Molly Seidel

Molly Seidel (born July 12, 1994) is an American long distance runner. Seidel represented the United States at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country in 2012, 2013, and 2018.[3] In her first-ever marathon,[4] Seidel placed second at the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Later, she went on to win the bronze medal in her third career marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. At the University of Notre Dame, Seidel was a 4-time NCAA champion, 6-time NCAA All-American, 6-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion and 2016 female ACC Athlete of the Year.

Molly Seidel
Seidel in 2018
Personal information
Birth nameMolly Elizabeth Seidel
Born (1994-07-12) July 12, 1994
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight115 lb (52 kg)
Sport
Country United States
SportTrack, long-distance running
Event(s)5000 m, 10,000 m, Half marathon, Marathon
College teamNotre Dame Fighting Irish
ClubPuma[1]
Turned pro2017
Coached byTim Broe 2017–19
Jon Green 2019–present[2]
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals
  • 2020 Tokyo
  • Marathon -  Bronze
Personal best(s)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2020 TokyoMarathon
Representing Notre Dame Fighting Irish/Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Louisville Cross Country
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Eugene 10,000m
NCAA Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Birmingham 3000m
Gold medal – first place2016 Birmingham 5000m
By race
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
cross country 1 0 0
outdoor 10,000m 1 0 0
indoor 3000m 1 0 0
indoor 5000m 1 0 0
Total 4 0 0
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
NCAA Cross Country Championships 1 0 0
NCAA Outdoor Championships 1 0 0
NCAA Indoor Championships 2 0 0
Total 4 0 0

Early life and education

Seidel grew up in Hartland, Wisconsin, and attended University Lake School. Molly won Gatorade National Female Cross Country Runner of the Year. She also was named Gatorade Wisconsin Female Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2011. Seidel won the 2011 national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, breaking the tape in 17:22.[5] Seidel won Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association cross country, 1600m, and 3200m titles at the state meet all four years totaling 12 titles. Seidel earned New Balance Indoor Nationals mile and two-mile All-American honors in 2011. Seidel was invited to the Bupa Great Edinburgh International Challenge in Scotland where she placed third (15:16) in the 4K and was the first USA high school finisher.[6]

NCAA

Seidel attended the University of Notre Dame and was the 2015 NCAA Division 1 national cross-country champion and the 2016 NCAA Division I national indoor track and field 3000 meters and 5000 meters champion.[7] Seidel won 10,000 meters title at 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Seidel was a six time Atlantic Coast Conference champion. She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female cross country runner in 2016.[8][9]

YearConference Cross CountryNCAA Cross CountryACC indoorNCAA indoorACC OutdoorNCAA Outdoor
2015–1619:36.2 1st19:28.5 1st3000 m 9:02.24 1st3000 m 8:57.86 1st
5000 m 15:19.64 1st5000 m 15:15.21 1st
2014–1520:11.2 5th20:23.4 19th10,000 m 33:39.70 2nd10,000 m 33:18.37 1st
3000 m 9:10.63 1stDMR 11:15.96 8th
5000 m 15:55.84 1st5000 m 15:48.31 6th5000 m 16:07.87 1st
2013–1421:23.1 26th21:48.8 171st5000 m 16:31.27 8th5000 m 16:40.62 11th
2012–1321:45.3 22nd21:39.1 217th

NOTE: Notre Dame was in the Big East in 2012–13 but moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference starting in 2013–14.

Professional

Seidel was invited to the 2012 Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country in Scotland where she placed third (15:16) in the 4 km and was the first USA high school finisher.

Seidel placed fourteenth in 20:13 in 2016 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships.[10] She ran the 2017 USATF Road 5k Championships Abbott Dash to the Finishline 5k in 15:35, her professional debut road race representing Saucony.[11][12]

Seidel qualified to represent Team USA at the 2018 Great Edinburgh International Cross Country in Scotland. Seidel finished third in the 6 km event in a time of 21:04, helping Team USA to an overall bronze.

Seidel continued 2018 season with a 2nd place at the 2018 USA Cross Country Championships. She qualified for Team USA at 2018 NACAC Cross Country Championships in La Libertad, El Salvador on February 17, 2018.[13]

In Atlanta, Georgia, at the U.S. Woman's Olympic Trials Marathon on February 29, 2020, Seidel broke from the pack along with Aliphine Tuliamuk. Over the rolling hills of the course, the two pushed each other and took a large lead over third place Sally Kipyego. Seidel finished eight seconds behind Tuliamuk for a second place in 2:27:31.[14] She earned a spot on the US Olympic Team and won $65,000.[15]

On October 4, 2020, Seidel ran the London Marathon and finished 6th overall. She was the second American woman, finishing with a personal best time of 2:25:13.

