Notre Dame runner is a surprise medalist in the women’s Olympic marathon
Molly Seidel of Wisconsin was not supposed to make the U.S. Olympic marathon team.
The Olympic trials last year in Atlanta had been her first attempt at the 26.2-mile race.
On her third try Friday, Seidel did one better. She stuck with some of the world’s best distance runners to finish third in the punishing heat and humidity in Sapporo, Japan.
Seidel joined Joan Benoit Samuelson and Deena Kastor as the only American women to reach the podium in an Olympic marathon winning the bronze medal in a time of 2 hours 27.46 minutes.
Seidel was 26 seconds behind winner Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, who made a late charge to take the gold medal.
“This is the day you dream of your entire life,” she said. “This is what it means to be an athlete.”
Jepchirchir dropped favorite Brigid Kosgei of Kenya in the final mile to win easily. Kosgei held off Seidel by 10 seconds for the silver medal.
The winning time was well off Kosgei’s world record of 2:14.05 as the runners struggled in muggy conditions. Race officials moved the start time up an hour to 6 a.m. because of the weather.
The change announced the night before threw off Seidel’s pre-race planning.
“Everything getting to the start line of this race has been crazy and that was another little bit of crazy thrown in there,” she said.
Seidel, 27, ran aggressively with a pack of 10 women who separated the field well into the race. Slowly, the runners began dropping off, including world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya.
Seidel had a goal of finishing in the top 10 with a sliver of hopes of cracking in the top five.
But she stuck with some of the world’s best marathoners, figuring she’d take a shot a race that happens once every four years.
“I wanted to just go and be that person that when you’re racing people going who is the hell is this girl?” Seidel said. “Stick my nose where it doesn’t belong and get after it.”
At the 18 ½-mile mark American Sally Kipyego trailed by 36 seconds. U.S. trials winner Aliphine Tuliamuk dropped out about halfway through the race.
Seidel, a four-time NCAA champion in cross country and track, seemed better prepared for the conditions. She had trained in the desert heat of northern Arizona with Tuliamuk before the Olympics.
The torrid conditions with temperatures in the 80s with high humidity took a toll.
Jepchirchir and Kosegi worked together sharing water while in the lead pack. The gold medalist said pre-Olympic training for the heat had been difficult because “I didn’t know how to train in hot areas.”
Kosegi added, “I didn’t know it would be hot like this one, but I tried my best.”
Stanford graduate Malindi Elmore, who made the Canadian team eight years after leaving the sport, finished ninth in 2:30.59. USF’s Maor Tiyouri placed 48th for Israel.