 Dakota, you're coming off of a huge couple of weeks here headed to Paris 2024. How are you feeling right now? I'm feeling like I'm still on cloud nine. I just told my chiropractor yesterday. I feel like I'm going to wake up from a dream any day now. I've been having just the most fun getting to experience all of this stuff. It's, I love your story. You have such a cool story in the sport and you're an underdog. And that's what you said immediately following, following the race. Did you ever think as a kid that this was a possibility for you? Not necessarily in the marathon. When I was in middle school, I watched Miracle on ice about the 1980 Olympic team, which funny enough happened exactly today. However, many years ago now, and I remember watching Jim Craig. I was a goalie and he was the goalie of the team. And I remember being like, that's what I was put on this earth to do. Like that's what I want to do is be an Olympian. So at that time I thought it would be in hockey, but you know, God had other plans for me. Well, as a Minnesotan, I feel like hockey is kind of the natural, the natural pick, right? Yeah, yeah, for sure. It's like, it's like a growing up, like right of passage. You have to try hockey. Exactly. And people don't really want to go outside and run in those Minnesota winters. Very, very true. So you then you were playing hockey, you were running in high school, and then you went to college and you decided to walk on to the cross country team there. Why? Why did you decide that you wanted to keep doing this? You know, it's that's such a funny question because other than the fact that I just loved it, like there was no real other reason. I just was really enjoying it. I was doing better throughout high school and I thought, you know, like maybe I've got a little bit left in me and I want to find my potential and find my ceiling. And the coach I met with him before, like we had a little walk through when I went toward the campus and he seemed like a really great fit for me and somebody like that I'd get along with. So I thought like I may as well try. And it worked. I mean, I just don't try. Okay. And so we will talk more about kind of your story in this part, but I want to go back to the the Olympic trial marathon. It was such a competitive field of women and you guys stayed together as a pack for so long. Were you expecting that? Was that helpful? Was it intimidating? Like how did you navigate the pack? Yeah, I did expect that because honestly, like going into it, I kept telling people it could be like one. It could be three of like 20 women, maybe even more who can make that team. Like there were so many people who just one tap surprised me because it's so, so deep right now. There was a little bit of chaos and just having that big of a group together, but all together, I think it's helpful. It really is nice to have people to work with and for it to not be super spread out super early. I thought I enjoyed it, but it did get a little bit chaotic around bottle stations, I guess. Because of the heat, I'm sure in anticipating the heat. No one was skipping those water stops. No, absolutely not. They were they were necessary and they did a really great job of having enough of them out there. And so you there were times where you decided to take the lead and you were leading the pack, you'd fall back, you'd lead again. Some people will say that leading is is overwhelming and intimidating and scary, but you feel comfortable up there, don't you? I do and it really was not the plan for me to ever lead. I think going into it, I told my coach like I want to be unseen unheard like until the end. But I saw my family and there's such a rush of emotions and such joy you get when you like can make eye contact with somebody you love and I felt really good. And I have no problems leading. I just don't think it's always the smartest thing, but I've got so much experience, especially running the grandma's marathon and I usually typically take that out and lead at the entire time. So I feel like it's in my wheelhouse to lead for sure, but it's not always the smartest race strategy. So you mentioned grandma's there, a marathon that's near and dear to your heart. What does that race mean to you and what, why do you keep going back to it? I've got just, I could pick any year that I've been there and I just got the best memories from every single year I've been there. It's one that my family can come watch me compete in my, both of my grandparents are a bit older and have a hard time traveling. So it's, it's just close enough that they can still make it up there. It was where my mom watched me qualify for my first Olympic trials. And I just have all these special memories at the finish line there and I just absolutely love it. And then on the flip side of it, talking more about my career, I feel like every time I go up there, I reach a new achievement there. And it springboards me into another level every time I compete at grandma's and the director, the elite coordinator, they're all people I really care about at this point. I, you know, I've got their numbers, I might go compete in like a golf tournament with them. Like they're, they're people who care about me as a person over me as an athlete. And I, I don't know, it's just like I want to get back to them as much as they've given to me. That's an interesting kind of distinction there. And it seems like your family is a huge part of this journey for you as