Molly Huddle shattered the American record in the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Games Friday in Rio de Janiero. Her time of 30:13.17 was more than nine seconds better than the 30:22.22 mark set by Shalane Flanagan at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
And yet there was one crucial difference. When Flanagan set her record, it came with a piece of hardware—a bronze medal.
For Huddle, 31, there was no such luck. She finished sixth overall, off the podium, behind a world record set by Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, who took gold in 29:17.45. Four women broke 30:00 in a race with a torrid pace from the gun.
Within a couple of laps, a lead pack of eight had separated from the rest—37 women started the race—and Huddle hung off the back of the leaders, the only American capable of staying close.
How fast was the pace? Huddle’s coach, Ray Treacy, told her before the race not to panic if she went through the 5,000-meter mark in 15:10, because he felt she was ready to handle that kind of pace. Huddle went through in 14:57, only 15 seconds slower than her American record for 5,000 meters.
“Our plan was to hang onto the back of the top six or seven as long I could and plan to pick them off later if one or two of them had a bad day,” Huddle said. “That’s what we tried to do.”
Her disappointment at missing a medal seemed to override any happiness at a new record as she spoke after the race.
“I knew a medal was no guarantee,” she said. “I had to count on one or two women messing up a bit there, because I’m probably the sixth-best person coming in, so yeah, that’s where I finished. I’m taking the reality as it is.”
Huddle said she was well aware that Flanagan’s mark was within reach as she ran in the second half of the race, even though the others weren’t coming back to her.
“When I went through in 15 minutes, I thought, ‘Don’t slow down. If you can run 15:20, you get an American record,’” she said. “I’m very happy with the time.
“I need to digest it a bit,” she continued. “That’s an amazing record. I always thought that was a ridiculous time Shalane ran. I’m definitely proud to have gotten that.”
She had just hoped that the race would play out differently—as Flanagan’s in Beijing, when others who had gone out too fast suffered at the end and Flanagan passed them for third place.
If Huddle wasn’t immediately ecstatic after her race, her teammate Emily Infeld was on her behalf. Infeld was 11th overall in 31:26.94, a personal best.
“I’m so excited for her,” Infeld said. “She’s been working so hard for so long. She’s a class act, phenomenal, great competitor, just an awesome person. I’m really, really stoked for her. It’s incredible to see that.”
Published: Aug 12, 2016 2:42 PM EDT is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World At 40, Eliud Kipchoge Isn’t Superhuman Anymore, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
