Right now, over 50 ElliptiGO athletes are competing for their ticket to the Olympics at the US Track & Field Trials. With the games just a few weeks away, it’s an incredibly exciting time as long-delayed trials finally take place in many sports all around the country. While some athletes are just now finding out the fate of their Olympic hopes, three ElliptiGO athletes have been waiting in the wings, having secured their tickets more than a year ago.
Meet Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel, and Abdi Abdirahman who are all badass, outstanding athletes representing the USA in the Marathon at the 2021 Olympics. Each have unique stories of overcoming and defying the odds, and we’re so proud to be a part of their journey to the race day of all race days.
Aliphine took first at the Women’s trials with a time of 2:27:23. Her performance at the trials was somewhat unexpected. She had the 10th fastest time in the field going into the race, so on paper, she would not have been considered a favorite to make the team.
Her performance earned her a spot on the Olympic team and, then, the world turned upside down. As it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to postpone the games, Aliphine decided to grow her family during this downtime. She gave birth to a daughter, Zoe, in January of this year. She may be the very first runner to compete at the Olympics having had a child between the trials and the games!
As she navigated returning to running postpartum, ElliptiGO bikes helped her make the transition more easily. Twice before, Aliphine has utilized ElliptiGO bikes while recovering from injury. She is part of the HOKA Northern Arizona Elite team, which has used ElliptiGO bikes to supplement their training for many years. Aliphine and the rest of the team swear by our products as the best form of cross-training.
Molly Seidel came in second at the Women’s trials, just 8 seconds behind Aliphine with a time of 2:27:31. Her results were also a bit of a surprise, especially because the trials were Molly’s first marathon ever! The ElliptiGO community might recognize her from another top title that she earned: ElliptiGO World Champion. Molly joined us for the 2020 ElliptiGO World Championship and took the top spot for our women’s event with a time of 1:33:29. 
Molly has faced some very severe injuries during her career, starting in her college career when she was the fastest in the NCAA but was sidelined with a sacral stress fracture. Injuries would come knocking again, but she didn’t let them stop her. In 2018, she was sidelined from July to December. It was during this time that she started using ElliptiGO integration as an additional resource. She continued to use that supplemental training through all of 2019 and leading up to that memorable first Marathon at the trials. In the process, paved the way to the top of the sport of stand-up cycling.
Abdi took third in the Men’s trials, with a time of 2:10:03. He is no stranger to the Olympics – this will be Abdi’s fifth appearance and he will be the oldest Team USA runner ever at the age of 44. After this historic qualification, Abdi has been training in both Ethiopia and in Arizona – he also penned his autobiography that is due out in July called Abdi’s World: The Black Cactus on Life, Running, and Fun.
Abdi too has faced injury throughout his career. He had hoped for the 2016 games to be his fifth appearance at the Olympics, but had to miss the trials due to a calf injury. At other points in his career, his hip and his femur have sidelined him. To ensure he could be at his best heading into his 5th Olympics, he’s been using ElliptiGO integration since November of 2020, particularly to replace a lot of his normal double sessions and help him recover faster between hard workouts.
Each of these athletes is an example of going after your goals relentlessly while still caring for your body. We’re so proud of all that they’ve already accomplished and can’t wait to see their performances in Tokyo. Aliphine, Molly, Abdi, best of luck! The ElliptiGO community is rooting for you.
Want to follow their Olympic journey? Follow Aliphine, Molly, and Abdi on Instagram!