well. Being kind of like Dakota the human and then Dakota the runner. What helps you stay grounded in fulfilling or like filling your cup as a human that allows you to perform as the athlete because it sounds like when you're feeling full as a human, that's when the performances are best for you as an athlete. Yeah, the things that I think filled me as a human are pretty simple just being around my family like we had talked about and being around my boyfriend who's super calming and it's a constant reminder that I think it's easy to get sucked in to say like oh running is everything running is your whole personality. But so often he's like not really a runner and he'll just be like why are you, why are you upset about this? Like this is such a small aspect of the day or you know this week. So he keeps me really grounded and my faith keeps me very grounded and remind me that like running, running isn't everything for me. It's just one of the things that I happen to love on this planet. Before this, before the marathon, you posted that this build was one of your favorites. And I want to talk about that because I think that's, you know, we celebrate the day, we celebrate the accomplishment of, you know, placing third and becoming an Olympian. But there was a lot of work that happened that we didn't get to witness. So what did that build look like for you and why was it your favorite? This build, well, first of all, I was in Florida training instead of Minnesota throughout the winter. So I think that I mean, immediately makes it a fun build just being in the warmth and in the sun. But everything just clicked. I got to do higher mileage than I'm used to. My coach, you know, him and I talked about it before and I said, Hey, I've been handling high mileage. Well, let's see if we can bump it up 10 more miles a week. And that seemed to work really well. And the workouts just came together. There were none that I was like, Oh, I really wish I could go back and do. And as we were tapering, I was telling my teammate Annie Frisbee who took 10th at the trials. I was like, I just, I just don't want this build to end. I feel like everything feels so good. Of course, you know, it all comes to an end at a big race, a cumulative race, I guess. And obviously, I'm super happy with what came of it. But when you're in that just really great fitness, like great mindsets. It's just so much fun to go out and do those workouts. I love that. And I love that you're just like smiling talking about it like this is so, so great. And you, you smile during the marathon and you look like you're, you're enjoying what you're doing. And you also had this like, you, I think you've said undeniable belief in yourself from, was it from the training, the positive training cycle that you had? That you were going to accomplishment, accomplish this. How did that all kind of come together and where did that belief come from? I don't know where that belief came from, but I just, I don't know how I knew. I just knew that that was going to be my day. Every time I finished a workout, I'd text my boyfriend and be like, we're going to Paris. There's just no way I'm not making this team. I can still remember on December 31. We did a really great workout and I put in my running log to my coach. I said, start looking at flights. You're, we're going to go to Paris and my dad didn't have a passport. So I texted him many times and like, dad, you've got to get to the DMV. You've got to schedule this. Like it takes a while. And I don't know. I just, the reason I'm smiling so much is this is literally my dream come true. I still can't believe I'm living just a daydream basically. So it's a whirlwind, right? You cross the finish line. You're immediately, you know, Fiona and Emily are there hugging you. Then the media starts. People are asking you, what does it feel like? All of these things, right? What moment did you, when did you like sit and recognize like what actually happened? You know, I don't even know if it's yet happened. I wouldn't say it really was like, okay, this really sunk in until maybe like a week later. We spent the next week in the Dominican. We had planned a vacation, whether I went to or whether I'd made the team or not just to, you know, kind of get away. And I think sometime down there, we were like sitting in a cabana and all of a sudden it was just like, this is happening. Like this really is happening. Yeah, but right after the race everybody's like, can you believe it? And I'm like, I still think I'm going to wake up from a dream right now. No, I can't believe it. So often in those, when you're racing or maybe this isn't true for you, but so often you hear people say when they're racing, you don't remember anything that just happened. You're like, where's the water? Like I need to sit. Yeah, I definitely get that. I have went back and watched this race over to kind of like remember some things. And I think I've talked about it so much that I feel like this is probably the most clear memory of a race I have, but very often you kind of just like black out. When you watch it back, are there any, do you remember what you were thinking in each moment of, you know, different miles and things like that? Certainly, I actually just want to write it all down so that I can keep these memories forever. But yeah, like when I, when I got dropped near the end, I can distinctly remember saying like, oh, there goes the team and I'm not on it. And