50-Yr-Old Is Second Oldest Woman To Qualify For Olympic Marathon Trials

Debunking myths and shattering stereotypes, a 50-year-old has become the second-oldest woman to ever qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials.

Molly Friel, from Fresno, California, has been an avid runner for over three decades. She has previously qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2004 and 2016.

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Friel attained her qualifying time at the California International Marathon, which took place on December 3 last year. She accomplished a remarkable time of 2:43:57, averaging a six-minute-15-second mile pace throughout the race. Interestingly, the time she needed to beat in order to qualify was 2:45, meaning that Friel crossed the line with over a minute to spare.

Prepping up

During her training for the California International Marathon, Friel would sometimes run between 90 and 100 miles per week.

She eats cereals for dinner but is also fond of cookies and candies.

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Her coach

Her coach Ian Torrence said, "It’s really cool for a coach to put together a plan, and have the athlete follow the plan and work with you on the plan—and not against you. Molly is one of my less complicated athletes. She knows how to take care of herself. I just point the bus in the right direction, and she drives it.”

He also said that she knew how to push through the pain.

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Love for running

Friel finds immense joy in pursuing her passion for running. She says, “I love the training. I love the process more than the end result.”

Sister Marion Irvine was the oldest woman to ever qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials, aged 54.

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Picture credits: The Independent