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#ctespn69420 wrote:
The Imperative Voice Real10 wrote:
is a shift to trails wise for someone with a fair amount of orthopedic injury history, eg, patellar tendon, hip impingement. i get it would no longer be international track/marathon speed demands, but as someone with beat up legs from years of soccer and running, last thing i do is seek out the longest races or uneven ground.
to me shorter and road would make more sense than longer and trails.
i had a lot of chronic injuries from years of running mostly on roads but switching to trails was great for me... i think the overall slower pace, softer terrain, change in rhythm, plus frequent changes to stride rate/length and whatnot were all beneficial.... always had this constant problem with my hip where running even 70 minutes easy on the roads could be a problem the following day but I could run 3+ hours on trails with no issues.
yes remember late 2022 when people got up in arms about her entering a trail race under the name "Molly Shapiro" (the last name of her boyfriend at the time) when she had already withdrawn from the Eugene Worlds marathon? but her explanation then was that the different terrain meant that she was still able to run while she was unable to compete on the roads due to injury at that time.
*though I think there was probably some delusional optimism there spurred by the mental health challenges she publicly stated she was battling during that time. obviously she had to take a lot of time off after that (and didn't run much at all during 2024 per the AOTR podcast interview).
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Run2454 wrote:
Big news coming from Molly today. She's raced on the trails in the past - but it looks like her focus will be on ultras after NYC. Black Canyon 100k in February and then Javelina 100 Mile in October 2026. Long term goal is Western States in 2027.There's a detailed article from TrainingPeaks on this that looks at her training for NYC with her new coach as well.
She looks good, healthy…
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Wishing her well, big fan, hope she runs Olympic trials one last time (marathon). Her name brings excitement 😀 even if her time has passed 😄
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To those who think Molly is going to be a dominant force in ultras prepare yourself for a reality check. The top ultrarunners are really good and 100 mile trail ultras require a different skill set than road marathons.
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Phil Knight Shyamalan wrote:
Is this the first time that an Olympic Marathon medalist has switched to ultras? If she dominates the competition, this could be huge for the Ultra-Haters of letsrun.
Somebody has to take the space that Camille Heron has been renting in the heads of letsrun posters!
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UltraDude wrote:
To those who think Molly is going to be a dominant force in ultras prepare yourself for a reality check. The top ultrarunners are really good and 100 mile trail ultras require a different skill set than road marathons.
She could still end up becoming a dominant force though...
if she loves running but is burned out and injured from years of training and competing for times (+dumass expectations after medaling), this is a really smart move. also she will still be able to make dough running which is a dream.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.32 -
UltraDude wrote:
To those who think Molly is going to be a dominant force in ultras prepare yourself for a reality check. The top ultrarunners are really good and 100 mile trail ultras require a different skill set than road marathons.
This is such a dumb take. No kidding bro, which is why she's presumably changing up her training to adapt to the longer distances. But unlike most ultramarathoners, she has actual talent and an amazing foundation in a distance that correlates with decently ultrarunning. Of course she may end up flaming out, but if a bunch of failed flunkie road marathoners can temporarily become "elite" ultramarathoners, I don't see why she couldn't do even better.
The only disadvantage she has is starting later, but that could even be an advantage at her age.
This post was edited 40 seconds after it was posted.410 -
ELTON\'S PORTABLE JOHN wrote:
This is such a dumb take. No kidding bro, which is why she's presumably changing up her training to adapt to the longer distances. But unlike most ultramarathoners, she has actual talent and an amazing foundation in a distance that correlates with decently ultrarunning. Of course she may end up flaming out, but if a bunch of failed flunkie road marathoners can temporarily become "elite" ultramarathoners, I don't see why she couldn't do even better.
The only disadvantage she has is starting later, but that could even be an advantage at her age.
It isn’t enough to have a big engine. You have to have a stomach that can absorb tons of calories over hours of racing and a sweat rate that can be replenished. These can be trained slightly, but much of it is innate. It is weird the number of posters here that don’t understand this.
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I have no idea if she'll do well in ultras. As others have said, she struggles to stay mentally and physically healthy. I hope ultras agree with her and might actually watch (part of) one if she was in it.
I will never, ever forget watching her medal in the Olympics. I mean, I don't watch every road race. I've missed some special moments. But I saw this one, and it was just frikking amazing. Thank you Molly for that incredible moment!
