DAKOTAH MF LINDWURM

Yeah, almost anyone who progresses as they mature and gets really good (who wasn't named Jordan Hasay or Alan Webb) winds up running their HS PR pace for their tempo or longer distance race pace one day. Certainly if you just ran T&F for fun with friends and didn't have a private coach pushing you to train 50+ mpw.

I know it comes up on occasion, but the ability to absorb training is such a talent in itself. We can all talk about the willingness to put in 130 mile weeks, but if you don't just survive but THRIVE on that training, the results won't appear. Clearly she has the ability and willingness to take advantage of both.

It’s the stuff movies are made of!

My question is: how was someone who finished college with PBs of 16:43 and 34:57 able to transition to being a pro? Meaning: how was she able to land with a pro group, get sponsorship, etc?

As has been discussed on this board, one of the biggest challenges the US has had with being more competitive in the marathon has been keeping college graduates with marathon potential in the sport long enough to develop. What can be learned from Dakotah’s success that can be applied to others?

Watch the interview with her coach Chris Lundstrom on the first page, he touches on her beginnings with the group.

I know this has been said so many times on these boards, but seeing some of the ridiculous, hateful comments about this amazing accomplishment, I truly believe that a significant number of the members of this board actively hate the sport and suffer from such bitterness over never accomplishing crap themselves. Join the club dudes - most of us younger competitive runners washed out due to injury, lack of dedication or just a lack of athletic talent. Instead of finding reasons to hate people who actually managed to defy the odds and exceed expectations, why not find another activity in life that isn't drenched in jealousy, resentment and a deep-seated hatred of people who are better than you in something?

PS Dakotah would laugh at your pettiness if she was too busy not giving a damn about you and preparing for her summer in Paris as an Olympian.

Rude.

It is perfectly fair for fans to question outlier performances. At this point, it's even healthy for the sport. Stop demonizing fans for reasonably questioning crazy performances and not being gaslit into believing everything they see.

Mo Katir was busted. Last June, Citius and their minions had a field day laughing at a fan who questioned Mo's performance on social media. I mean, this is what our media does?! Media is supposed to be adversarial.

I don't think Dakotah is doping. I said so and why I think this in another post on the first page. But the sport is what it is because of dopers, not because of fans. It's unfortunate that such a brilliant performance has to be questioned but the sport has been burned to many times by the likes of others.

For what it is worth, I am confident there were women in the field who have been doping probably for years. I won't say who, but I am certain of it. Because their performances have been outliers too for other reasons.....

Dakotah didn't get a sponsorship or spot on a pro team after college. She explains this on the Believe in the Run podcast. She wanted to keep running post-collegiately and had a connection to the coach at Minnesota Elite. She ran a little bit with the team, but was not a full time member until she qualified for the Trials after getting 3rd at Grandma's in 2019 I believe. Puma didn't sign her until 2022. She got 12th at Boston and then won Grandma's in 2021 that put her on the map a little bit. She's been sponsored for barely 3 years.