Molly Huddle (born August 31, 1984) is an American

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

who competes in track and

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open ...

events. Huddle set the American record in the

5000 m The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

at the 2014

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and f ...

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

meet in

Fontvieille, Monaco Fontvieille (; lij, Funtanaveya ) is the southernmost ward in the Principality of Monaco. It was developed by an Italian architect, Manfredi Nicoletti, between the 1970s and the 1990s. History In contrast to the other city districts Monaco- ...

(14:42.64), which has since been lowered by Shannon Rowbury and Shelby Houlihan. She also set the American record in the

10,000 m The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

at the

2016 Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

, with a time of 30:13.17. In 2019 at the London Marathon, she lowered her PR to 2:26:33, finishing 12th. Her training partner

Emily Sisson Emily Sisson (born October 12, 1991) is an American distance runner who holds the North American record in the marathon, set Oct. 9, 2022, at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, where she ran 2:18:29 to finish second, becoming only the second non-Africa ...

set a PR with a 2:23:08 debut at the distance, finishing 6th, after they ran the first half together. Huddle is coached by Ray Treacy.

Early life, family and education

Huddle attended high school at Notre Dame High School in

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 census ...

from 1998 to 2002.

Running career

High school

While attending Notre Dame High School, Huddle won multiple state championships in

cross country Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...

and track. Huddle twice earned All-America honors in outdoor track and field (one and two mile runs), while also garnering All-America recognition in indoor track and field and cross country as a senior. Huddle did not start running cross country until her senior year because her high school did not have a team. She ran as one-runner team in 2001, with her father as coach. Her school had not had a full team since 1987; however, a team was started in the fall of 2014. Huddle was undefeated in cross country during the senior year regular season, winning conference, regional and state titles, set 12 course records and finished fourth at the 2001 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Huddle earned two outdoor track conference, regional and state championships. Huddle won the 2002 Nike Indoor Classic (one mile) and 2002 Adidas Outdoor Championships (two mile) as a senior, setting a meet record in the former event (4:46), while she established new national high school record in the outdoor two-mile run (10:01).

College

Huddle attended college at

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 ...

from 2002 to 2006. She was a 10-time

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. In 2004, Huddle set a school record for women's 5000 m outdoor at the Mt. SAC Relays in 15:32.55.

2006-2010

2006 Huddle placed ninth in the 5000 m in 15:44.66 at the

2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was organised by USA Track & Field and held from June 22 to 25 at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The four-day competition served as the national champio ...

. 2007 Huddle placed sixth in the 10,000 m in 33:09.27 at the 2007 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. 2008 Huddle placed ninth in the 10,000 m in 33:17.73 and tenth in the 5000 m in 15:42.19 at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials. 2009 Huddle placed 5th in the 10,000 m at the

2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 25–28 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The competition acted as a way of selecting the United States team for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin later ...

in a time of 32:43.11 behind Amy Begley-Yoder, Shalane Flanagan,

Katie McGregor Katie McGregor (born September 2, 1977) is an American runner who participates in track, cross country and the marathon. High school Born in Cleveland, McGregor attended Willoughby South High School in Willoughby, Ohio. She was the state cham ...

and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet. ;2010 Huddle's 19th-place finish at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in

Bydgoszcz, Poland Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

, helped the American team win a bronze medal. Huddle earned a silver medal in the 5000 m at the

2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Drake Stadium, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on June 23–27, 2010. In order to boost the visibility of this event, USATF sponsored a member appreciation tent at the event and ...

in a time of 15:30.89 behind Lauren Fleshman. Huddle set the American record in the 5000 m at the 2010

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now the final event of the Diamond ...

meet in

Brussels, Belgium Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

(14:44.76). On October 11, 2010, Huddle won her third consecutive United States Women's 10k road race championship in Boston, Massachusetts.

2011-2016

2011

Huddle was the runner-up at the 2011

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 ...

, earning a spot for the world championships team. She again helped the American team win a bronze medal at the

2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20, 2011. The races were held at the Polideportivo Antonio Gil Hernández in Punta Umbría, Spain. Reports of the event were given for the IAAF. Preparation The Unite ...

, finishing 17th overall. On June 24, 2011, Huddle captured the 5000 m at the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 15:10.01. Her performance qualified her for the 2011 World Championships. After battling injuries during the 2011 summer, Huddle failed to qualify during her heat at the World Championships. ; 2012 At the 2012

, Huddle was leading throughout but was beaten at the finish line by Sara Hall, ending the race as runner-up. On June 28, 2012, Huddle finished 2nd by 0.8 seconds to Julie Culley in the 5000 m at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials to qualify for the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. After running 15:02.26 in the Olympic semifinals, Huddle finished in 15:20.29 in the 5000 m final to finish 11th. ; 2013 In June 2013, Huddle finished 2nd by 2 seconds to

Jennifer Simpson Jennifer Simpson (née Barringer; born August 23, 1986) is an American middle distance runner and steeplechaser. She represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics. She is a former America ...

in the 5000 m at the

2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 20–23 in conjunction with the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Champion ...

. On August 17, 2013, she finished 6th in a time of 15:05.73 in the women's 5000 m final at the World Championships in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, the highest American female finish ever in that event at the World Championships. On November 17, 2013, Huddle won the 12k United States National championship in 37:50, 8 seconds ahead of Shalane Flanagan. She set a 12k world record in this race. ; 2014 On May 4, 2014, Huddle improved her 10,000 m time to 30:47.59 in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was ...

