Shalane Flanagan Biography

Fast Facts

• Born to a pair of elite runners, including a former women's marathon world-record holder (as Cheryl Bridges, in 1971)
• Qualified for the 2004 Olympics as a UNC collegian, taking third in the trials 5000m after leading the first 4800m
• Missed out on 2006 while recovering from surgery to remove an extra bone from her left foot
• Set American records at 3000m and 5000m indoors; and 5000m (since broken) and 10,000m (in her first attempt) outdoors
• Captured the 10,000m bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming just the second U
• S
• woman to medal in the event
• Took second in her very first marathon (2010 New York) and won her next race at the distance, the 2012 Olympic Trials in Houston
• Placed 10th in the women's marathon at the 2012 Olympics in London
• Won the 10,000m gold medal at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
• Recorded the fastest time (2:22:02) by an American woman in the history of the Boston Marathon in 2014
• Finished third at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles
• Came in sixth in the women's marathon, and was the top U
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• finisher, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio