More than a marathon for Molly Joseph

Molly Joseph keeps going the extra mile. The former South Carolina cross country runner (2019-2023) competed in last week’s Boston Marathon for the first time, surprising herself with a time under three hours (2:58.39). As someone who earlier in life had struggled with mental health and overcame an eating disorder, Joseph is no stranger to championing adversity and coming out on top.

“It was very emotional going across the finish line,” the 24-year-old Joseph said. “This was the one thing I had been wanting to do my whole life, and I just did it. Boston is the best and most respected marathon in the world. I toed the line with Olympians. I got to see so many runners that I’ve looked up to. With all that I’ve been through, I wanted to beat the odds and run the best marathon in the world and do well at it.

“I was very happy with how I developed as an athlete in college, but I left college feeling like I had more in the tank. Part of my college career was taken from me with my mental health struggles and my eating disorder. I was still in the process of coming back when I graduated. I was very fulfilled with my college career in reaching the SEC Championships and being a leader, but I just knew I had more in me.”

This was Joseph’s third marathon after running in a qualifier in Virginia a year ago to the day from this year’s Boston Marathon, and ran another one in Charleston last December, which actually qualifies her for the 2026 Boston Marathon.

“Those were great because I learned about the kind of racer I was,” said Joseph, who earned her degree in public health with a minor in business in December 2023. She plans on going back to school in Charleston to earn a master’s in medical sciences and aspires to work in the dental field. “I made some mistakes in those races that I knew I didn’t want to make in Boston. With racing, you can go out too fast. With all these races, they send you out where it’s flat or downhill and it gets your adrenaline up. I had to have discipline to really hold myself back for the first ten miles in Boston because it’s a lot of rolling hills. You get to miles 16, 18, 20, and 21 and there are these massive hills that are designed to break you. It’s what makes that course so tough.”

Joseph has learned that beginners also make the mistake of not fueling their bodies enough before, during and after the race.

“You have to eat a full meal before the race, and you have to practice eating a ‘goo’ or gummies while you’re moving,” said Joseph, who keeps snacks in a fanny pack while racing. “That’s stuff that is easy to digest. You have to have nutrition on you because you burn it off so quickly. You also have to maximize all the water and Gatorade stations along the way because you’re sweating all of your electrolytes out.”

Understanding nutrition has been a big part of Joseph’s life. She was diagnosed with a binge-eating disorder, depression, and bulimia just prior to starting college. Those struggles began in middle school and continued through high school. She eventually went to a treatment center to help her with the eating disorder and spearheaded many efforts to raise mental health awareness while at South Carolina.

“My biggest thing I tell other people is, don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Joseph said. “I held it in for so long. I had to get comfortable with doing uncomfortable things. Talking to somebody and putting in all that effort was uncomfortable for me. Recovery doesn’t happen overnight. For me, it took years. Everything was worth it. Just like running a marathon, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon! You have to take it mile by mile.”

While running in Boston, that mental toughness that she developed paid off.

“I really adjusted my training when I was getting ready for Boston,” said Joseph, who credits South Carolina cross country coach Brock Moreaux for helpful training advice. “My endurance was a lot better. I didn’t really start feeling the ‘bricks’ in my legs until mile 24. At that point, I had two miles two go, and I said, gut it out! There was never a point in that race where I said I can’t do this.”

Joseph also felt support from many friends, family, and former teammates who were tracking her via a race app that was attached to her numbered racing bibb.

“When I finished the race, I had over 200 text messages from people, and it was so great,” Joseph said. “If I weren’t so exhausted, I would have been bawling, crying. I didn’t realize how close I was to my personal best (from a flat course) and going sub-three (hours) until I was about a half mile from the finish. It truly was the race of my life.

“I never thought I’d be healthy enough to be running marathons, let alone breaking three hours on the biggest stage. A marathon is 10 percent physical training, 20 percent nutrition, and 70 percent mental. The mental and nutritional parts were things I had really struggled with in the past. To take some of my biggest weaknesses and make them my strengths was a full-circle thing for me. I’ve been so happy in my life now.”

Now that she’s done it, she’s not done running.

“It’s between two things right now, and knowing me, I’m probably going to do both,” Joseph said. “I kind of want to do an Ironman (triathlon). The other thing I’ve been thinking about is doing all six of the major marathons (Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Tokyo). I’m probably going to end up doing both.”

But first, she’ll take some well-earned time off to recover from Boston.