Molly Seidel (born July 12, 1994) is an American long distance

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

. Seidel represented the United States at the

Great Edinburgh Cross Country The Great Edinburgh International Cross Country was an annual cross country running competition that took place every January in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was one of the competitions in the Great Run series of athletics events and was held alongs ...

in 2012, 2013, and 2018. In her first-ever

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , 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 are also wheelchair div ...

, Seidel placed second at the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Later, she went on to win the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

in her third career marathon at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. At the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, Seidel was a 4-time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

champion, 6-time NCAA All-American, 6-time

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

champion and 2016 female

ACC Athlete of the Year The Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year award is given to the male and female athlete who show extraordinary talent throughout the entire season. The award is decided by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Anthony J. ...

Early life and education

Seidel grew up in

Hartland, Wisconsin Hartland is a village along the Bark River in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, that is a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was 9,110 at the 2010 census. Geography Hartland is located at (43.100180, −88.344452). It is in the ...

, 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 The Eastbay-Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the ...

, breaking the tape in 17:22. Seidel won

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the earliest continually existing high school athletic organization in the country. I ...

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 Bupa , legally British United Provident Association Limited, is an international health insurance and healthcare group with over 38 million customers worldwide. Bupa's origins and global headquarters are in the United Kingdom. Its main countrie ...

Great Edinburgh International Challenge in Scotland where she placed third (15:16) in the 4K and was the first

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

high school finisher.

NCAA

Seidel attended the

, and was the 2015

Division 1 national cross country champion and the 2016

Division I national indoor track and field 3000 meters and 5000 meters champion. Seidel won 10,000 meters title at 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Seidel was a six time

champion. She won the

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in th ...

as the nation's top female cross country runner in 2016. ''NOTE: Notre Dame was in the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

in 2012–13, but moved to the

starting in 2013–14.''

Professional

Seidel was invited to the 2012 Bupa

Great Edinburgh International Cross Country The Great Edinburgh International Cross Country was an annual cross country running competition that took place every January in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was one of the competitions in the Great Run series of athletics events and was held alongsi ...

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 The USATF National Club Cross Country Championships are an annual cross country running, cross country competition for running clubs in the United States organized by USA Track & Field. The championships typically feature a 10K men's race and a 6K ...

. She ran the 2017 USATF Road 5k Championships Abbott Dash to the Finishline 5k in 15:35, her professional debut road race representing Saucony. Seidel qualified to represent Team USA at the 2018

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 The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as ...

. She qualified for Team USA at 2018

NACAC Cross Country Championships The NACAC Cross Country Championships is an annual regional cross country running competition for athletes representing member nations of the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC). The event was inaugurated in 2 ...

La Libertad, El Salvador La Libertad (English: ''Liberty'') is a municipality in the La Libertad Department of El Salvador. It had a population of 35,997 inhabitants in 2007 according to the official census of that year. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the ...

on February 17, 2018.2018 USATF Cross Country Championships

USA Track and Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

. February 3, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018. In

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, at the U.S. Woman's Olympic Trials Marathon on February 29, 2020, Seidel broke from the pack along with

Aliphine Tuliamuk Aliphine Chepkerker Tuliamuk (born 5 April 1989) is a Kenyan-born American long-distance runner. She placed first at the 2020 Olympic Marathon trials in Atlanta and represented the United States at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Tuliamu ...

. Over the rolling hills of the course, the two pushed each other and took a large lead over third place

Sally Kipyego Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego (born 19 December 1985) is a Kenyan-born American long- and middle-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the 10,000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the silver medalist in the same race ...

. Seidel finished eight seconds behind Tuliamuk for a second place in 2:27:31. She earned a spot on the US Olympic Team and won $65,000. 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 Hampton is a city in southwestern Henry County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,987, up from 3,857 at the 2000 census. By 2018 the estimated population was 7,922. "Hampton" mailing addresses outside t ...

, running a 1:08:28 on February 28, 2021 in the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon held on the premises of the

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

. 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 Deena Michelle Kastor (née Drossin; born February 14, 1973) is an American long-distance runner. She was a holder of American records in the marathon (2006-2022) and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at t ...

's bronze in 2004. Seidel finished fourth at the

2021 New York City Marathon The 2021 New York City Marathon, the 50th running of that city's premier long-distance race, was held on November 7, 2021. Around 30,000 people ran in the event, of whom 25,020 finished. The race followed its traditional route, which passes th ...

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. On April 18, 2022, Seidel competed in the

2022 Boston Marathon The 2022 Boston Marathon was a marathon race held in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 18, 2022. It was the 126th official running of the race, and 124th time it was run on course (excluding the virtual event of 2020, and the ekiden of 1918). The ...

. 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.

Competition record

Marathons

International results

References

External links

*
Molly Seidel all-athletic profile
* *

* ttp://www.und.com/sports/c-track/mtt/molly_seidel_810333.html Molly Seidel – University of Notre Dame track profile* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seidel, Molly 1994 births Living people American female middle-distance runners Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's track and field athletes People from Brookfield, Wisconsin Track and field athletes from Wisconsin Track and field athletes from Boston American female long-distance runners Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's cross country runners People from Hartland, Wisconsin Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field