Boston is Back, and Everybody is Running It: Americans Include Molly Seidel and Des Linden

For the first time in three years, the Boston Marathon will once again be run on Monday, April 18 (if Omicron has finished its insane surge by then). The marathon announced its 2022 women’s field Tuesday morning, and the elite women have come to compete: 12 of them have run under 2:23.

Molly Seidel, who hadn’t announced any spring plans, is part of the lineup. Her bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics was a fiery hello into marathon running, but her personal best is 2 minutes off that of the fastest women toeing the line.

“It feels very much like doing my hometown race,” Seidel, 27, told the Boston Globe. “The marathon is just such a big part of Boston and the Boston running community. You’re kind of immersed in it. Any runner in Boston is like, ‘Oh, are you running the marathon, oh, are you running the marathon?’ It’s getting to where I can finally do it and finally say ‘Yes, I’m running the marathon.’ It’s so exciting. It’s just, I’m really pumped.”

Peres Jepchirchir won gold at the Olympics and the New York City Marathon this past fall, and with a PR of 2:17:16, is absolutely one to watch.

“My high expectations is to be a winner and I would like to arrive at the day of the race in my best shape,” said Jepchirchir in a statement. “I have time enough to prepare for it and I will do my best in training to be ready to run against some of the best marathon runners in the world.”

The field also includes Americans Des Linden (2018 Boston Marathon champ), Sara Hall (second-fastest U.S. marathoner ever at 2:20:32), and Nell Rojas, who just yesterday announced she’s now sponsored by Adidas. Rojas was the fastest American woman at the rescheduled Boston marathon this past fall. Stephanie Bruce, who announced earlier this month that 2022 is her last year running competitively, and Kellyn Taylor, who finished top-10 at the Trials, are also running it. There are also four sub-2:20 Ethiopian contenders: Degitu Azimeraw, Roza Dereje, Zeineba Yimer, and Tigist Girma.

Team USA wheelchair Paralympians Susannah Scaroni, Tatyana McFadden, and Jenna Fesemyer will also compete, joining a professional wheelchair field that includes course record holder Manuela Schär and New York City winner Madison de Rozario. Among international contenders are Shelly Woods (Great Britain), Margriet van den Broek (Netherlands), and Wakako Tsuchida (Japan).

You can find the full list here. This is the fastest women’s field ever for the Boston Marathon, which is celebrating 50 years of the first official women’s field, in 1972.

“We are delighted to welcome the fastest and most accomplished women’s field in the history of the Boston Marathon,” said Boston Athletic Association president and CEO Tom Grilk. “Though there have been many milestones in the five decades since the women’s division was established in Boston, this field of Olympic and Paralympic medalists, Boston champions, and global stars will make this a race to remember on Patriots’ Day.”