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Sky Cam wrote:
ELTON\'S PORTABLE JOHN wrote:
This is such a dumb take. No kidding bro, which is why she's presumably changing up her training to adapt to the longer distances. But unlike most ultramarathoners, she has actual talent and an amazing foundation in a distance that correlates with decently ultrarunning. Of course she may end up flaming out, but if a bunch of failed flunkie road marathoners can temporarily become "elite" ultramarathoners, I don't see why she couldn't do even better.
The only disadvantage she has is starting later, but that could even be an advantage at her age.
It isn’t enough to have a big engine. You have to have a stomach that can absorb tons of calories over hours of racing and a sweat rate that can be replenished. These can be trained slightly, but much of it is innate. It is weird the number of posters here that don’t understand this.
I mean, it depends on how ultra the ultra is. I don't think the ability to absorb calories is the determining factor in a flattish 50K. A hilly 100 miler is a different story. Or one in the Sahara or whatever. And the Barkley thing is different again.
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sage voted for trump wrote:
Javelina on the trail wrote:
Let's wait and see what will happen.
If nothing else, LRC's own Sage C has shown that this transition is not that easy.
comparing sage's road running "career" to molly's is disgusting
molly is an olympic medalist. sage was barely sub-elite.
hope molly does well. she has her quirks and issues but ultimately seems like a decent person. wish her the best in this transition, would love to see her take the 100-mile record down the road
You are right about that but at least LRC's own Sage C was able to finish the Javelina Jundret this weekend.
As any other older top Marathon runner, Molly's body is done. Can she do a few ultras? Sure. We she be the next hot thing in ultras, probably not.25 -
Sky Cam wrote:
ELTON\'S PORTABLE JOHN wrote:
This is such a dumb take. No kidding bro, which is why she's presumably changing up her training to adapt to the longer distances. But unlike most ultramarathoners, she has actual talent and an amazing foundation in a distance that correlates with decently ultrarunning. Of course she may end up flaming out, but if a bunch of failed flunkie road marathoners can temporarily become "elite" ultramarathoners, I don't see why she couldn't do even better.
The only disadvantage she has is starting later, but that could even be an advantage at her age.
It isn’t enough to have a big engine. You have to have a stomach that can absorb tons of calories over hours of racing and a sweat rate that can be replenished. These can be trained slightly, but much of it is innate. It is weird the number of posters here that don’t understand this.
Tell you what, Sky: obviously you're super smart, and probably super fast in ultras (until someone actually looks you up). You're a doctor too, and make $4mil a year... . Maybe she does have the ability to absorb tons of calories over hours of racing and a sweat rate that can be replenished. It's weird how you don't understand that an Olympic medalist in a hot marathon might have these traits.
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Happy for happy wrote:
Pablo picante wrote:
More like she is jogging. She was never very fast.
Get new material. This is the same dumb troll you’ve always tried.
Seems that this boy could never beat her in a race.
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Phil Knight Shyamalan wrote:
Is this the first time that an Olympic Marathon medalist has switched to ultras? If she dominates the competition, this could be huge for the Ultra-Haters of letsrun.
Not an Olympic medalist, but Magdalena Lewy-Boulet won both Western State 100 and Leadville Trail 100.
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ELTON'S PORTABLE JOHN wrote:
UltraDude wrote:
To those who think Molly is going to be a dominant force in ultras prepare yourself for a reality check. The top ultrarunners are really good and 100 mile trail ultras require a different skill set than road marathons.
This is such a dumb take. No kidding bro, which is why she's presumably changing up her training to adapt to the longer distances. But unlike most ultramarathoners, she has actual talent and an amazing foundation in a distance that correlates with decently ultrarunning. Of course she may end up flaming out, but if a bunch of failed flunkie road marathoners can temporarily become "elite" ultramarathoners, I don't see why she couldn't do even better.
The only disadvantage she has is starting later, but that could even be an advantage at her age.
Sounds like you are clueless about ultrarunning.
The skillset of a Marathon runner is quite different from a trail ultramarathon runner. She might do well in road 50k and 100k races but on trails things are working quite differently. And if she tries a 100 miler, she might be surprised to see the steep learning curve she needs to have just to survive such a race.23 -
Would
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So now she says she's gay?
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Hannabel wrote:
So now she says she's gay?
easier to be bi (just ask Nicky)
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