Molly Huddle after her first marathon, 2016 NYC Marathon, photo by PhotoRun.net
It was August 2010, and the Birmingham DL meeting had finished. I was with Mark Bossardet, then VP of Sports Marketing at Saucony, and Molly Huddle. Molly had not been happy with her race and was going to stay in Europe another ten days, get in couple of races, including the 5,000 meters, hopefully, in Memorial Van Damme Meeting in Brussels. Molly knew she was fit, she just needed some more racing to get a fast 5000 meters. Finishing ninth, Molly ran 14:44.76, the AR for 5,000 meters. Molly would set the 5,000m record once again, in 2014, this time in Monte Carlo and the Herculis Meeting, battling fellow American Shannon Rowbury to the very finish, running a 14:42.46 on July 18, 2014.
In 2016, Molly Huddle took the 10,000m AR with a fine 30:13.72 at the Rio Olympics, after having won the 5000m and 10,000m in the US Olympic Trials. She finished off 2016 with a 2:28:13 third place in NYC Marathon. 2017 was about fast half marathon, doubling in London World Champs and winning the Abbott 5k Dash in early November.
Now, Molly Huddle will be part of the finest field assembled, of American woman marathoners, with Shalane Flanagan, winner of 2017 NYC Marathon, second placer from Boston Desi Linden, and Molly Huddle.
I am already calling this a race for the ages. Molly Huddle’s perfect distance is the marathon, and while she is much earlier in her career than Shalane, Desi, or Jordan Hasay, watch out! April 2018 will be amazing!
SAUCONY® ANNOUNCES MOLLY HUDDLE TO RUN 2018 BOSTON MARATHON
Two-time U.S. Olympian, American 10,000m record holder and three-time BAA 5K Champion to make Boston Marathon debut
WALTHAM, MA (December 12, 2017) – Saucony today announced that Molly Huddle, two-time Olympian and three-time winner of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) 5K, will make her Boston Marathon debut at the 122nd edition of the race on April 16, 2018. Huddle, who has earned 25 U.S. national championship titles on the track and roads, set the American 10,000-meter record (30:13.17) with a sixth-place finish in the 2016 Rio Olympics. In her highly anticipated first race at the 26.2 mile distance, Huddle ran 2:28:13 to place third at the 2016 New York City Marathon. Huddle, 33, lives and trains in Providence, Rhode Island.
“At Saucony, our athletes inspire us; they make us want to be better in everything we do,” said Mark Bossardet, head of sports marketing for Saucony. “Molly is one of the most gifted runners in the world and she’s already had great success on the streets of Boston, having set the American record here at the 2015 BAA 5K. The whole Saucony family joins the Boston running community in our excitement to cheer Molly on in her Hopkinton to Boston debut as she becomes part of the prestigious Boston Marathon legacy.”
In November, Huddle won her 25th U.S. title at the 2017 USATF 5K national road championships in New York City in 15:24, bettering her own course record of 15:27 set in 2013. Huddle’s win came one year after she finished third in her marathon debut there, giving the United States a spot on the podium for the first time since 2010. Huddle has also proved her dominance on Manhattan’s streets by winning the last three NYC Half Marathons.
“I’ve always had a case of major race envy when it comes to the Boston Marathon,” said Huddle. “Every year I’ve been in Boston during the marathon always wishing I was running it. Now that dream is going to become a reality and it’s hard to not get too excited. I’m inspired by the Boston fans and my family at Saucony for standing by me throughout the years.”
The last American woman to win the Boston Marathon was Saucony sponsored athlete Lisa Larsen Weidenbach (now Rainsberger) in 1985.
Huddle is coached by Ray Treacy, who is also the Cross Country and Track and Field coach at Providence College in Rhode Island.
About Saucony: Saucony, a division of Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW), is a leading global running lifestyle brand that fuses performance, innovation and style to create compelling footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. Founded in 1898, Saucony continues to inspire runners everywhere with its award winning innovations, including EVERUNâ„¢, ISOFITâ„¢, Geometry of Strongâ„¢, PWRGRID+â„¢, and the Total Run Systemâ„¢ apparel line. At Saucony, a good day is when we get to run. A great day is when we inspire someone else to run. For more information, go to www.saucony.com.
