November AOTM: Molly Horton

We’re thrilled to announce Molly Horton as our November athlete of the month! Molly is known in our community not only as a phenomenal and hardworking athlete but as an incredibly positive and joyful person to be around. Read more about our November athlete of the month, Molly Horton, below!

Coach Hannah says, “Molly is just a sparkly human being whom I adore so much. It's been a blessing in my life that she has become a friend outside of the gym, sparked by our mutual love of trashy reality television. In the gym, she is always so easy going and ready to work with anyone. She makes all of our day better and I find myself genuinely sad when she is not on the list for 9 am class. She recently told me her 2023 goal was to bench press 100 lbs, but just this week I saw her bench 120# for 3 reps! She is really consistent about coming in and just doing the work, so she is seeing big gainz. It's an absolute pleasure to be in Molly's orbit and I am glad that she and her partner Connor call Solcana home.”

Molly shares a little about their journey at Solcana: “I've been coming to Solcana for 2 years. I originally joined to get better at nordic skiing and stayed for the pals! I have been a distance skier and runner for a little over a decade now but starting to lift was super out of my comfort zone! It has been really fun (and scary) to test my physical boundaries, learn more about my body, and build both muscles and skills. It's also been really healing to exercise in a space that is not singularly focused on shrinking. Solcana is welcoming AND makes space for friendly competition, which I find really motivating-- I spend most classes trying to keep up with Allison's incredible burpees, Rah's wall balls, or Diver's infectious enthusiasm. I don't have any specific lifting goals (without Wodify I have truly no idea what I can lift) but I am classic skiing the Birkebeiner (55k) for the first time this year so I'm focused on building muscle that will support feeling good in that race!” 

Coach Garrett F. shares about coaching Molly, “It has been really fun to watch Molly go from being wide eyed and new to everything, to now being so good at so many of the skills that we work on. She came in with an open mind and fun attitude and she seems to keep that open-minded fun with her even as she gets more and more comfortable and skilled. It is always fun to watch people make progress and Molly has made lots of progress. She attacks the workouts in ways that are exciting, but that also seem to work well with her body and her goals. She is patient and diligent about her learning. She is also really coachable and approachable and seems largely unphased whether things are easy or difficult for her. The few times I have been side by side with her in workouts have been some of the most fun and brutal workouts I have had recently. Thanks for all that you bring to Solcana, Molly!!”

Neesh adds, “Fantastic attitude; LITERALLY EVERY TIME she walks into the space.  Molly has the most spectacular outlook and she is just a joy to be around. On top of being a bright spot in my week she is incredibly motivated to be the best athlete that she can and that manifests in her thirst for knowledge of movement. Molly is incredibly focused on the goals that are infront of her and can tackle them with a tenacity that is difficult to match. I have so much love, respect, and admiration for this human. Thanks for being you Molly”

Molly tells us a bit about their life outside of the gym, “In my real life I spend a lot of time making things! I like knitting, sewing, woodworking, ceramics, and stuff like that. I also love to cook and host dinner parties with my spouse Connor. We own a duplex In Seward with our best friends and you can usually find the four of us making merriment, margaritas and/or mischief. We also spend a lotta time outside. As I said, I like to run and Nordic ski, but I also like to canoe, camp, garden, host winter bonfires, and sit in my small inflatable pool when it's hot out. I also have a job but it's on a computer and it's boring to talk about. :)”

Fun facts about Molly: 

- She was briefly a birth doula

- They make an incredible pour over coffee

- She is very lucky with wildlife sightings. A few highlights have been a days old baby moose nursing from its mama near Buena Vista, CO, a lynx in the BWCA, & a baby cougar near Red Wing (they are super rare in MN)!

We simply adore Molly and look forward to seeing their continued progress inside and outside of the gym!!