar amount to us on Patreon.com/CITIUSMAG or Hit us on Venmo @CITIUSMAG
🎥 Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel
CITIUS MAG's Anderson Emerole reports from Glasgow, Scotland with a recap of Day 3 of the World Indoor Championships.
– Team USA earned FOUR medals in the 1500m as New Zealand's George Beamish and Ethiopia's Freweyni Hailu came away with victories but Nikki Hiltz, Emily Mackay, Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler all came away with medals.
– Bryce Hoppel clocked a world-leading 1:44.92 to improve upon his bronze medal from 2022 to win gold in the 800m final. Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma claimed gold in the 800 – just ahead of Team GB's Jemma Reekie.
– Tara Davis-Woodhall and Monae Nichols went 1-2 in the women's long jump.
– Bahamian Devynne Charlton broke her own 60m hurdles world record to claim her country's first-ever gold medal in the 800m
– There was controversy over Noah Lyles being named to the 4x400m relay team and then they came away with a silver medal as Belgium's Alexander Doom kicked down Team USA in the closing meters. Lyles split 45.68, which was the third-fastest of the American team.
– Mondo Duplantis claimed yet another gold in the men's pole vault.
+ more
🔜 We'll be sharing Anderson's daily recaps and dispatches from Scotland on the CITIUS MAG Podcast feed and YouTube channel.
Keep tabs on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel as we have tons of interviews from the mixed zone there. We'll be sharing live updates on Twitter/X; Instagram and Threads all throughout the weekend.
Rising superstar Emily Mackay talks about her love for tacos, the joy she finds balancing track and life outside of the sport, Harry Potter and Harry Potter World, her dislike for water, competing at the Pan American Games, feeding little pigs on her vacation, her love for the outdoors and more!
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