After qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Molly Seidel (Saucony/Boston, MA) has been named the USATF-New England (USATF-NE) Athlete of the Month for February 2020. Molly earns this award for her outstanding performance at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta on February 29. Molly finished second in the trials with a time of 2:27:31, only eight seconds behind her winter training partner, Aliphine Tuliamuk.
This was her first marathon, after qualifying for the trials with a half marathon. She had found significant success in college, winning four NCAA Championships in her time at Notre Dame. After the conclusion of her collegiate career, she started her professional career with a first place finish at the 2017 Mayor’s Cup Women’s 5,000m. She was also the winner of last year’s New England 10,000m championship.
Despite her collection of accolades, Molly was not widely considered a favorite in the Olympic Trials. A recent string of injuries, including multiple stress fractures, hampered her performance. Adding to her feat, she is not a full-time athlete. Molly had been training for the Olympic Trials while working part-time as a barista and babysitter, she told The New York Times.
Molly’s next major race will be the 2020 Olympic Marathon on August 8.