Shalane Flanagan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shalane Flanagan

Flanagan running at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.
Personal information
Born	(1981-07-08) July 8, 1981 (age 44) Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States
Height	5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m)
Weight	106 pounds (48 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
College team	North Carolina Tar Heels
Club	Bowerman Track Club
Turned pro	Jun. 2004
Coached by	Jerry Schumacher
Retired	Oct. 2019
Now coaching	Bowerman Track Club
Achievements and titles
World finals	2005 5000 m, 16th (h) 2007 5000 m, 8th 2009 10,000 m, 14th 2011 10,000 m, 7th 2013 10,000 m, 8th 2015 10,000 m, 6th
Olympic finals	2004 5000 m, 22nd (h) 2008 10,000 m, 2 Silver 5000 m, 9th 2012 Marathon, 10th 2016 Marathon, 6th
Personal best(s)	Outdoor 1500 m: 4:05.86 (Eugene 2007) 5000 m: 14:44.80 (Walnut 2007) 10,000 m: 30:22.22 (Beijing 2008) Indoor 3000 m: 8:33.25i (Boston 2007) 5000 m: 14:47.62i (Boston 2009) Road 10 km: 30:52 AR (Boston 2016) 15 km: 47:00 AR (Jacksonville 2014) Half marathon: 67:51 (San Diego 2016) Marathon: 2:21:14 (Berlin 2014)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing 10,000 m World Cross Country Championships Bronze 2011 Punta Umbria Individual Bronze 2011 Punta Umbria Team Bronze 2010 Bydgoszcz Team World Marathon Majors Gold 2017 New York Marathon Silver 2010 New York Marathon Bronze 2014 Berlin Marathon Bronze 2018 New York Marathon

Shalane Grace Flanagan (born July 8, 1981) is an American long-distance runner, coach, and Olympic medalist. She is famous for being the first American woman in 40 years to win the New York City Marathon. She also holds American records in the 10k and 15k road races.

Flanagan won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in the 10,000-meter race. Her medal was upgraded from bronze after the original silver medalist was disqualified for breaking rules. She also won a bronze medal at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. In 2017, she won the New York City Marathon, a huge achievement for an American runner.

Personal Life and Background

Shalane Flanagan grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts. In high school, she was a star in cross country and track. She also played soccer and was a talented artist.

Flanagan is married to Steven Ashley Edwards, who was also a track star at the University of North Carolina. They have two adopted children, a son named Jack and a daughter named Grace. They also served as foster parents for two teenage girls, Breauna and Keauna.

Running is in her family. Her mother, Cheryl Treworgy, was a world record holder in the marathon. Her father, Steve Flanagan, was also a world-class cross country and marathon runner.

After her professional career, Flanagan became a coach. She has coached at the University of North Carolina, Portland State University, and now coaches for the Bowerman Track Club and the University of Oregon.

Cookbooks for Athletes

Flanagan and her college friend Elyse Kopecky wrote two popular cookbooks. Their first book, Run Fast. Eat Slow, became a New York Times Best Seller. They wanted to show that healthy food could also be delicious.

Their second book was called Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow. It has recipes that are quick to make for people with busy lives. The books were a big hit in the running community.

Running Career

Flanagan's running career was full of amazing achievements, from high school to the professional level.

High School and College Star

In high school, Flanagan was a champion runner. She won state titles and set a state record in the two-mile race that was still standing in 2017.

She attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. There, she became the first person in the school's history to win a national cross country title, and she won it twice (in 2002 and 2003). She also won many awards in track and was named the best female college cross country runner in the nation two years in a row.

Professional Running Career

Flanagan turned professional in 2004 and quickly became one of the best runners in the country. She set American records in the 5000-meter and 3000-meter indoor races.

Olympic and World Success

Flanagan (right) competing in the 2009 Boston Games.

In 2008, Flanagan made her first Olympic team. At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she won a silver medal in the 10,000-meter race. She also set a new American record with her time of 30:22.22. She is only the second American woman to win an Olympic medal in that event.

In 2011, she won a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships. This was a big deal because she was the first medalist not born in Africa in seven years.

Focus on the Marathon

Flanagan running in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Later in her career, Flanagan began to focus on the marathon. In her first-ever marathon in 2010, she finished second in the New York City Marathon. This was the best finish for an American woman in that race in 20 years.

In 2012, she won the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon and competed in the marathon at the London Olympics, where she finished 10th.

Over the next few years, she continued to run fast marathons. She set a personal best time of 2:21:14 at the Berlin Marathon in 2014, which was the second-fastest time ever by an American woman at that point.

Winning the New York City Marathon

Shalane Flanagan finishing the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.

The biggest moment of her marathon career came on November 5, 2017. Flanagan won the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:26:53. She beat the three-time defending champion, Mary Keitany of Kenya.

Flanagan was the first American woman to win the race since 1977. Her victory was a celebrated moment in American sports.

Retirement and Coaching

Flanagan announced her retirement from professional running on October 21, 2019. She then became a coach for the Bowerman Track Club, helping to train the next generation of elite runners.

In 2021, she took on a unique challenge. She ran all six of the World Marathon Majors in just six weeks, finishing each one in under three hours. This showed her incredible endurance even after retirement.

Personal Best Times

This table shows Shalane Flanagan's fastest times in different running events.

Images for kids

• 

  Shalane Flanagan collapses into Amy Cragg's arms while celebrating after the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.

See also

In Spanish: Shalane Flanagan para niños

• Lynn Jennings, first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the 10,000 m (1992)