Dan Vassallo is an American distance runner who specializes in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

. He competed collegiately for

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, United States. Founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, it was renamed Waterville College in 1821. The donations of Christian philanthropist Gardner ...

before shifting to marathon racing. Vassallo is a two-time winner of the

Philadelphia Marathon The Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon) is an annual marathon sporting event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks among the top ten in the nation's large ...

(2010 and 2014), and he competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

Early Life

Vassallo grew up in

Wilmington, Massachusetts Wilmington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Its population was 23,349 at the 2020 United States census. History Wilmington was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Re ...

in a family of soccer players. His father was an All-American player at

Westfield State University Westfield State University (commonly known as Westfield State) is a public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1839 by Horace Mann as the first public coeducational college in America. History In 1839, Horace Mann founded ...

. A soccer coach of Vassallo’s encouraged him to start running competitively, which he did in his sophomore year at Wilmington High School. He went on to run cross country and track at

, where he set a school record in the 10,000 meters by running 30:52.79.

Career

Vassallo began marathoning immediately after graduating from Colby in 2007, representing the Central Mass Striders. He won the 2007

Maine Marathon The Gorham Savings Bank Maine Marathon, formerly known as the Casco Bay Marathon, is a series of USATF-certified road running events held each October in Portland, Maine that includes a full marathon, a half marathon, and a marathon relay. The ...

in 2:26:54, which broke the previous course record. He was victorious again in 2012, lowering his course record to 2:21:12. In 2010, he won the

. Vassallo returned four years later to win the 2014 edition in a time of 2:17:28, which qualified him for the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. On a hot and sunny day in Southern California, Vassallo finished the Trials in 41st place. At the 2018

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

, Vassallo notched a 10th place finish in cold, wet, and windy conditions. Later that year, he clocked a time of 2:17:27 at the

California International Marathon The California International Marathon (CIM) is an annual road marathon () held in Northern California since 1983. The net downhill course starts at Folsom Dam and ends at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The race is organized by the Sacramento ...

, which qualified him for the

2020 United States Olympic Trials (marathon) The 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon was held on Saturday, February 29, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia to determine the American athletes who will compete in the marathon event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The race was hosted ...

in Atlanta. Vassallo placed 100th of 235 men at the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon on a hilly course through downtown Atlanta. Following the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he returned to marathoning at the 2022 Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA, where he set a new course record time of 2:19:45. In the fall of 2023, Vassallo qualified for the

2024 United States Olympic Trials (marathon) The 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon was held on Saturday, February 3, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, to determine the American athletes who will compete in the marathon event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The race was hosted ...

with a 2:17:39 performance at the McKirdy Micro Marathon in Valley Cottage, NY. Despite dealing with an injury in the lead up to the Olympic Trials in Orlando, FL, Vassallo was able to complete the Trials in sunny, hot conditions, placing 129th of 200 men. Over the years, Vassallo has competed in several editions of the Cabot Trail Relay as a member of the Maine-iacs team. As of 2024, he holds three leg records. Vassallo was the top Masters finisher (age 40+) at the 2025 Grandma's Marathon with a time of 2:29:35.

Personal

As of 2024, Vassallo lives in

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...

with his wife and works as a corporate controller.

References

External links

World Athletics Profile

2024 Olympic Trials Bio

2020 Olympic Trials Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vassallo, Dan Living people American male long-distance runners Track and field athletes from Massachusetts American male marathon runners