Historically, American sprinters have been one of the biggest stories at the Olympics, and this summer’s excellent Games in Paris hardly altered that pattern. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world record for the 400-meter hurdles for the sixth time and blew apart the field when she ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay. Raj Benjamin won the men’s 400 hurdles, beating Norwegian world record-holder Karsten Warholm. Gabby Thomas – well, you know.

But don’t let these successes overshadow some great American improvements at longer distances. Cole Hocker stunned the British and Norwegian favorites by winning the 1,500 meters. His gold medal comes just eight years after 2016 Matt Centrowitz won the 1,500 in 2016 to take the first U.S. gold in that event since 1908. In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, American Evan Jager won silver in 2016, and this year Kenneth Rooks matched that performance, coming from the rear of the pack to seize the lead and almost beat defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, who passed Rooks in the final seconds.

Grant Fisher took bronze medals in both the 5,000 and the 10,000 meters. In the entire history of the Games, American men have won a total of only 10 medals in those two events; Fisher now has two of them. In the endurance races, Americans have become a serious presence.

One of my favorite running moments in Paris was provided by Alex Sedrick. If you didn’t see Sedrick’s name in any of the track events, that’s because she’s a rugby player. In the bronze medal match, the favored Australians were leading by a score of 12-7 with 10 seconds remaining and the ball in a melee at the Americans’ end zone. Sedrick scooped it up, ripped herself out of the grasp of two tacklers, and sprinted 98 yards to plant the ball beneath the goalposts for an easy conversion kick. U.S. 14, Australia 12.

Speaking of beating the established favorites, in fencing the U.S. women won the team foil gold medal by defeating the Italians, the first time American women have won a medal in team fencing. Annette Echikunwoke became the first American woman to win a medal in the hammer throw, taking silver.

Then there’s Kristen Faulkner, from Homer, Alaska. The other most successful Harvard athlete at the Games besides Thomas, Faulkner competed in rowing in college but later switched to cycling. With three kilometers to go in the 158-kilometer (98.2 miles) road race around Paris, she moved decisively forward out of the five-woman chase group, exploded past the two breakaway leaders, and won by nearly a minute. Even more remarkably, she subsequently helped the U.S. women win the team pursuit, as different from road-racing as the 4x400 is from the marathon.

Speaking of marathons, on Aug. 25 the Green River Marathon brought runners from all over New England and as far away as Arizona. The course, which begins in Marlboro, Vermont, and ends at Greenfield Community College, is rural, much of it on unpaved roads with ample greenery. It’s a net downhill drop, which means faster times for marathoners who want to qualify for Boston. It’s beautifully organized, and the GCC campus affords ample space for the finishers – 327 this year – to recover, lie on the grass, chat with friends and enjoy the offerings of the food trucks. No crowds, no commercialization.

This year’s winners were a striking contrast. The men’s winner, Drew Everett, 24, from Amesbury, was running his first-ever marathon. He finished in 2 hours, 27 minutes and 37 seconds, breaking the course record by several minutes. The women’s winner was 45-year-old Sadie Smith from Kirkwood, Missouri. Smith, who finished 11th overall in 2:56:37, has run 109 marathons. Her goal, she said, is to run a sub-three- hour marathon in every state. Having previously run a sub-three elsewhere in Massachusetts, she counts this one as Vermont for her 30th.

For a shorter run with a bigger uphill, register now for the annual 5-kilometer Summit Run in Hadley on Sept. 22. The first half is flat or rolling; the hill in the second half is up to the Summit House atop the Holyoke Range. Running uphill is very good for you, and the view at the finish is, of course, spectacular. If you’re not sold on running, sign up as a volunteer. The race needs you to hand out number bibs and T-shirts, direct traffic, monitor the course, or distribute snacks to finishers. Go to https://raceroster.com/events/2024/88399/summit-run-5k and click on ‘volunteer.’ Or register to run.

John Stifler has taught writing and economics at UMass and has written extensively for running magazines and newspapers. He can be reached at jstifler@umass.edu