674. Molly Seidel's 2023 Chicago Marathon Race Recap

"I love the chaos. That's where I find the calm."

After a year and a half filled with injuries, setbacks, and struggles, Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel made her grand return to the marathon — and crushed it. Molly ran the Chicago Marathon in a personal best time of 2:23:07, finishing eighth overall and as the second American woman of the day. In this episode, she talks about the comeback, about race day, about having something to prove, and about a major weight being lifted. (For more, check out Molly's Chicago Marathon recap on YouTube.)

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What you'll get on this episode:

• "Molly seems really good!" (2:30)
• On expectations (4:00)
• Molly shares her goals for the Chicago Marathon (6:30)
• Molly's favorite moment from the weekend (7:20)
• On running with pacer Rory Linkletter — and running with pacers in general vs. all-out racing (12:45)
• How Molly sees American distance women on the world stage (15:00)
• The importance of the boyfriend/coach relationship (19:15)
• On pre-race commitments, and how Molly has learned to manage her time and energy leading up to big races (21:30)
• How Molly was feeling on race morning (27:15)
• Molly breaks down her race at the Chicago Marathon (39:15)
• Molly talks about when the race started to feel hard (44:30)
• How Molly felt after crossing the finish line, and how she feels now (53:50)
• Molly's mindset approaching the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials (56:45)
• "I think that is just my brain trying to be toxic" (59:50)
• What Molly's excited about right now (1:06:30)

Molly on the Ali on the Run Show:

On Returning to Racing in 2023, January 2023

Everything You Need to Know About the New York City Marathon, October 2022

Girl Talk with Molly Seidel & Anoush Arakelian, February 2022

LIVE with Molly Seidel, Olympic Bronze Medalist, August 2021

Molly & Izzy Seidel, March 2021

FOLLOW MOLLY @bygolly.molly

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