Dakotah Lindwurm

Her senior year, she and her teammate Sasha Hovind were the lone Wolves at the NCAA Division II cross country championships where she finished 34th in 21:39.

Lindwurm finished 36th in 2:39:08.

When Lindwurm returned to Grandma's Marathon in 2021, her career entered a new era.

She won the race, in dominate fashion, with a time of 2:29:04.

She became the first Minnesotan-born woman to win since Janice Ettle's 1991 victory.

The sub-2:30 time caught the attention of the national running community.

Among other accolades, she was named the female athlete of the year in South Dakota, where she resided at the time.

At the autumn running of the 2021 Boston Marathon, Lindwurm ran well through the first half to be one of only two American women in the lead pack.

For a while, she led the pack as the others were waiting for someone to make a move.

She dropped back as Colorado runner Nell Rojas kept moving with Diana Kipyokei and other Kenyan runners.

Dakotah Lindwurm (née Bullen, b. May 1, 1995) is a professional long-distance runner who qualified to represent the United States in the Women's Marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

Lindwurm gained notoriety after winning back-to-back victories at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in 2021 and 2022.

Her victory in 2022 made her the 12th fastest U.S. women's marathoner of all time.

She is known for her characteristic smile while racing.

In 2022, she signed a sponsorship deal with Puma.

Before she began running, Lindwurm was a goalie for the St. Francis-North Branch girls hockey team.

She then started running at St. Francis High School in St. Francis, Minnesota, where she completed in cross country and track and field.

Her overall place improved to 12th after Kipyokei's win was vacated after she failed a doping test.

At the 2022 Boston Marathon, Lindwurm was featured as one of the top American women, along with Elaina Tabb, Stephanie Bruce, and Sara Vaughn.

She looked again to place high and improve her time.

After graduating high school in 2013, Lindwurm started her collegiate running career at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

While competing for the Northern State Wolves, She was a five-time NCAA DII National Qualifier, and a two time All-American.

Lindwurm finished 13th overall and was the third-place American woman in 2:31:04.

From 2014 to 2016, she also raced and won the Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon, a grueling 26.2 miles course near the city of Duluth, Minnesota, that follows southern segments of the Superior Hiking Trail.

Her best finish at the DII Championships was 6th in the 10,000m in 2017.

After graduating college in 2017, Lindwurm focused her efforts on professional running.

She joined the Minnesota Distance Elite team and gained professional entry into the 2018 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, where she finished 13th in 1:16:16.

Lindwurm continued improving, and by early 2019, she won a local 10-mile (the Hot Dash) in 56:08.

She then won the Brian Kraft 5k in 16:21, which is one of the most competitive 5Ks in the state.

At the Get in Gear 10K on the Mississippi River Roads, she battled to finish fourth in 33:42.

After her local success, she prepared for the 2019 Grandma's Marathon.

On the route from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota, Lindwurm kept up with the leaders and finished fourth in 2:34:02.

Her success at Grandma's Marathon cemented Lindwurm as one of the best marathon runners in the US.

Lindwurm then targeted the 2019 Twin Cities Marathon.

From mile 12 until about mile 23, she led the field.

Lindwurm was passed by Julia Kohnen on Summit Avenue.

Kohnen went on to win the race with a time was 2:31:29.

Lindwurm finished second in 2:32:49, minutes ahead of third-place finisher, Heather Lieberg.

The Olympic Trials race in Atlanta was a hilly course, and the day provided a strong wind that runners faced again and again on the looped route.

Her time qualified her for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trails Marathon, and she vowed to return to Grandma's to attempt another win.