Winning does come with a new set of pressures, something Samuelson discussed openly with her. “It’s been fun to see people in various spheres take that whole idea of, I’m just gonna throw all my expectations out the window and go for something.” (Photo: Aisha McAdams) “Our whole attitude was, hold nothing back, go for it and just see where you come out,” she says. Running her first marathon there was, in her words, “a ridiculous idea.” But the lack of expectations proved liberating-and her aggressive racing style, triumphant. She and Green first started using the phrase, derived from an internet-famous snowmobiler, in her buildup to the U.S. The shift to role-model status has felt strange, but Seidel indeed hears regularly from fans who’ve adopted her trademark “full send” approach. She’s secured her status as a marathon superstar, and membership to a select sisterhood that includes Kastor and 1984 Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson. “I hope there’s somebody out there that watching this happen will inspire them to do something great.” “When I saw Deena Kastor win bronze in 2004, it was truthfully such a seminal moment in my life, really inspiring me to become a runner and want to do the marathon,” she says.
On the plane home, the hardware heavy in her pocket, Seidel contemplated the heft of what she’d done. With positivity powering her, she proved herself on the world stage: persevering on a hard, hot day in the streets of Sapporo to win a bronze medal in the Olympic Marathon. Jokes remind her that even on the hardest days, she has a chance to do what she loves.
Keeping the mood light has been key to her success, she says. Still, she felt like “a little bit of a mess-up, still figuring it out.” Did she truly belong there? Could she compete at that level?īut alongside her imposter syndrome, she packed googly eyes, which she and her coach, Jon Green, stuck to doors and other hotel fixtures. Eight months later, she ran more than two minutes faster to place sixth at the London Marathon.
True, she’d run so well in her 26.2-mile debut she earned a spot on Team USA. Molly Seidel flew to the Olympics in Japan last summer with a degree of self-doubt. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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