Sports · Running & Athletics · 3 hrs ago
At 58, Sue Redding Sets a Marathon Personal Best Using Cadence Training
Sue Redding, who lives in Maryland, ran the 2025 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:55:54 at age 58, setting a personal best.
She had been trying to break five hours since finishing the 2022 race in 5:01:12, followed by slower times in 2023 and 2024.
Redding began training with a focus on running cadence, or how many steps she takes per minute.
She practiced keeping her steps in time with music and tracked her cadence with a Garmin watch.
She says the approach helped her hold a steady pace throughout the marathon and gave her confidence.
A coach cited in the story says better running efficiency can help people run faster with less effort and resist fatigue.
Cadence goals vary by runner, though 160 to 180 steps per minute is a general target.
Sue Redding, 58, ran the 2025 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:55:54, setting a personal best and breaking five hours for the first time.
She credited cadence training with giving her confidence to maintain a steady pace throughout the race.
Redding had come close to the five-hour mark in 2022, finishing that Marine Corps Marathon in 5:01:12.
Her finishes in 2023 and 2024 were 5:49:43 and 5:28:09, respectively.
She lives in Frederick County, Maryland, and began running almost 40 years ago.
- Who
- Sue Redding, a 58-year-old runner.
- What
- She ran a personal-best marathon time of 4:55:54, breaking the five-hour mark.
- When
- At the 2025 Marine Corps Marathon.
- Where
- The Marine Corps Marathon; Redding lives in Frederick County, Maryland.
- Why
- She used cadence training, which she said gave her confidence to pace the marathon steadily.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Redding ran her first marathon at the Baltimore Marathon, finishing in 5:24:57.
She finished the Marine Corps Marathon in 5:01:12, close to her goal of breaking five hours.
Unseasonably hot and humid conditions preceded her 5:49:43 finish at the Marine Corps Marathon.
She finished the Marine Corps Marathon in 5:28:09.
Redding ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 4:55:54, setting a personal best.
- Age
- 58
- 2025 Marine Corps Marathon time
- 4:55:54
- 2022 Marine Corps Marathon time
- 5:01:12
- 2023 Marine Corps Marathon time
- 5:49:43
- 2024 Marine Corps Marathon time
- 5:28:09
- Hometown
- Frederick County, Maryland
What people are saying
The cadence gave me the confidence
My pace was just steady as can be the whole time—I didn’t go above 11 minutes, and I didn’t go below 10; it was just right there the whole time
If you have better efficiency or economy—they basically mean the same thing—then you can run faster with less effort.
It’s one of my prouder moments
Sources
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