Molly Seidel â’16 had overcome numerous obstacles and established herself as an NCAA champion distance runner in the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meter events during her illustrious four-year career for Notre Dame’s cross-country and track teams. 

But when she lined up to start the marathon in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Aug. 6, 2021, it was only the third time she had competed in the ultimate distance event. For the next 26-plus miles, she hung in with the world’s best, and emerged with a surprise bronze medal.

“This is the day you dream of your entire life. This is what it means to be an athlete,” she said of the triumph. “I wanted to go and be that person who, when you’re racing, they’re all saying, ‘Who the hell is this girl?’ 

“The Olympics only happens every four years, you might as well take your shot,” she said. Keeping pace with the world’s best was an immense challenge. “I was a little bit star struck. I look up to these girls a lot,” Molly said of the competition. 

Seidel, who has battled anxiety and eating disorders, said she loves the feel of the marathon. “I love that slow grind and squeezing it down at the end,” she said. “It is very different from some of the shorter races. I still love doing shorter races to keep that sharpness, but, man, I love this race.”

Like Rockne himself, whose first love in athletics was track and field, striving for one’s personal best is always the goal.