She ended up finishing second, ahead of many of Team USA's elite distance runners. It was her first career marathon and it had been years since she had been considered an elite running prospect. To call the 27-year-old Seidel a longshot for Olympic qualification in February 2020 would have been a gross understatement. She only qualified to run the marathon, a race she had never run competitively, at the event because of her half marathon time. It was babysitting and working at a coffee shop. Olympic trials rolled around last year, Seidel's day job wasn't running long distances. Seidel would eventually start running again, but with little notoriety.īy the time the 2020 U.S. So instead of competing in the Olympic trials in the summer of 2016 and signing a pro contract, I entered into a treatment program for my eating disorder. I needed help, and thanks to friends and family, I was able to see finally how deep I'd gone. As my weight dropped, my bones became weaker and began to break. I was sidelined by a string of injuries caused by my disordered eating. But as my mental health deteriorated, my physical health went with it. I could have signed a big sponsorship contract with a shoe company. Seidel would miss out on even more opportunities when the start of her professional career sputtered due to struggles with OCD and resulting eating disorders, as she explained to ESPN:įour years ago, I could have competed in the Olympics. Olympic trials in 2016, but missed the entire meet with a sacral fracture. Molly Seidel overcame OCD, eating disorders for Olympic gloryĪ national champion cross country runner for Notre Dame in college, Seidel spent her amateur career running distances of 3,000 to 10,000 meters, less than a quarter the length of an official marathon. To just get to Tokyo, Seidel had to overcome a whole lot more than inexperience. I'm so grateful for everyone who got me here and I'm so happy." This is my family, this is my coach, this is everyone who's trained with me. Just getting here was a dream come true," Seidel said to NBC. Seidel was visibly emotional as she crossed the finish line and after the race, especially when given the chance to speak with a family who watched the whole race back in her native Wisconsin. Finishing less than a minute ahead of Seidel were Peres Jepchirchir (2:27:20) and Brigid Kosgei (2:27:36), both of Kenya.
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