then, like, when I passed Sarah thinking like, oh, I'm passing Sarah Hall, somebody I've looked up to for so long in my career and like just those, you know, those fun little memories for sure. So how do you, in those moments when you're like, oh, there goes the team and I'm not on it? How do you stay locked in, especially in a race like this where it's like the top three go and if you're, if you place fourth, still a huge accomplishment, but there is that let down, right? Yeah, definitely. Going into the race, I told my coach Chris Lundstrom, fourth, fiftieth or last would have been equally disappointing. And I wanted to cover every single move I wanted to be aggressive and he is just such a smart man and such a great coach. He was like, hey, if something happens late in the race and for whatever reason, somebody makes a move, you don't cover it and you're not in the top three, don't panic. I just know that like it's a marathon. I've run enough of these to see what happens in those last six miles can be pretty drastic. And so I think just keeping his coaching in my head and Caroline Rotich came and passed me and she gave me so much encouragement. She was like, hey, this isn't over. Let's work together. Let's go catch them and like so much props to her because she really kept me in it and kind of switched my mindset in that moment. It's so cool to hear because I think often people think of running as such an individual sport and it is don't like right you're running your own race, you're focused, you have your own strategy. You're really digging into yourself to show up, but there's such a community. And it seems like you felt that you've trained with Annie. Yeah, can you talk about the running community and how you've built your support system since becoming a professional runner? Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, a marathon is absolutely so difficult. It's so, so hard. And I think like the more that we can come together and rally with each other the faster as a community that we will be like even in Paris. I really hope that me, Emily and Fiona can work together and push each other because like a good day, if Fiona has a good day and that pushes me, hopefully then I'm having a good day as well. So I think just as much as when we're on the starting line, we're like, I want to beat all these women. It's like, if they all have good days and they push me to have a good day, that's a win too. And I, whenever I think about that, I also, I always think of Dez and Shalene and the, what was it, was it 2018? That Dez was, yeah, and Dez was, yeah, Sposten and Dez was like, I'm just going to throw it in and then she ends up putting the whole thing. But she was helping Shalene and that's, you know, what it came down to. Right. Yeah, which is, which is so cool. And then you got to meet, I read that you were walking into the after party and Dez was there and like called you by name. Yeah, I, so Dez is also somebody I've looked up to for so long and Dez and Kara Goucher were there and Allie Feller from Allie on the Run and I like walked out the back patio and they all were like losing their minds that I was there and it was just like so taken aback. And you guys are the people I look up to and I like really aspire to be and it was just amazing that they knew who I was. It's so cool. It's so cool now too that there's so many women to look up to in the sport, right. There's so many women who are still competing who are still involved to kind of bring up these next generations. I'm doing that now for, for younger athletes who might not, you know, be plastered all over the walls of their high school or, you know, be the fastest person breaking records, but it's still possible. And I think that's so cool. Have you recognized the impact that you're having on the younger running community. Yeah, it's, it's something that you just don't really see, but I, I've gotten a few DMs that I, my DMs are just unhinged right now I try to go back and like look at especially like the young one, like the younger athletes who are like hey this really inspired me out to them because it's like, I feel like so often especially we see it in girls and women's sports that we, there's such a drop off that we, you know, walk away from sports earlier than men typically do so if I could just inspire one girl to stay in it a little bit longer, like that would make my whole career worth it for sure. And so, for you it was like going to college and walking on to the team and then you didn't immediately have have the plan to pursue running professionally right. No, I had my plan was I had actually gotten a job offer to be a teacher which is what my degree was in. I was like, hey, I think you could qualify for the Olympic trials and the marathon and I was like hold on. I don't even know what that means like what's the qualifying time how do I do this like where do I have to go who do I have to run with and I literally like the next day walked into his office with a pen and a piece of paper and I said I need to know about this because like my heart immediately was called to do that and he was such a like a big reason that I got to where I am now because I never would have even known this was a world of a possibility I guess. How have you navigated it that you know was it 2021 you became you signed with Puma, you're running for them. What has this. What did that conversation with your coach open your world to what does it look like now. It's