Olympic marathon bronze medallist Molly Seidel is hitting the paths (once more) on April 26, this time on the famend Canyons Endurance Run by UTMB in Auburn, Calif., which can also be house to the Western States 100 (WSER). In 2023, Seidel made her path racing debut on the UTMB Speedgoat Mountain Race in Sandy, Utah. Seidel ran the 28K in a time of 4:13, ending thirty fifth general and eighth among the many girls.
Runners at Canyons traverse a few of the WSER trails in every of the 4 distances featured on the occasion: a 100-miler, 100K, 50K and 25K. Seidel will tackle 1,864 metres of elevation over 50 kilometres.
Canyons is a qualifier for the UTMB World Collection Main races, and the 100K distance can also be a WSER qualifier and the ultimate race within the Golden Ticket sequence, which means the highest two athletes (female and male) within the 100K safe automated entry to WSER.
Seidel is returning to racing after an harm prompted her to drag out of the U.S. Olympic trials, one thing she introduced on Instagram a couple of days earlier than the occasion. After her bronze-medal efficiency on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 28-year-old Seidel has battled to get again to kind. In 2022, she additionally pressed pause on competitors pre-World championships as a consequence of a sacral stress response (later identified as a full sacral stress fracture).
On the 2023 Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8, Seidel completed eighth, in 2:23:07, in her first marathon since April 2022 (she took fourth place on the 2021 NYC Marathon). “It was so highly effective ending that final mile, simply because it has been a very tough previous couple of years,” Seidel stated post-race to Olympics.com. “It’s been quite a bit, and I’ve labored actually, actually laborious to get again to this, and to simply be a greater individual general.”
Seidel has additionally candidly shared the continuing psychological well being challenges she has confronted (she was identified with ADHD in February 2022), discussing her consuming dysfunction restoration on social media and stressing the significance of reaching out for assist.
Seidel shall be becoming a member of a world-class path working subject at Canyons, with fellow People Dani Moreno (winner of Kodiak Extremely Marathons by UTMB 50K in Massive Bear Lake, Calif., in 2023), Jennifer Lichter and Tabor Hemming (winner of The Massive Alta 28K in Marinwood, Calif., in February) all becoming a member of her within the 50K occasion. Her latest posts on social media have featured some path working views and technical climbs, suggesting she is well-prepared for the recent, difficult terrain at Canyons.
To be taught extra about Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB, click on right here.
