Dakotah Lindwurm just wrapped up an impressive performance at the Paris Olympic Marathon, finishing in 12th place with a time of 2:26:44.

She was the Olympic Trials third place finisher but just finished as the top American in Paris. Training went really well in the build-up and she admits to believing she was capable of medaling.

After the halfway mark, she even found herself in the lead of the race. On a course that was tough and hilly, Dakotah stuck to her steady strategy. While others were surging and falling back, she maintained her pace, staying within striking distance of the leaders. She fared well on the hills that broke several of the top marathoners and then shared a story of how a little boy on the side of the road helped energize her enough to finish strong and pass reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir toward the end of the race.

Dakotah is taking a lot of confidence from this one and is ready for her next one – the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 3rd. We talk about her goals for that one and how Paris has totally warped our thinking on how tough hills are.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Dakotah Lindwurm | ⁠⁠⁠@dakotahlindwurm on Instagram

The following excerpt has been edited lightly for clarity. You can listen to the full interview with Dakotah Lindwurm on the CITIUS MAG Podcast – available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.

CITIUS MAG: At what point in your training block for Paris did you start thinking about getting a medal?

Dakotah Lindwurm: Right away. You don't go to the Olympics to be like, ‘I'm just happy to be here.' That's not the type of person I am, not the type of athlete I am. Look at Molly (Seidel) — In 2021, nobody probably said she was going to win a medal. But you never know what's going to happen, especially in a marathon. I think us marathoners have a lot of room for dreaming, because you just don't know what's going to happen on the day. You don't know how well people are prepared. You don't know how the course is going to affect them.

I'm just a dreamer that way. And honestly, my Olympic Trials build had gone so well that I really felt like I was in even better shape than I proved on that day. Nobody really sees the work that's done, unless you follow me on Strava and even then you don't really see it all. I just felt like I was really fit.

CITIUS MAG: Conner Mantz and Clayton Young went and ran 13 miles of course the week before. They were like, ‘It's not that bad.’ But for you, none of that fear ever dissipated?

Dakotah Lindwurm: I heard them, I talked to them and they said that. I was like, ‘You guys are so psychotic. For me, I want my expectations to meet reality. If I go into it and I say, ‘It's not that bad,’ and then I get there and am like, ‘Oh, it's bad,’ that's an issue for me. I'd rather go into it and pretend like I'm going up Everest and then get there and be like, ‘It's not as bad as I thought it was.’ So for me, I think it's a mind game.

CITIUS MAG: Around that 13 mile mark you not only catch the pack, but you're leading the whole race. What did that feel like? You're leading the Olympic marathon.

Dakotah Lindwurm: I said it in a quote earlier, but it was like I took a Mario Kart shortcut. I looked back a little bit, which I don't normally do. It was like, ‘What just happened? How did I get here?’ I just kind of laughed to myself because in no way did I think I'd be taking it out like that. It was super cool. I swear I could hear all of Minnesota cheer for me all at once. We had a whole theater here filled with people. So I was like, ‘I'm not doing this to be showboating, I'm not doing this to get my 15 minutes of fame, but I'm glad that the people at home are probably wired right now.

CITIUS MAG: One thing I love about most of the running photos that people have taken of you during the marathon is you're all smiles. What does smiling do for you during a marathon? Because it looks like you're having the time of your life.

Dakotah Lindwurm: Truly, I am. Even in the worst parts, even in the darkest moments of a marathon, I enjoy it. If you run a marathon, you've got something messed up. You love to hurt in some way. The first time I ran a marathon at Grandma's, I was going through one of those dark moments and my dad happened to be there. I gave him a smile and a strong arm and it immediately pulled me out of it…

It snaps me out of bad thoughts. It forces me to be happy. I love when I can hear, ‘Look at how good she looks!’ or, ‘She's smiling, that's awesome!’ I hope that one person sees it and is like, ‘If an elite marathoner can have fun while doing this, maybe I can.’ Hopefully it inspires them to, number one, have fun during their marathons, or number two, sign up for their first marathon.

CITIUS MAG: In that moment when you're leading the race, is there even the 1% thought of, ‘I could win?’

Dakotah Lindwurm: The whole race is like, ‘I could win.’ You don't know what’s going to happen. Even when you're getting passed, you don't know what's going to happen to them at (mile) 20 or what happens with them going down the hill. I think we have to be delusional in some way to keep going.

CITIUS MAG: You ended your marathon recap on Instagram with: ‘If the race was a mile or two longer I could have closed. But if I had been 10th, I would have been pining for a medal. If I had won gold I would have wished I won by a bigger margin. That’s the beauty of this sport, we’re always striving for more.’

Dakotah Lindwurm: That's why we're seeing so many records being broken. We're all just wanting more from ourselves. I think it's so beautiful because we're just never satisfied. We’re always just striving for more.

CITIUS MAG: In addition to your success, what's got you most excited about Minnesota Distance Elite and having more training partners?

Dakotah Lindwurm: I'm super excited to get back to practice with some of these newbies, the fresh blood. They're going to come out and challenge me. We have all these women who all have different strengths. Annie (Frisbie) on the track, it's just hold on for dear life every time. Then we get to long runs and she kind of does the same thing for me. She just tries to hold on to me. I think that there's so much value in having different strengths because it forces us all to get better in the areas that we need to. Being surrounded by women who all have the same goal: being at the very best, being the best in America. Rising waters float all boats. We’ve got a lot of people at MDE who want to be the best.

CITIUS MAG: Shortly after finishing the marathon, the proposal happens. Tell me that story. Did you have any idea it was going to happen?

Dakotah Lindwurm: I had no idea it was going to happen. I had dropped hundreds of hints that I wanted it to happen. Some subtle, some not so subtle. But (Montana) had done a really good job of hiding it or making me believe there was just no chance that it was ever going to happen. Only three people knew, not even anybody in his family. My dad, my aunt – who is basically my mom at this point – and then we had a camera guy who's been following me around the last couple years. They're the only three who knew. So it was a surprise to very many people…

I think it was his sister-in-law recording it. I think maybe he asked her to. Then there was some guy waiting to see Sifan (Hassan) I think. (She) had funny commentary like, ‘It’s a proposal! It’s a proposal! She said yes!’

Time Stamps:

• 6:21 - What her goals were heading into the Olympic Marathon.
• 7:25 - How her build for the Trials compared to her build for the Olympics.
• 9:01 - Details on her strength training.
• 10:09 - Her experience at the Opening Ceremony.
• 14:42 - Watching other Team USA performances.
• 16:44 - How she managed her nerves heading into the race.
• 17:57 - Details on her race plan.
• 20:30 - How she approached her competitors,
• 24:20 - Breaking down the race.
• 31:04 - How she tackled the epic marathon course hill.
• 37:33 - Story about the boy who ran alongside her during the race.
• 44:29 - Post-marathon proposal story.
• 47:08 - The behind-the-scenes of Minnesota Distance Elite.
• 48:15 - Why she's running the NYC Marathon next.
• 52:07 - Thoughts on going after the American marathon record.