After graduating from college in 2017, Popehn 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. Popehn 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. She is also a paralegal.
2019 After her local success, she prepared for the 2019
Grandma's Marathon. On the route from
Two Harbors to
Duluth, Minnesota, Popehn kept up with the leaders and finished fourth in 2:34:02. Her success at Grandma's Marathon cemented Popehn as one of the best marathon runners in the US. Her time qualified her for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, and she vowed to return to Grandma's to attempt another win.
2020 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. Popehn finished 36th in 2:39:08.
2021 When Popehn returned to Grandma's Marathon in 2021, her career entered a new era. She won the race, in dominant 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, Popehn 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. Popehn finished 13th overall and was the third-place American woman in 2:31:04. Her overall place improved to 12th after Kipyokei's win was vacated after she failed a doping test.
2022 At the
2022 Boston Marathon, Popehn 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. During the race, she tied the fastest 5K split of all the female racers (along with 2018 winner
Des Linden and Canadian
Malindi Elmore). She was becoming familiar with the hills and finished a minute faster than her previous finish. After Kenyan
Peres Jepchirchir won in a final sprint, Popehn finished as the 14th overall woman (and the fourth American) in 2:29:55. In the summer of 2022, Popehn took a second victory at Grandma's Marathon. Her winning time was a new marathon
personal record of 2:25:01, narrowly missing the all-time course record. Her time at the 2022 Grandma's wasn't just fast for the course. In a year that saw the American record fall twice (at the
Houston Marathon and
Chicago Marathon) and other incredible times posted, Popehn's time ranked her the sixth-fastest U.S. woman marathoner of 2022 (before the November
New York City Marathon). She stood behind only five other uber-elite U.S. women: the new American marathon record-holder
Emily Sisson; the three
World Championship finishers
Emma Bates,
Sara Hall, and
Keira D'Amato (who had broken the American record a few months before Sisson); and
Gold Coast Marathon record-setter
Lindsay Flanagan.
2023 As the Boston organizers announced their 2023 field, Popehn was again listed as one of the top American contenders. The announcement wasn't a surprise, in 2022, she was one of only 10 U.S. women who had run the new Olympic standard time for women's marathon (2:26:50). She competed at the 2023 15K USATF Championship, which took place March 4 at the
Gate River Run in
Jacksonville, Florida. She finished in 52:03 for 4th place as
Emily Sisson won her third title. On March 19, 2023, she placed sixth in the New York City Half Marathon, four seconds behind
Des Linden. The race was won by
Hellen Obiri. Popehn voiced confidence going into the
2023 Boston Marathon, but acknowledge the historic depth of the assembled women's field. The women's race unfolded tactically. A large pack ran together during the first 5K, then splintered some at the 10K. In the final miles,
Obiri broke ahead for the win, with many American runners following in personal record-setting times.
Emma Bates finished in 2:22:10—for fifth place,
Aliphine Tuliamuk and
Nell Rojas both ran under 2:25 for PRs. Popehn's pace slowed as the race stretched out; she finished in 2:33:53 for 26th. She ran the 2023 USATF 25K Championships at the
Amway River Bank Run, where she finished fourth in 1:25:58 after
Betsy Saina,
Keira D'Amato, and
Jessa Hanson. At the June running of
Grandma's Marathon, Popehn led most of the way. But a chase pack that included
Lauren Hagans,
Gabi Rooker, and
Grace Kahura made gains after the half. Hagans caught Popehn after running behind her for a half mile, then passed her to take the win in her debut marathon. Popehn finished second in 2:26:56. October's
Chicago Marathon had near perfect conditions for racing.
Sifan Hassan won the race in 2:13:44. Popehn stayed in the mix with the top women and ended up running near fellow Minnesotans
Gabi Rooker and
Emma Bates. Popehn finished 12th overall, with a new personal best time: 2:24:40. She was the fifth American behind
Emily Sisson,
Molly Seidel,
Sara Vaughn, and
Gabi Rooker.
2024 On February 3, 2024, Popehn ran 2:25:31 at the
US Olympic Marathon Trials at
Orlando, Florida, to place third and qualify for the
Marathon at the
2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She finished behind
Fiona O'Keeffe and
Emily Sisson, both of whom also qualified. On Saturday, June 22, 2024, at the
Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, after spending several hours signing autographs for fans the previous day, Dakotah achieved a PR Half Marathon with a time of 1:08:03, finishing in 2nd place just after the winner, and Puma teammate,
Annie Frisbie. Both women broke the previous women's course record. She competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Women's marathon on August 11, 2024, finishing in 12th place with a time of 2:26:44. Popehn competed in the 2024
New York City Marathon on November 3, 2024, finishing in 17th place. Popehn led the race briefly in the early miles. == Personal life ==