Episode #30: Molly Huddle, Olympian and 28-time US Champion

02/02/20 • 58 min

Olympian Molly Huddle has won so many US titles on the track, road, and grass that even she has lost count. As one of the surest bets in US distance running, we *think* she is up to 28 times as a national champion. She is also the first athlete to wear a Clean Sport Collective temporary tattoo in competition when she debuted in the marathon at NYC in 2016.

Kara and Shanna lead this one discussing a broad range topics from her early childhood years in sport to her transition to running in high school with only one season of cross country to her 10K US record earned in a blistering fast but also suspicious race at the Rio Olympics.

Molly talks about how she moved past a season of injuries in and around her collegiate career to achieve such a high level of excellence as a pro while competing clean, as well as her perspective on what the sport needs to do in order to level the playing field, as shared in her recent op-ed in the Providence Journal.

Molly is both a champion in the sport and a champion for clean sport, and we are rooting for her to make another Olympic team this year!

With this interview, we kick off a podcast series interviewing the top contenders for the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta on February 29th. Stay tuned for twice weekly episodes all month long with the next one coming on Wednesday, February 5th.

Note: This interview was conducted prior to the new shoe regulations announced by World Athletics on January 31st.

Molly is both a champion in the sport and a champion for clean sport, and we are rooting for her to make another Olympic team this year!

Note: This interview was conducted prior to the new shoe regulations announced by World Athletics on January 31st.

Previous Episode

Special Episode: New Shoe Regulations with Ross Tucker, Kara Goucher, and Adam Goucher

World Athletics (formerly the IAAF) released their updated regulations regarding footwear today. These regulations establish new rules governing the use of prototypes and impose immediate limits on sole thickness (i.e. stack height) and the use of carbon fiber plates. In summary, it appears that the Nike prototype AlphaFly is now banned, but the Nike 4% and Next% are still legal. The AlphaFly was the Nike prototype worn by Eliud Kipchoge to break the 2-hour barrier in the marathon. In addition, competitors to Nike now have until April 30th to release their versions of the Next% in order for their athletes to wear new shoes at the Olympic Games in Japan. Otherwise, new shoes must comply with the new structural limits and be commercially available to all for a period of 4 months before they can be used in competition. Ross Tucker from the Science of Sport joins Kara and Adam Goucher with Chris McClung moderating to provide our immediate reactions in this special episode. We discuss the practical implications of the new rules as well as where we believe they continue to fall short. Do these new rules resolve the great shoe debate or do they create more new questions than answers?

Next Episode

Episode #31: Shadrack Biwott, Boston Marathon Podium Finisher

Shadrack Biwott is one of only three athletes in the men's field for the US Olympic Marathon Trials who has stood on a World Major Marathon podium. He finished 3rd at the Boston Marathon in 2018 in the extreme cold, windy, and rainy conditions that also accompanied Des Linden's victory on the same day. That finish along with his 4th place finish at Boston in 2017 and 5th place at NYC in 2016 give you only the surface reasons needed to suggest he could make an Olympic team on February 29th.

In this interview, Kara and Chris dig into so much more including Shadrack's move to the US in high school when he couldn't speak English to the struggles of his early pro days without a sponsor and his first marathon that almost had him swear off the distance.

Now, Shadrack trains with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and has achieved stability in the sport but admits he is still very much learning the marathon distance as he seeks to make his first Olympic team. We think you will find this interview relatable, endearing, and refreshing as Shadrack himself says that all he can do is "tell the truth." Thank you Shadrack for doing just that with us and for your commitment to clean sport.