I mean it's crazy I think you know he didn't want me to just like row caution to the wind and say, you know, pursue this full time, of course like this doesn't work out for necessarily everybody it doesn't really work out for most people so. I had to move to Minneapolis, I got a part time job working in like daycare centers that worked with my running schedule but now it's. I guess like, I just had to ask my coach to take me on even like Minnesota distance elite didn't necessarily sign me right away I had to ask for them to coach me and I was kind of like a walk on here and I had to get an agent and you know all of that. What has that felt like to you when you look back and you kind of you you paved this own path for yourself. Nothing was handed to you and it was just it was that undeniable belief in yourself and what you are called to do in the sport. When you look back and reflect on that how, how do you feel. I wouldn't want it any other way honestly. I, it's hard because I can't imagine a world in which things were handed to me I can't imagine a world in which I was like a high school phenom at this so I feel like my journey is exactly what I would want it to be and it's what I. I wish I saw more of I guess so that I would have known. When I was younger that like you, you can keep pushing and I think that it's an important story to be told because there's got to be so many high school girls out there who are like I really love this and I really want to work hard but like what's this going to bring me at the end. The lines can change so much right like I mean we see with you we see with your speed because even your slow runs now right you'd like to keep everything pretty fast and I'm sure that you know 16 year old Dakota would never imagine that you're running 130 miles a week at the speeds you're running at. No, it's 16 year old Dakota would have thought that's probably impossible. So what does what are the outside of the runs of course the 130 miles are essential to performing the way that you are but what other things are you doing to set you up for success. I think there's two big key things the first is like we've touched on it just, I call it like being stupid enough to believe you can do it, or just be ignorant enough to think you can do it. But the other thing is just waking up every day and saying, What am I going to do today to be better or move closer to my goal. And then you lay down at night and you say okay what did I do today to get closer to my goal and just making every decision based on you know what what your dreams are I guess you know this is a 365 day a year job. There are no off days even if I'm not running on a day itself to make decisions I get me closer to my, my goal. You're not going on any benders or junk food things because you know you're probably going to feel it right. And that's the thing is you do like you know I'm not perfect I certainly eat pizza on Sundays but you also do. You then feel it the next day for sure. And I think sometimes just being happy kind of fills your cup as a runner as well and sometimes that means you know having a glass of wine or some pizza or some bad Chinese food or whatever. We need it all right it's all yeah there's all there's a purpose for everything. Absolutely. And so you talk about setting these goals and it sounds like, you know, be qualifying for the Olympics, and making the team was top of the list and it has been. Do you are you like a journal or do you write your goals down are you a sticky note person like how do you. How do you manifest how do you stay focused on what you're you set out to do. I am a sticky note person and I will have like my goals either that or I'll take like a dry race marker and write it on the mirror somewhere I'm going to see every day I like to have that like super front and center because you know then when I'm sitting at my desk here and I'm like oh I just don't really want to go out for my run it's like well I want to be top three at the Olympic trials so I'm going to go through that. I am just a like power positive thinking person clearly like if over the last three months if you would have heard me talk it would have been like okay well when I make the Olympics. This is what I'm going to do this summer and when I make the Olympics it's this is how we're going to handle that kind of stuff it's never like oh maybe if I make it I feel like it's really important to say like I am I'm doing this. That's powerful and that's that confidence I'm sure in your runs helps to are you a mantra person I normally save this question for the end but are you a mantra person do you repeat things on your runs. I'm not like a daily run necessarily but my when I'm racing I always write it on my hand to I write. I am strong I am fast my speed will last which is kind of like arithmetic so it if I'm kind of hurting I just kind of go back to that and repeat it it kind of calms me down and kind of gets my head back in the game. I want to also talk about Paris and like what this is going to look like so we're chatting here about what happened in Orlando all the exciting things all that's come from it. But what happens between now and and July what does the next what do the next few months look like for you. I have a few trips coming up I'm going to go to the North Carolina to be in a like a photo photo shoot with a Puma. And then Puma has graciously offered to fly me over to Paris or throwing a party in April and it's a great