She had struggled with disordered eating, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in college and then suffered from osteopenia and skipped the chance to sign a big pro contract to instead return to South Bend, Indiana, for a fifth year in college. But it’s been a long road to find success as a pro. Seidel was a heralded high school record-setter and a Foot Locker cross country champion who went on to become a four-time NCAA champion at Notre Dame. Between the crowd and the logistics and how easy it was to get our bottles, I was shocked how smoothly it all went.” Early Success Before Struggles It was basically a 26-mile scream tunnel with amazing energy from all of the spectators. “Yeah, I think I’ve ruined the marathon because of the way this one turned out,” she said with a laugh while donning a Boston Red Sox hat at the post-race press conference.

Her time was the sixth-fastest in Olympic Trials history. Seidel became the first American woman to earn an Olympic berth in her debut marathon.

Like the seasoned pro she always seemed destined to become. Olympic Team bound for Tokyo. Against a deep field of American runners with world-class PRs and Olympic berths to their credit, the 25-year-old native of Wisconsin ran like a seasoned pro herself. Running in her first marathon, Seidel made it look almost easy, turning in a stunning debut performance of 2:27:31 and a berth on the U.S. Molly Seidel knows the marathon will never be like this again.

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