Molly Seidel (born July 12, 1994) is an American long distance runner. 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, 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 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 1 ...

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

. At the

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

, 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 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, 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. ...

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.

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 Atlantic Coast Conference champion. She won the Honda Sports Award 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 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 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 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 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, a ...

. She qualified for Team USA at 2018 NACAC Cross Country Championships in La Libertad, El Salvador 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 498,7 ...

, 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 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. 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. 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. 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.

Competition record

Marathons

International results

References

External links

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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