NYRR Media Center

Shalane Flanagan ended a 40-year drought for American women in the open division at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon by seizing the crown from defending champion Mary Keitany of Kenya with a time of 2:26:53. With her first victory in just her second appearance at the New York City Marathon—she was the runner-up in her marathon debut in 2010—Flanagan became the sixth U.S. women’s champion in the event and recorded the second-fastest time by a U.S. woman in the race.

In 2018, Flanagan returned to take third at the TCS New York City Marathon, clocking an even better time than the year prior in 2:26:22.

The 16-time national champion and Olympic silver medalist will be racing again this year as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador. She is also an avid supporter of NYRR’s Run for the Future program, which empowers young women entering their senior year of high school to learn about running while building self-esteem and confidence, developing leadership skills and training to complete a 5K run.

In 2010, Flanagan finished as the runner-up in the five boroughs—just behind Edna Kiplagat and ahead of Keitany—recording the highest finish by an American woman in 20 years.

In 2012, she set a U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon record of 2:25:38 in just her second attempt at the distance, and went on to finish 10th at the Olympics in London. In 2016, Flanagan placed third at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon and was the top American at the Olympics in Rio, running 2:25:26 for sixth. Flanagan finished third in the Beijing 2008 Olympic 10,000 meters; her bronze medal was upgraded to a silver in 2017 after Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey’s medal was stripped as a result of a doping violation. Flanagan is the second American woman to medal in the Olympic 10,000 meters, following Lynn Jennings from the Barcelona 1992 Games.

Born in Boulder, CO and raised in Marblehead, MA, Flanagan attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She married fellow Tar Heel track athlete Steve Edwards, and in 2015, the couple became foster parents to two teenage girls. Both of Flanagan’s parents are accomplished runners: Her mother, Cheryl Treworgy, is a former marathon world record-holder and her father, Steve, represented the U.S. at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.