Olympic medalist Molly Seidel to run New York City Marathon
Molly Seidel, center, running the New York Mini 10K race in Central Park, Saturday, June 12, 2021, New York, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of NYRR)
NEW YORK - Fresh off making the marathon podium for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, bronze medalist Molly Seidel is set to run the New York City Marathon this fall, the race's organizers announced. Seidel will be making her debut at the city's premier marathon on Sunday, Nov. 7 alongside a slate of tough competitors.
In a statement released by New York Road Runners, Seidel, 27, said she has had two races circled on her calendar for this year: the Olympic Marathon and the New York City Marathon.
"Winning the bronze medal in Sapporo showed that I can run with the best in the world, and on any given day, anything is possible," Seidel said. "I can't think of a better year to run my first New York than in its 50th running."
Seidel's third-place finish, in 2:27:46, at the Tokyo Olympics put her in elite company; she is just the third American woman to win a medal at the Olympic marathon. Joan Benoit won gold in Los Angeles in 1984 (which was the first women's marathon at the Olympics) and Deena Kastor took bronze in Athens in 2004.
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Seidel will line up on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island next to fellow 2021 U.S. Olympians Aliphine Tuliamuk, Sally Kipyego, and Emily Sisson. Two-time Olympian Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon winner, will also compete.
U.S. Paralympian Tatyana McFadden, a five-time New York City Marathon winner in the women's wheelchair division, will be gunning for her sixth victory and her first since 2006. Her 1:43:04 win in 2015 is a course record.
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"I am very excited about competing in New York since it's the final test this fall after Tokyo and all the other major marathons," McFadden said in a statement. "The 50th running will be about people coming together after a difficult year, and a celebration of our community."
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 New York City Marathon. In June, state and city officials said this year's event would be held but with a reduced field. The race is set to have about 33,000 participants, down from 53,520 in 2019.
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FROM THE ARCHIVE: Deena Kastor Interview (Nov. 2, 2018
Deena Kastor, of Mammoth Lakes, California, is an Olympian and American record holder in the marathon distance. She has set record at many distances but is best known for winning the Chicago Marathon and London Marathon, and taking bronze in the marathon at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. (Produced by Arun Kristian Das)