Hall ran the fastest time for an American making his first appearance in a marathon, finishing seventh in the London Marathon in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 24 seconds.

Hall was in the lead group until the final 1½ miles. Only then did his inexperience show, missing out on a four-man sprint finish won by Martin Lel of Kenya in 2:07:41. Hall finished 18 seconds behind marathon world record holder Paul Tergat and 30 seconds behind two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib.

"I dreamed about being with those guys for 23 miles and I did that today and I took my swing," Hall said. "Hopefully I'll be a bit stronger next time and run a bit smarter."

Hall led the field past the 35-kilometer (21.75-mile) mark, along with a group that also included Hendrick Ramaala and Marilson Gomes dos Santos, who have both won the New York City Marathon, and defending London champion Felix Limo.

"They surged and got a gap on me," Hall said. "For a while I thought I was going to catch back up but then my legs started tightening up and it started to get tough and I was just trying to make it to the finish."

Just over a year ago, the longest distance Hall had run in competition was 7.5 miles. Now, the 24-year-old from Big Bear Lake, Calif., seems to have found his calling.

"One thing I'm surprised by is that it took me so long to figure it out," Hall said. "I've always been good at long runs. I believe I'm just made for the marathon. It's the perfect event for me."

Hall's big goal is an Olympic gold medal — another reason he's chosen the marathon.

"With the Olympics coming up so quick, I really want to take a swing at a medal," Hall said. "If I'm going to do that, my best shot is going to be in the marathon."

Hall has been training in California with Meb Keflezighi, who won silver at the Athens Olympics, and Deena Kastor, who won the women's race in London last year. Both have given him advice, from timing his fluid intake to dealing with the race on a mental level.

Now his name is in the record books, beating the previous American debut best held by Alberto Salazar and Alan Culpepper.

Salazar won the New York City Marathon on his debut in 1980 in 2:09:41, at the age of 22. Culpepper matched that time when he finished sixth at the Chicago Marathon in 2002 when he was 30.