Molly Huddle Leaves Open the Possibility of Doing the Olympic Marathon Trials

Let's be honest. A team with Shalane, Desi, and Molly would be the greatest team we could possibly send. All three depending on the type of race could medal and America could have 3 in the top 10. I hope she runs!

I guess it boils down to whether she decides that she has a better chance of medaling in Rio in the marathon versus the 10000 meters. She would miss out on a big pay day by not having her debut in Chicago or NYC. But she will still have a nice pay day never the less in the Spring of 2017.

She won't do it. There's a huge fortune to be made next fall

Agreed. There's no upside. She has a better shot at a medal in the 10000. And even if indeed the marathon suits her, she hasn't run it yet and so can't know for sure. Aside from the monetary risk, there's also risk of compromising her preparation for the 10k if she gets injured in marathon training

Echidna wrote:

She won't do it. There's a huge fortune to be made next fall

what kinda money are we talking?

How much more would NYC pay her to debut there next fall vs if she was an Olympic Marathoner? I would think she would actually get more money in the latter scenario.

Only if she ran poorly at trials would she take a big financial hit, in my opinion.

The other question is, what event would be better for her, competitive wise.

runningantelope wrote:

Only if she ran poorly at trials would she take a big financial hit, in my opinion.

I think not.

If she ran poorly it would just be a non race for her, nothing else.

The plus is that she'd have marathon experience, could run the 10 in Rio, and a money marathon in the fall.

If she runs reasonably well at the trials then she'll be more in demand in the fall, and I think that's the case even if she didn't run well.

J.R. wrote:

runningantelope wrote:

Only if she ran poorly at trials would she take a big financial hit, in my opinion.

I think not.

If she ran poorly it would just be a non race for her, nothing else.

The plus is that she'd have marathon experience, could run the 10 in Rio, and a money marathon in the fall.

If she runs reasonably well at the trials then she'll be more in demand in the fall, and I think that's the case even if she didn't run well.

She could do the marathon trials, make the team and still run the 10. Hadn't thought of that.

No, I think if Molly ran the trials and blew up to a terrible time and finished 15th or something at the race then NYC would offer her less appearance money to run there next fall than if it was her marathon debut.

However, if she made the Olympic Marathon team she would probably get more out of NYC than for a debut.

Her body language said, "Why are you asking me about the marathon trials?"

And at the end of the interview, "Maybe we'll see you in LA..." Her look said, "Why the hell would I see you there?"

The interviewer was WAY more interested in the marathon trials. She wasn't.

Why does running the Trials preclude her from making money in the fall? The only American I know who got paid a ton to debut was Ritz in NYC. Yes Huddle might get more if she was an unknown marathoner but would it be $80,000 more?

I doubt it.

There is a lot of prize money in the Trials. $80,000 for first, $65,000 for 2nd and $50,000 for third.

Ray Flynn is far from an idiot. I'm sure NYC would be happy to sign her up now for fall 2016.

I'm not 100% convinced of this. Probably true but let's be honest, she needs help to medal in the 10,000. This year there was no Dibaba or Defar. Who is to say Almaz Ayana won't double in 2016?

She could always do the marathon trials and then if she finds Dibaba is out yet again, run the 10,000 trials.

I was the one who did the interview. To me, she seemed intrigued by the marathon. She clearly had no intention of doing it but I think in her heart of hearts she psychologically feels her chance for a medal on the track (with the field lacking Dibaba) came and went this year. It may be hard for her to get over that. She's excelled on the roads. She has a new start there. It's a little tempting to try that.

On the awards stand, unsolicited, she said she'd probably or likely do the 10,000 (she used one of those words probablt or likely I can't remember which one) - which means she's considering the marathon. The question wass an open-ended one if she wanted to not conceive of the marathon Trials she could have easily left the 'probably or likely' comment out.

looks like the avg high is around 76-78 and low 64-66 degrees in Rio in August. If it is not extremely humid, American distance runners can have a shot at medaling, so it is relevant to discuss this, but our marathoners have really not had much success in the Olympic or world marathons since 2004. Flanagan, Desi, and Molly would be a strong team, and Molly obviously ran very well at World's in warm weather in the 10, until the last stride.

It's hard to think that she'd have anything but success in the marathon-- it seems that she absolutely eats up any distance on the roads. I know that the marathon is a different beast and all that, but she's just one of those athletes that's good at all the long distances. I'm not sure how injury-prone she is (doesn't seem to be too bad) but I think the smart play is to run both the marathon trials and the 10k trials. There's just so much money available at the marathon trials, and she can blatantly be on the podium.

"I was the one who did the interview. To me, she seemed intrigued by the marathon. She clearly had no intention of doing it but I think in her heart of hearts she psychologically feels her chance for a medal on the track (with the field lacking Dibaba) came and went this year. It may be hard for her to get over that. She's excelled on the roads. She has a new start there. It's a little tempting to try that.

On the awards stand, unsolicited, she said she'd probably or likely do the 10,000 (she used one of those words probablt or likely I can't remember which one) - which means she's considering the marathon. The question wass an open-ended one if she wanted to not conceive of the marathon Trials she could have easily left the 'probably or likely' comment out."

Wasn't sure it was you. But she could also be referring to the 10000 v 5000.

Maybe there was more that she said or implied. But the post race interview that was posted really gave no indication that she was planning for the marathon trials. It truly sounded like you were focused on that and she was responding as if it was no more on her radar than the 1500.

I disagree. Have you watched her interviews before? she always has that look on her face and that tone in her voice, even after she just dominated a race. If he'd asked her if she might run the 15 at the trials, she would have said, uhh no. Because that would truly be crazy. If he asked about the 5k, she'd probably say, maybe but probably not -- just like she did when asked about the marathon trials. The marathon is clearly within the realm of options and it's crazy to think they haven't considered it given her success on the roads. The 10k is plan A, but the marathon is a wildcard option and the 5k is plan B or C. It's pretty easy to figure out what they're thinking, because it's really a logical set of options.

Molly herself has said that she's not so sure her up-on-her-toes style is going to suit her well for the marathon

You Guys Who wrote:

Molly herself has said that she's not so sure her up-on-her-toes style is going to suit her well for the marathon

Did she train with Kim Smith? She was fast, but her terrible form made her suffer every time she tried to run a marathon. Molly is a more smooth runner, but if she has something in her stride that doesn't translate well to long distances then she may be right to avoid it.

While purely a speculative mental exercise I'm sure when I look into my heart of hearts I think that in Huddles heart of hearts she might be looking at running a marathon as a potential payday not as where her running legacy lies.

I think it is possible. Why would she bother running the US road circuit if she wasn't interested in the marathon trials? If she was dead set on the track, she would be getting ready for shorter races indoors to try to help develop her kick. I know she picks up an easy $100k by dominating the road circuit, but she also pounds a lot of pavement on the way and risks injuries.

Molly would be almost 36 when the Tokyo Olympics come around. She has probably peaked on the track given her amazing 2014. But every time she runs longer, she nails it. By 2020, her best marathon may be behind her.

Prize money in the marathon trials is $80k, $65k and $55k. There is plenty of time to recover and get ready for US trials. The third spot on the team is very soft right now.

I would put the odds at 40/60 she does/does not.