Former college walk-on overcomes tumor to make Olympic trials

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — With fewer than 200 days to the Olympic games, some athletes are targeting gold, a medal, or a place on the team. For others, like central Ohio runner Molly Bookmyer, the Olympic trials represent a massive achievement.

Bookmyer, a former walk-on for Ohio State’s cross country and track teams, truly loves running, even if it means not finishing at the top of the podium or crossing the finish line first. To know Bookmyer is to know someone used to pushing herself. Not just on a trail or a course, but through adversity.

At 25, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Thankfully, it was non-cancerous, but the tumor kept growing. “I spent a lot of my twenties in the hospital. I had multiple surgeries, and they weren’t simple surgeries. I was in the hospital for a long time. I was always going to doctors’ appointments,” said Bookmyer.

Two brain surgeries later, the tumor was removed. But months later, while running on a treadmill, she suffered a seizure. At the time, it seemed to jeopardize her return to running. “When I run, I feel like myself. So, I wasn’t going to take no for an answer,” said Bookmyer.

She got back to training as soon as possible but then, another setback. In 2017, her husband, Eric, was diagnosed with testicular cancer, just weeks after their wedding. “I think seeing him struggle was way harder than going through my own struggles,” said Bookmyer. “Watching someone you love fight for their life is really difficult.”

As he battled and recovered, Bookmyer used running first as a way to relieve some stress. But soon, her love of competition kicked in. So, she set the goal of qualifying for the Olympic trials in 2020 as a way to honor her husband. “Whether I’m fast, or not fast, that would not change my love of running,” said Bookmyer. “But to be able to go out there and run at a high level is something really special.”

An injury ultimately kept her out of running in those trials, but now, four years later, she’s qualified again, and ready to realize her dream fulfilled. “I feel like if I go out there and give it everything that I have and I’m not afraid of racing the best women in the country, I think that I’ll be proud of myself,” she said.

The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials are Feb. 3 in Orlando, FL. The Olympic women’s marathon will be one of the last events of the games, taking place on Aug. 11, the final day of Paris 2024.