opportunity to get a you know a good look at the course I'm going to do that as well but I'll be making stops racing along the way I intend to run the the half marathon at grandma's and I've got a couple more things in the works but they're not set in stone yet so we will see. Are you restarting the builds are you do you taper at all posts like in the recovery. Yeah so I had a full week off after the on pick trials and the last couple weeks have been just building easy slow miles basically not anything no workouts just building up mileage and we take it really slow especially when we have six months in between marathons which is a long time especially I know you like to jump right you like racing right. I love racing and I'm like this is maybe one of the longest stretches I've gone without racing a marathon since I started marathoning but it'll be good for me we've got you know plans to work on my top end speed which is maybe like more of my my weaker suit will call it so it'll be good to take that time to work on that stuff but I just love racing marathon so I'm going to miss it for sure. Well then that will be like a nice when you get to actually do it in Paris at the Olympics or it'll be like all these all of these elements filling the cup break. Absolutely yeah. What are you most excited for for the for the race in Paris. I'm really excited to like see all the sites I've checked out the course a little bit and it's like you know going past the Eiffel tower the Arctotrion and the Lou like but I think that's a really cool way to see the city and I've never been to Europe so it'll be just a really fun way to explore Paris I can't think of a better way to see the city actually you know outside of the race and I think the marathon is towards the end of the of the couple weeks but outside of the race itself what are you most excited for with the Olympic experience. It's hard to narrow it down to one my family I've got quite a bit of family coming over my my dad's never even been outside the country so I think I'm excited to watch him experience something so new it's pretty rare that we get to watch our parents have a new experience. But I'm also very excited for like the coffee and the food and like getting that side of Paris also 100%. They. So what is your family think of all of this because to see you as the, you know, average high school runner now be an Olympic marathoner. What is what's their reaction is it's been really interesting because my dad spent somebody who's like, whatever Dakota is going to wants to do is what Dakota is going to do like he's always been somebody who's just had total belief in me. But after the race I was like dad did you like actually like when I started running professionally like what did you actually think was going to come he's like well of course I didn't think you were going to make the Olympics like this is such a big thing and I actually just did the math, you know the women have only been running the marathon and the Olympics for not too long and I've won a 42 women to ever make the marathon for the Americans. Obviously it's such a small pool. So I think he's just I think he's overwhelmed by how proud he is. That's such a must be a great feeling as his daughter. Oh my gosh yeah I mean he's just the best dad ever and has so much he's just always been somebody who's been so supportive so it's it's super fun to carry him along with this on this journey as well. Does he run. No, he said he's gonna he wants to do a 5k with me now he's committed to it after the trials he's like I want to run one race just to see what it feels like because he sees me have so much emotion at the finish line and of course he feels emotional in a different way and in a fatherly prideful way but I want him to experience what it's like to be like oh I'm so proud of myself for doing something really hard. And that's the thing and with the marathon you mentioned it earlier that the marathon is hard regardless of how how much you've trained like 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles. It doesn't get any easier. Anytime you do it right so describe the feeling, you know that rush of emotions when you cross the finish line. What, what is that. It's just elation and there's also like a little bit of relief that goes with it because it's like all this hard work is not for nothing I guess and just so much pride and knowing that I can do hard things I guess. So as we wrap up here. I know we mentioned, you know, 16 year old Dakota of where you are now but if you could go back, or not if you could go back but if you could say something to a younger you. What would you tell her. I haven't heard, you know, the space stupid enough to believe you can. I think that's got to be, you know, the kind of like my life mantra is just, you know who cares what anybody else says if you want to do it go do it. I absolutely love your, your mindset and your approach, and I can tell how much joy that this sport brings you which is really fun, which is really really fun to see. So, we already talked about your mantra which is typically my closing question but if people want to follow along with you now until Paris and then in Paris, where can they find you and how can they support you. Yeah, I'm on Instagram, just at Dakota Lindor and that's kind of like my only social media platform that I post on awesome well Dakota thank you so much for taking the time and good luck in Paris will be written for you.