16 NORTHERN MAGAZINE Early on in her career, Popehn flew under the radar, scoring team points at various meets for both the track and field and cross country programs. She got her first taste of larger-scale success in the spring of 2015, finishing as the runner-up in the 5000m at the Sioux City Relays: behind 2024 Northern State Hall of Fame inductee, teammate and friend Sasha Hovind. The Sioux City Relays proved to be a springboard for Popehn’s Northern State career. A trip to the 2015 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships followed. In total, Popehn made two appearances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and three at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships from 2015-2017. She closed out her Northern State career as a 2-time All-American for the Wolves, once in cross country and once in track and field; but that was just the beginning of her running career. Northern State head coach Kevin Bjerke encouraged Popehn to take the next steps following graduation, and she began pursuing a professional career as a member of Minnesota Distance Elite. “Coach Bjerke is truly the reason I’m where I’m at today,” noted Popehn. “He took a mediocre high school runner and encouraged me to believe in myself. He never set limits on me and pushed me to be my best every day.” Success made its way to Popehn again in 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back wins at the famous Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. Popehn notes that it was her time of 2:25.01 at the 2022 race that put her sights on something more. Fast forward to February 2024 at the US Olympic Trials, Popehn punched her ticket to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in the marathon. She crossed the finish line in a time of 2:25:31. This career and life-changing milestone came after years of dedication to her craft, determination and countless hours of training. In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Popehn was running 120-130 miles per week at her peak; equating to 14 hours per week of running. That does not factor in the hours of training off the running course. From February through July, Popehn, a self-described introvert and type A personality, was on a crash course of what it meant to be an Olympian. “I was just surprised by the number of people who cared and were invested in my success,” said Popehn. She took a short trip to Paris in April to see the course and game plan for the difficult task ahead, which included 1,400 feet of elevation over the 26.2-mile course. “I had incredibly supportive professors and coaches at Northern,” explained Popehn. “I can still remember walking into a chemistry lecture and my professor having a newspaper article about the race I had run the weekend before. I loved how involved the professors were.” DAKOTAH POPEHN
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