With the Olympic postponement, Seidel broke her personal mark in the half marathon at Hampton, Georgia, running a 1:08:28 on February 28, 2021, in the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon held on the premises of the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

On August 6, 2021, Seidel won the bronze medal in the Tokyo 2020 marathon and was the first woman from the United States to win an Olympic marathon medal since Deena Kastor's bronze in 2004.[16]

Seidel finished fourth at the 2021 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:24:42, which was the fastest ever by an American woman. She won $50,000 in prize money--$25,000 for her fourth-place finish and $25,000 for finishing as the top American.[17]

On April 18, 2022, Seidel competed in the 2022 Boston Marathon. She was in the lead pack for the first half of the race but ended up withdrawing after 16 miles due to a hip impingement.[18]

On October 8, 2023, Seidel competed in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. In her first marathon start in eighteen months, Seidel finished in eighth place, the second American, in a personal best time of 2:23:07.[19]

Competition record

Marathons
CompetitionRankTimeLocationDateNotes
2020 US Olympic Team Trials 2nd 2:27:31 Atlanta, Georgia, USA 2020 Feb 29 Qualified for 2020 Tokyo Olympics
2020 London Marathon 6th 2:25:13 London, United Kingdom 2020 Oct 04
2020 Summer Olympics 3rd 2:27:46 Tokyo, Japan 2021 Aug 07 1st US medal since 2004
2021 New York City Marathon 4th 2:24:42 New York City, USA 2021 Nov 07 Course record for an American woman
2022 Boston Marathon DNF N/A Boston, USA 2022 April 18 Dropped out around 16 miles (26 km) due to a hip injury
2023 Chicago Marathon 8th 2:23:07 Chicago, USA 2023 October 8 [20]

International results
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing the  United States
2021 Tokyo Olympics Sapporo, Japan 3rd place Marathon 2:27:46
2018 Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Edinburgh, Scotland 3rd place 6 km 21:04[21]
Team USA 3rd place 81 points[22]
2013 Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Junior Women Edinburgh, Scotland 12th place 4 km 14:35[23]
Team USA 3rd 26 points[24]
2012 Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Junior Women Edinburgh, Scotland 3rd place 4 km 15:16[25]
Team USA 1st 16 points[26]

References
  1. Sarah Lorge Butler (January 22, 2021). "For Olympian Molly Seidel, a New Sponsorship Deal Rewards a Career Year". Runner's World. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  2. Seidel’s Improbable Marathon Debut Podium Runner. Brian Metzler
  3. "Seidel races to GXC National ROY honors". ESPN. January 26, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  4. Futterman, Matthew; Minsberg, Talya (February 29, 2020). "Live Coverage of the Olympic Trials Marathon". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  5. "Molly Seidel University Lake School and University of Notre Dame races results". athletic.net. October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  6. "Spotlight: Molly Seidel puts small school on a national stage". maxpreps. May 9, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  7. "Molly Seidel National Champion 5000m". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. March 26, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  8. "RunnerSpace.com/IN – News – Seidel Named Honda Sports Award Winner for Cross Country". www.runnerspace.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  9. "Notre Dame's Molly Seidel Named Honda Sports Award Winner for Cross Country". CWSA. December 2, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  10. "2016 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships". USATF. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  11. "Molly Huddle's Great Saturday Morning: 25th U.S. Title in a Course Record". Runner's World. November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  12. "Kipchirchir, Huddle Top USATF 5K Fields". New York Road Runners. November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  13. 2018 USATF Cross Country Championships. USA Track and Field. February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  14. "2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials results". NBC Sports. New York, New York. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  15. "U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon Media Guide" (PDF). Atlanta Track Club. p. 5. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  16. Longman, Jeré (August 7, 2021). "The Olympic Marathon in Sapporo: A Test of Survival". New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  17. Sands, Rich (November 7, 2021). "MOLLY SEIDEL AND ELKANAH KIBET SET THE PACE FOR THE U.S. AT THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON". Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  18. Cacciola, Scott (April 18, 2022). "Boston Marathon Highlights: Peres Jepchirchir Wins in a Final Sprint; Evans Chebet Takes the Men's Race". The New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  19. "She's Back: Molly Seidel Runs a Personal Best at the 2023 Chicago Marathon". Runner's World. October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  20. Bank of America Chicago Marathon - 2023 Race Results.. October 8, 2023.
  21. Great Edinburgh Cross Country 2018 Senior Women's 6 km USATF
  22. Great Edinburgh Cross Country 2018 Senior Women's race video European Athletic Association
  23. Great Edinburgh Cross Country 2013 Junior Women's 4 km USATF
  24. Great Edinburgh Cross Country 2013 Junior Women's 4 km FloTrack January 5, 2013
  25. Great Edinburgh Cross Country 2012 Junior Women's 4 km USATF
  26. Junior Women 4 km Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country – International Challenge Jan 7, 2012 Edinburgh CC Course Edinburgh, GBR DyeStat January 7, 2012
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