by Alfonz Juck
Molly Huddle, photo by PhotoRun.net
BOSTON (USA): Molly Huddle has hinted the 2017 season might be her last season on the track, informs NBC Olympics. Huddle will make her marathon debut in the New York Marathon on 6 November and her long-term goal is to contest that event at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. “I hope to run the Olympic Trials for the marathon in 2020. That process kind of starts now,” she said. Huddle plans to forego a spring marathon next year in order to focus on making the track team for the 2017 World Championships in London.
RunBlogRun opines: There has been discussion for several years among kean observers of the sport regarding Molly Huddle’s move to the marathon. Watching Huddle race, over 5000m, 10,000m, and cross country, one could see that she is a rare athlete. I recall Molly speaking with her sponsor, Mark Bossardet (VP of Marketing for Saucony), about wanting to stay in Europe a few more weeks in 2010, to take a shot at the 5,000 meter AR. In 2014, her battles with Shannon Rowbury at the US champs and in Monaco were two of my favorite races over the summer. The moves to 5000 meters, then, 10,000 meters, and now, half marathon and marathon, have been overseen by her current coach, Ray Treacy, one of the finest coaches in the land. Molly’s move has been thoughtfully over time, and, as she debuts over the marathon on November 6, Molly knows that she still has some time on the track in 2017. After that, we will just have to wait and see.
