Runner’s World has partnered with Puma to answer the question: What is a runner’s world? In this installment of the series, we asked Puma athlete and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Molly Seidel to tell—and show—us how the city of Boston and its running sphere has been the backdrop that’s made her story possible.
There’s no question that Boston is considered the mecca of distance running. Not only is the city home to the famed Boston Marathon, but it’s also bred and groomed running greats like “Boston Billy” Rodgers, Johnny “The Elder” Kelley, Johnny “The Younger” Kelley, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Shalane Flanagan, and now, Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel.
Five years ago, Seidel, now 27, graduated from Notre Dame, where she was a four-time NCAA champion in track and cross country. She then moved east to Boston—the Fenway neighborhood, specifically—where she started running professionally. Her current apartment is actually on the other side of the river, in Cambridge. “I’m a Cambridgearian now, although I was a Bostonian for much longer,” she says, laughing.
These days, Seidel splits her time between Cambridge and Flagstaff, Arizona, where most of her Olympic training took place. However, she credits Beantown for much of her success as a runner—physically and mentally. “There’s general excitement about running, and marathoning specifically, in Boston,” she says. “Elite runners in Boston have a work-hard-play-hard attitude. Elsewhere, so many pro runners are on all the time. They’re 100-percent focused, and there’s no time for fun or enjoyment.”
Many of Seidel’s Boston-based friends are runners, but not professionals, which means she can log miles with them in a more relaxed, casual way, she says. “Boston has an enormously social atmosphere, and one of my favorite parts of running is the fact that you can share it with people.”
Molly’s Puma Running Essentials
Deviate Nitro Women's Running Shoes
High Shine High Waisted 7/8 Women's Running Leggings
High Shine Cropped Women's Running Tank Top
Go-to Boston routes and refuel spots
While living in Fenway, Seidel could roll out of bed and head to the Emerald Necklace, a 1,100-acre chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways that run through Boston and Brookline, a suburb right outside of the city. And of course, there’s the uber-popular pathway along the Charles River. Seidel would also sometimes head to Battle Road, a historic trail that runs between the Boston suburbs of Lexington and Concord.
Seidel points out that her go-to running spots are easily accessible, even if some, like Battle Road, are a short drive away. “I’m utterly convinced that Boston is the best running city in the country,” she says. “It’s very hard to live in the Boston area and not become a junkie for Boston running. Between the routes and the running culture around here, you feel the passion, not just on Marathon Monday, but year-round.”
After a long run, she’ll hit up Blackbird Doughnuts. And, of course, as a Bostonian, she loves a Dunkin’ “brunch” in the back of the car. “But I can’t do iced coffee in the winter,” she says.
Inspired by greats to be great
The post-Tokyo world knows Molly Seidel’s name. She hung with the front pack of marathoners at the Olympic race until the end, where she finished third, behind Kenyan runners Peres Jepchirchir and marathon world-record holder Brigid Kosgei. “It was wild,” Seidel says. “I feel like I’m still processing all of those emotions. Nothing prepares you for that moment.”
Seidel’s inner monologue during the race wasn’t unlike those watching from home: “As the miles ticked off and I continued to feel strong, I was still at the front of the pack. Oh wow, I could do this. I could take fourth. And then when Lonah [Chemtai Salpeter] dropped back, oh my god, this is happening. Stay with it. Stay calm. Stay level. Keep pushing. The scream across the finish line was very indicative of how I was feeling.”
That moment came 17 years after Seidel made a now-famous art project in fourth grade with the words, “I wish I will make it into the Olympics and win a gold medal.” That was in 2004, when Seidel watched Deena Kastor become the second American woman to take home a medal in the Olympic marathon. In 1984, Joan Benoit Samuelson was the first, in the race’s inaugural year.
“One of the reasons I started running the marathon was because I saw Deena Kastor win bronze in Athens,” Seidel says. “I owe so much to the women who’ve come before me and shown me what’s possible.”
Seidel also tips her hat to her sponsor, Puma, with whom she signed late last year. She was slightly skeptical at first. In recent years, Puma was mostly known for its work with sprinters and jumpers, not distance runners. First, she met with the team in Boston and fell in love with the brand’s culture and community. “But I still needed to see the shoes,” Seidel recalls. Days later a box arrived. She laced up an early pair of Deviate Nitros and ran strides on her small Boston street with a smile across her face. “I came back inside and knew I felt good and that I’d feel confident lining up at future starting lines, including the Olympics. I ran Tokyo in the Deviate Nitro Elites and still continue to switch between the two pairs,” she says.
On top of the product, Puma has helped support Seidel’s goals in the social justice and charity spaces. “It’s important to have a company behind me, fully supporting all aspects of me and Puma really does that,” she says.
Life after the Olympics
In August, after she got home from the games, Seidel lined up at the back of the pack for the annual Falmouth Road Race in Cape Cod. For every runner she passed, the race donated $1 to Tommy’s Place, a vacation home for families with children who are battling cancer. “I haven’t gotten that kind of experience, to start at the end of a race and make my way through,” she says. “It was so cool, seeing that kind of excitement.”
Passing more than half the field, Seidel raised $4,761. Race organizers doubled that, and then the founder of Tommy’s Place, Tim O’Connell, matched the donation. Amazed and excited by the support, Seidel was proud of what she had accomplished. Then, Seidel heard from Puma who happily matched that donation bringing the total to $38,088. That’s a huge aspect as to what Seidel loves most about her sponsor—they said that they’d support her efforts to give back and that’s exactly what they’ve continued to do.
Just a week after her Falmouth run and fueled by all the ongoing excitement, Seidel received the ultimate Boston opportunity: to throw the first pitch at a Red Sox game at, well, Fenway Park—the mark of a true Bostonian.
As for what’s next: Like all great Boston runners, Seidel wants to toe the line in Hopkinton at some point. “Let’s hope I have a Boston [Marathon] in my future. That’s the dream.”
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner's World, the author of The Runner's World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:40 5K, and 5:33 mile.
