Molly Seidel on Pulling Out of New York & the Mindset That Changed Her Career

Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel sits down with Coach Ben to share her journey from high-school prodigy to making marathon history in Tokyo.

Molly opens up about her courageous decision to withdraw from the NYC Marathon, what it truly takes to compete at the highest level, and the lessons that have shaped her career - including the hardest one: knowing when to stop.

In this raw and honest conversation, she reflects on rebuilding after setbacks, balancing passion with pressure, and why she keeps coming back to running - despite injuries, self-doubt, and constant challenges.

When Molly became the first American woman in 17 years to medal in the Olympic marathon, it was the culmination of years battling adversity and rediscovering joy on her own terms.

What You'll Learn:
🧠 How a growth mindset transformed her career
💪 Good pain vs bad pain - how do you know which is which?
🥇 Inside her Tokyo Olympic bronze medal race
🌄 Why she's shifting to trail ultras
❤️ Balancing ambition with self-care
😴 The recovery secret every runner forgets

Whether you’re chasing a new personal best or rekindling your love for running, Molly’s insights from her time as an elite athlete offer a refreshing perspective you won’t want to miss.

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⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: Meet Olympic marathoner Molly Seidel
01:00 – How running with her dad sparked her passion
03:30 – From small-town races to high school state champion
06:40 – Missing nationals and bouncing back stronger
09:00 – Developing "delusional confidence" and learning from failure
11:30 – Marathon training wisdom: "It's easy to train harder — it's harder to stop."
14:20 – Struggles at Notre Dame and rediscovering joy under a new coach
17:40 – Growth mindset for runners: "Where you are now isn't where you'll be in six months."
20:30 – The challenge of turning passion into profession
23:00 – "If you love something enough, accept it'll suck sometimes."
26:00 – From running injury to Olympic bronze: the marathon breakthrough
32:20 – Inside the Tokyo Olympic race — when she realised she was medalling
35:40 – Naivety, pressure, and how confidence evolves
37:50 – Running injuries: Learning to listen to her body after breaking her kneecap
40:00 – "I'm not willing to do something that stupid again."
42:00 – Why she's shifting to trail ultrarunning and the 100K challenge
46:00 – Marathon training tip: Running cadence
47:00 – This or That: Perfect marathon or lifelong imperfect races?
50:00 – Dream race — beating Kipchoge by one second ✈️
55:00 – Behind the scenes at the New York City Marathon
59:00 – The truth about logos, socks, and athlete restrictions
1:00:00 – Final reflections