In Their Shoes: What is life like as an Olympic long-distance runner?

In summer 2021, Dakotah Popehn walked away from life as a full-time distance runner after just six months as a professional.

Something just didn’t feel right, so the St. Francis native and Hopkins resident did a career 180, picking up a job as a paralegal working in patent law.

“Slightly different,” Popehn said of her two career paths.

But just three years later, the 30-year-old was back at work as a runner, to put it humbly. She’d actually become an Olympian as one of three American women to run the marathon at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. She finished 12th, the best of all North American racers.

Popehn, whose maiden name was Lindwurm, now runs for local long-distance running team Minnesota Distance Elite and has sponsors including athletic apparel brand Puma. She’s competed in the Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Half Marathon and the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, where she finished second in 2023.

Life as a pro athlete can be surreal, such as having a Wikipedia page, which Popehn finds “hilarious.” She’s never edited it herself but said one local figure has: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

“The coolest thing ever,” she said. “He’s a runner himself, so he’s got skin in the game.”

In an interview edited for clarity and length, Popehn shares what it’s like to be in her (running) shoes.

I started when I was a freshman in high school. Growing up, I played hockey, like a true Minnesotan. My mom saw how obsessed with it I was and felt like I should broaden my horizons. So I went out for the track and field team that year, simply because I was pretty good at the mile in gym class. I was horrible, but I fell in love with it because I was seeing direct results and getting significantly better as the season went on.

If I’m on an easy run, sometimes I’m dreaming of the next race. Sometimes I’m thinking through problems. But sometimes you’re simply lost in the run. While I’m racing, it’s a little different because you have to be thoughtful about what’s going on.

Most days, I wake up between 6 and 7 a.m. I’m out the door for my first run by 8, which is usually around 10 miles. I come home, and I sauna, do core strength work, eat. I try to take a nap in the afternoon, but I’m usually going back out for a second run, between 6 and 8 miles, around 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

Races start a lot earlier. Most races, I’m up by 4 a.m. The first thing I’m doing is figuring out how I’m going to get coffee. I like to do makeup and my hair just to feel good about myself, then I’m catching a bus to go to the start line.

If it’s a marathon, we’re definitely celebrating after. I love to get pizza and some sort of beer. Maybe an old-fashioned. If it’s a 10K or a half marathon, we’re definitely still celebrating a little bit, but it’s not as fun.

Basically, I get zero days off. There’s not really any sort of vacation. Even when I’m on vacation, I have to be thinking about running. I have to make decisions that get me closer to my goals. If I go to the Timberwolves game, I have to be thoughtful about, “Oh, that means I’m not going to get as much sleep.”

We’re not making the type of money other professional athletes are. I’m no Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. You have to be thoughtful about paychecks. When you make the Olympic team, you get insurance for a year, so that’s not something I’m having to worry about now. But I’ll likely have to next year. You definitely have to be more responsible. I’ve set up my own 401(k), for example, so I hopefully someday can retire.

Making my Olympic team in 2024. Crossing the finish line and getting to run into my family’s arms, knowing that the dreams we had been working toward came true. It’s hard for me to put into words because it’s the pinnacle of our careers. You dream about it a million times.

I’m an incredibly competitive person in all aspects of my life. Walking through the grocery store, I’m going to walk faster than anyone. It’s my goal to be the fastest person in the grocery store. I can’t do anything at a noncompetitive level.

When I go out for my runs, and I’m all by myself for 10 miles, I feel closest to God and most like myself. It’s the most freeing part of my day.

A lot of really good marathon runners actually come from Minnesota and the Midwest in general, and I do believe it’s because we are really gritty, hardy people who face a lot of adversity in the winter. That plays into my hand in a marathon.

I know I can do hard things because I survived 30 winters.

Gannon Hanevold is a freelance writer based in Minneapolis. His email is gannonhanevold14@hotmail.com.

In Their Shoes is an occasional series highlighting Minnesotans at work. If there’s a type of job you want us to profile — or if you have someone who would be a good candidate — email us at InTheirShoes@startribune.com.