After an exhilarating and, at times brutal (with several top contenders who did not finish), 26.2 miles at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday in Atlanta, we now know the three women who will represent the United States in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
NAZ Elite runner, Aliphine Tuliamuk, who was coming off of what she considered to be her best training block yet, came in first at 2:27:23. First-time marathoner Molly Seidel qualified in the 2020 Houston Half Marathon, finished in a tight 7-seconds behind Tuliamuk. The pair was followed by Sally Kipyego in third at 2:28:52. And crowd favorite, Des Linden, just missed making the team after coming in fourth place at 2:29:03.
But now that it’s all finished, there is one thing we know to be true, support for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team is widespread across the community and the country. We’re already seeing it on social media and it is giving us all the feelings.
Fans and fellow athletes are ready to jump on the Tuliamuk train, sharing their respect for her as a runner and also ready to rep her knitting swag (her Etsy shop AllieResiliencyHats has already sold out):
My friend is going to the @Tokyo2020 @NBCOlympics ❤️I’m so incredibly proud of you @aliphinetuliamu !!!! Holy cow!!! Your a beast! I know how hard you have worked for this!!! Congratulations 🎊 pic.twitter.com/QV0ciBnixC
— Tatyana McFadden (@TatyanaMcFadden) February 29, 2020
So this just happened! Go @aliphinetuliamu https://t.co/f6EssUQZhT
— Ben Bruce (@bbjamin) February 29, 2020
Tuliamuk’s training partners, Kellyn Taylor (8th place) and Stephanie Bruce (6th place) had people online loving on the NAZ Elite love before and after the race:
@NAZ_Elite ❤️❤️❤️🇺🇸🥰 congrats #Atlanta2020 #welldone pic.twitter.com/L2f4Gqs9cC
— Melissa Gacek (@melissagacek) February 29, 2020
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” – Booker T. Washington These three women have supported one another and trained together for this entire lead up to #Atlanta2020. We’re so proud of their effort and @aliphinetuliamu’s win. pic.twitter.com/bo9KrYbcJ7
— HOKA NAZ Elite (@NAZ_Elite) February 29, 2020
Anyone who has seen @aliphinetuliamu work over these last few months knows that today is not a surprise! She deserves everything she has coming and I couldn’t be more proud of her, @Steph_Rothstein and the rest of my amazing teammates. We did it guys! #Tokyo2020
— Kellyn Taylor (@kellyn_taylor) February 29, 2020
In the second place slot, there was widespread shock, awe, and overwhelming support for Seidel’s performance:
Cheering so hard for Molly Seidel right now! I got to spend 6 days in Ethiopia with her at the Bekoji 100 Mile Relay last year. An amazing spirit on an ultimate life and running comeback. pic.twitter.com/Glubt6cx1u
— Meghan M. Hicks (@MeghanHicks) February 29, 2020
For Sally Kipyego, people praised her mom status, as she worked hard to get back her fitness after having her first daughter in 2017:
“I’m going back to the Olympics as a Mom!” – Sally Kipyego, fellow parent of a two year old.
— Pat Price (@PatrickPrice) February 29, 2020
Sally Kipyego!! Wreck em!! 👆🏽#olympictrials2020 https://t.co/CgcGp9gRtg
— Andrea Esparza (@aesparza7) February 29, 2020
A lot of people, though excited, never saw those Olympic Marathon team results coming:
Still in shock over those women’s results. If anyone picked all three of Tuliamuk, Seidel, and Kipyego to make the team, please tell me next week’s lottery numbers.
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) February 29, 2020
If you ever want to know who won’t make a team. Ask me my predictions #Atlanta2020 0/6
— Dana Giordano (@dana_gio6) February 29, 2020
And made sure Linden knew that she was supported for the amazing race she ran. After all, there’s still the Boston Marathon to look forward to and we know she’ll keep showing up:
@des_linden is a class act. Battling it out on the course, finishing with a smile and a congratulations for her competitors. I’m proud of you Des 💪👏 #keepshowingup #Atlanta2020 https://t.co/0G6ghAGiSl
— Lisa Wyman (@rungirl1104) February 29, 2020
@des_linden Congratulations on a gritty performance. You never gave up and were gracious to your competitors despite finishing 4th. You are a true champion with true class.
— Dustin Ward Ⓥ (@SaysWhovian) February 29, 2020
There was support all around for the newly crowned Olympic Team and the rest of the athletes who ran their hearts out:
Blacked from cheering.
Women:
1. @aliphinetuliamu
2. @ByGollyMolly12
3. @sallykipyego
4. @des_linden
5. @thweatt11
What a day. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸#Atlanta2020— Kara Goucher (@karagoucher) February 29, 2020
Watching #Atlanta2020 reminds me that Olympians are just awesome. They’re not primadonnas, not flashy, they just do things that aren’t humanly possible with a profound sense of gratitude.
— Tim Roberts (@21stCenturyTim) February 29, 2020