, at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University. The following month, on June 14, she broke the American record at the

New York Mini 10K The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is an annual 10-kilometer road running competition for women that takes place in Central Park, New York City, in the United States. The race has been organised by New York Road Runners since 1972. The competition ...

with a time of 31:37. On June 27, Huddle won another 5,000 m US outdoor title in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, with a time of 15:01.56, passing Shannon Rowbury in the final meters (15:01.71). At the Morton Games on July 11, 2014, she won the International Women's Mile in 4:26.8, breaking a stadium record and setting a new personal best. On July 18, Huddle ran a personal best mark of 14:42.64 to improve her own outdoor 5000 m United States record at the

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word ...

meet. On November 16, 2014, Huddle won the 12k United States National championship in 38:08. ; 2015 On March 15, Huddle beat Kenya's Joyce Chepkirui with an 11-second margin to win the 2015

New York City Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through or ...

in a personal best of 1:08:31. For this victory, Huddle was shown in ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on w ...

'' magazine's "The 8 Greatest Moments for Women in Sports". On June 25, Huddle won the 10,000 m at the

2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Organized by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 25–28 and served as the national championships in t ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...

. This was her first United States 10k title. At the 2015 Beijing World Championships, Huddle finished fourth in the 10,000 m, being caught in the final steps by team member Emily Infeld due to a premature celebration (she was in third place immediately before celebrating, a few metres before the finish line). Huddle won a national title at the United States 5k road championships. She set a championship record at the USATF 10 Mile Championships on October 4 in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Huddle won her 19th

USATF 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 ...

title on October 12, in a women's only 10 km (road) at the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women with a time of 32:16. She won the US National 12K road race Championship in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

, on November 15, 2015, finishing in 38:36. ; 2016 On February 20, 2016, Huddle finished a close second in the

Millrose Games The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held each February in New York City. They started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011 ...

women's indoor 5000 m in 14:57.31, behind

Betsy Saina Betsy Saina (born 30 June 1988) is a Kenyan athlete in long distance running. Early life Saina was born in Kenya on 30 June 1988. She began running as a teenager in Eldoret, Kenya with hopes to pursue education at Itigo Girls High School. Her ...

. She won the

on March 20 with a time of 1:07:41, narrowly beating Joyce Chepkirui at the finish line. The time was just 7 seconds off Deena Kastor's American record of 1:07:34 at the 2006 Berlin Half Marathon and the fastest American for a women's only race. On April 16, Huddle won the B.A.A. 5k with a time of 15:14. In July, Huddle won the 5000 m in 15:05.01 and 10,000 m in 31:41.62 at 2016 United States Olympic Trials. On August 12, 2016, Huddle achieved an American record of 30:13.17 in the 10,000 m at the

while placing sixth, breaking Shalane Flanagan's 2008 Olympic time of 30:22.22. The world record was broken in the same race by Almaz Ayana in a time of 29:17.45. In November 2016, Huddle ran the 2016 New York City Marathon as her marathon debut. She finished in 3rd place in 2:28:13.

2017

Huddle won the 2017 New York Road Runners New York Half Marathon in 68:19, 2 seconds ahead of her training partner

. Her half marathon time is in the all-time top ten for American runners. On June 22 and 25, Huddle raced at the

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–2 ...

, winning gold in the 10,000 m in 31:19.86 and bronze in the 5,000 meters in 15:15.29. On August 5, Huddle ran 31:24.78 to place 8th in the 10000 m at the 2017 World Championships. On August 10 and 13, Huddle ran 15:05.28 to place 12th in the

. Huddle beat

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. In her first-ever marathon, Seidel placed second at the 2020 U.S. Maratho ...

at the 2017 USATF Road 5k Championships Abbott Dash to the Finishline 5k in 15:24, Huddle's 24th national title.

2018

Huddle broke Deena Kastor’s 67:34 American record in the half marathon, which had stood since 2006, at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on January 14, 2018, by running 67:25 to finish in seventh place in a race won by Ethiopia’s

Ruti Aga Ruti Aga (born 16 January 1994) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the women's race at the 2019 Tokyo Marathon and secured five other top three finishes at the World Marathon Majors. In 2012, Aga won the silver medal in the women's ...

, the 2017

Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...

runner-up, in 66:39. Huddle's Half Marathon record was broken by Sara Hall in January 2022 Houston Half Marathon by 10 seconds. Huddle placed 4th in a new personal best marathon time of 2:26:44 at

2018 New York City Marathon The 2018 New York City Marathon was a marathon race held in New York City, United States, which took place on November 4, 2018. It was the 48th edition of the New York City Marathon, which is organised by New York Road Runners. The men's race w ...

2019

On March 29, Huddle finished second behind

in the Stanford Invitational 10000m running 30:58:46, more than 68 seconds ahead of the following pack. On July 25, she won her fifth consecutive United States Track and Field 10,000 meter title, running 31.58.47. It was her 28th national title. Sisson finished second, close behind in 32:02.19. Huddle lowered her marathon PR to 2:26:33 in the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

Personal life

Huddle resides and trains in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. She is married to Canadian middle distance runner Kurt Benninger, who also ran for the

, where he earned six All-American honors in track and cross country. Huddle is credited, in part, for the creation of the female runner emoji, along with her former training partner, Roisin McGettigan.

Personal bests

: * On July 18, 2014, Huddle set the U.S. 5000m record, which was broken on September 9, 2016, by Shannon Rowbury.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huddle, Molly 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Providence, Rhode Island Sportspeople from Elmira, New York Track and field athletes from New York (state) Track and field athletes from Rhode Island American female long-distance runners Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's track and field athletes Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's cross country runners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners