As the story in our November issue puts it, Ryan Hall is at a crossroads. That the fastest American marathoner in history is at a pivotal point in his career became all the more apparent on Tuesday, when Hall announced he will not startNovember 3's New York City Marathon. The withdrawal is Hall's third consecutive pull out from a marathon because of injury; before the three withdrawals, he dropped out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon with injury.

We asked some former American elites what they would tell Hall if he asked them what he should do given this latest setback. Edited versions of their answers are below.