1. Molly Seidel: American Olympian and Marathon Bronze Medalist
2. Collegiate and Professional Debut
3. Road to the Olympics
4. 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Molly Seidel: American Olympian and Marathon Bronze Medalist

Early Years and High School Career

Molly Seidel was born on July 12, 1994, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. She attended University Lake School, where she excelled in running alongside her brother Fritz and sister Isabel. Seidel was named Gatorade National Female Cross Country Runner of the Year and Gatorade Wisconsin Female Runner of the Year in 2011. She won the 2011 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship, crossing the line in 17:22. Additionally, she won 12 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association cross country and track titles in the 1600 and 3200-meter events over her four years of high school.

Collegiate and Professional Debut

Seidel continued her running career at the University of Notre Dame. In 2016, she placed 14th at the USATF Cross Country Club National Championships. She made her professional road race debut in the 2017 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5k Championships, where she finished in 15:35 while representing Saucony. In 2018, she competed in the Great Edinburgh International Cross Country in Scotland, placing third in the 6K race (21:04) and helping Team USA earn the bronze medal in the team competition.

Road to the Olympics

Seidel earned a spot on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team by placing well at the Olympic Trials in 2020. She ran the London Marathon on October 4, 2020, and finished 6th overall. She was the second American to cross the line, setting a personal best of 2:25:13. With the Olympics postponed, Seidel broke her half-marathon personal best in Hampton on February 28, 2021, running 1:08:28 at the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon.

2020 Tokyo Olympics

On August 6, 2021, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Seidel won the bronze medal in the marathon, becoming the first American woman to earn an Olympic medal in the marathon since Deena Kastor's bronze in 2004. Her time of 2:27:46 was a personal best and secured a podium finish at the world's most prestigious sporting event.

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