Molly Seidel races to bronze, becomes third American woman to medal in marathon at Olympics

TOKYO — Molly Seidel had dreams of winning an Olympic medal in the women's marathon Saturday, but she is also a realist. She looked at the other names in the field. She saw the personal bests, many of them five minutes faster than her own.

"I was hoping to be top 10, really," Seidel said.

So when she crossed the finish line Saturday morning, behind only a pair of Kenyans, Seidel had surprised even herself. She pumped her fists and let out a celebratory yell. On a muggy morning in Sapporo, Japan, she became an Olympic bronze medalist, finishing in a time of 2:27:46.

It was just the third marathon Seidel, 27, has ever run.

"Just trying to stick my nose where it didn't belong and just kind of get after it," she said. "I mean, Olympics only happens once every four years. You might as well take your shot."

Seidel, who splits her time between Boston and Flagstaff, Arizona, is just the third American woman to ever medal in the women's marathon. Joan Benoit won gold in the event in Los Angeles in 1984, and Deena Kastor took bronze in Athens in 2004.

Kenyans Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei finished first and second in Saturday's race, respectively.

Seidel's performance in Sapporo was remniscient of her similarly stunning race at the U.S. Olympic trials in Atlanta, almost 18 months ago.

Few people expected her to even make Team USA, let alone contend for a medal. Although she won four NCAA championships at Notre Dame in cross country and track, the marathon is still a relatively unfamiliar distance for her.

"She's running with experience that she, quite frankly, doesn't have," NBC analyst Kara Goucher said during Saturday's broadcast.

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Fellow American Sally Kipyego finished 17th on Saturday. Aliphine Tuliamuk, who won the U.S. trials, dropped out about halfway through the race, with her team citing an injury in a post on social media.

The Olympic marathon was held in Sapporo – about 500 miles north of Tokyo – due to concerns about extreme heat. Organizers also announced late Friday that the start time would be moved up an hour, from 7 a.m. to 6 a.m. local time, for a similar reason.

Seidel said she was eating dinner with Kipyego on Friday when they received word about the change. "I think my jaw dropped a little bit," she said. While she knew the earlier start would allow for cooler weather, it also forced Seidel to alter her race plan at the 11th hour. She said she essentially left dinner and went straight to bed.

"Everything about getting to the start line of this race has been crazy," Seidel said, "and that was just another little bit of crazy thrown in there."

A Wisconsin native, Seidel grew up running 5k and 10k races before deciding to give the marathon a try. She qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials in Atlanta with a half-marathon time from Dec. 2019, then proceeded to finish second at trials in what was her marathon debut.

In Saturday's race, Seidel kept with the lead pack for almost the entirety of the race, hanging on as others began to fall behind. She said her goal was to be the person who would cause the leaders to look around late in the race, see her and think "who the hell is this girl?"

"They're the best in the world," Seidel said. "But I figured if I hung with them long enough and just kind of was brave, something good would come from it."

Seidel fell slightly behind Jepchirchir and Kosgei in the last two miles, but by that point, she had all but secured bronze. She finished 78 seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher, Roza Dereje of Ethiopia.

After the race, during an interview with NBC, a reporter connected Seidel with her family's watch party back in Wisconsin, a FaceTime call halfway around the world. She started to cry.

"We did it," Seidel said. "I'm good. I'm so tired."

Seven seconds passed, with Seidel both laughing and gasping, trying to take it all in.

"Please," she told her assorted family and friends. "Please drink a beer for me."

Contributing: Jeff Metcalfe

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Molly Seidel wins bronze in women's marathon at 2021 Olympics in Tokyo