Who is Shalane Flanagan

"I thought that I was a little more of a spectator in Athens. I came from running for North Carolina in the ACC to go to the big stage in the Olympics and it was a big jump for me in just one year." --Shalane Flanagan, on running in Athens while still at UNC

Shalane went to Marblehead High School in Marblehead, Massachusetts, where she swam, played soccer, and ran track and cross country. She had great success in running, earning three All-State honors in cross country, winning the State Championships in the mile, and a record-setting win in the two-mile. She also won the Indoor National Scholastic Championships mile in 4:46.

In 2000 she began attending University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she continued her success. She won the USA Junior Cross Country Championships and represented the US at the World Cross Country Championships. On the track, she won the ACC Outdoors 1500m and 5000m. She finished 10th in the 1500m at NCAA Outdoors and finished the year with a personal best of 4:18.12.

Shalane had a great sophomore year on the track. She won the ACC Championship in the 1500m, 3000m and DMR indoors. At the NCAA Indoor Championships she finished 2nd in the DMR and 6th in the 3000m. In the Outdoor season, she won the ACC Championship for 1500m (4:16.19) and finished 3rd at the NCAA Championships (4:15.52). Her bests for the year were 4:15.37 (1500m) and 9:13.47 (3000m).

Shalane won her first NCAA Title at the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships, clocking 19:36 on the 6k course. On the track she ran a personal best for 3000m at the adidas Indoor Classic (9:00.22). She carried that success on to the NCAA Indoors where she won her first track title in the 3000m (9:01.05). She finished 2nd to Lauren Fleshman at the NCAA Outdoor 5000m in 15:30.60, and again at the USA Outdoor Championships (15:20.54).

The next year, Shalane successfully defended her cross country title by winning the NCAA meet in 19:30.4 (6k).

"I was in my happy place, like I am in my really hard-tempo runs. My coach just told me to zone out. I had no idea what place was what at the finish." --Shalane Flanagan, on her 10k bronze medal performance in Beijing

Shalane decided to forgo the rest of her NCAA eligibility and turn pro in 2004. She won the US 4k Cross Country title (12:26) and finished 14th at the World Cross Country Championships that year (13:34).

On the track, she ran personal bests in all distances, clocking 4:09.27 at the Prefontaine Classic, 8:55.05 at Durham, and 15:05.08 in Boston. She finished third (15:10.52) in the Olympic Trials 5000m to qualify for Athens and sixth in the 1500m. At the Olympic Games, she finished 11th in her semifinal heat (15:34.63).

The next year Shalane again won the US 4k Cross Country Championship (13:24.3). She finished 20th at the World Cross Country meet and was the 3rd US finisher, helping the US to win Team Bronze. She ran a personal best of 8:54.43 for 3000m at the Reebok Grand Prix. She won her first 5000m title at the USA Outdoor meet (15:10.96) to qualify for the World Championships, where she finished 7th in her semifinal (15:20.59).

Shalane missed all of her 2006 season due to foot surgery, and came back healthy for the first time in years. It turned out she was born with an extra bone in her foot. After getting it removed her foot problems went away.

In 2007, Shalane began her assault on the US record books. She finished 2nd at the USA 8k Cross Country Championships. Then she broke the American Record for the indoor 3000m, running 8:33.25. The time puts her second all-time in the US, behind only Mary Slaney. She then broke the US 5000m record at Mt. SAC, finishing in an amazing 14:44.80.

Other races included an 8:35.34 3000m race in Monaco, an Indoor 3k title (8:56.74), a 4:05.86 personal best for 1500m at the Prefontaine Classic, a victory at the US Outdoor Championships in the 5000m (14:51.75), and an 8th place finish at the World Championships in Osaka in the 5000m (15:03.86).

2008 has seen Shalane continue to excel as she broke Deena Kastor's 7 year-old American Record in the 10,000m, running 30:34.49. She then defeated Kara Goucher in the 10,000m at the Olympic Trials in Eugene to win her first 10k title and earn a birth to the Beijing Olympics. She then came back 3 days later to win her prelim for the 5k in 15:35.86. She finished 3rd in the final of the 5k, behind Kara Goucher and Jen Rhines, in a time of 15:02.81.

Shalane ran an aggressive race and took the bronze medal in the 10,000m in Beijing. Her time of 30:22.22 was a personal best and new American Record. She then ran a season best 14:59.69 to qualify for the final of the 5,000m, where she finished 10th in 15:50.80.

In her first race post-Beijing, Shalane won the USA 5k Championships at the CVS Caremark 5k, clocking 15:28.

In 2009, Shalane and teammate Erin Donahue stopped working with coach John Cook. She opened her season with a bang, however, setting a new American Record for the indoor 5000m at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, running 14:47.62. She then finished 4th at the World's Best 10k, running 32:25. Shalane ran 2nd to Anna Willard at the BAA invitational mile, running 4:40.2 on the road course. Her first outdoor 5k performance was a disappointing 4th place (15:10.86) at the adidas Track Classic, which she followed up with an 11th place 4:06.91 at the Pre Classic (her 2nd fastest 1500m race ever). At the USA Championships, Shalane finished 2nd to Amy Yoder-Begley, running 31:23.43.

Shalane opened up 2010 with a victory at the Houston Half Marathon, clocking 1:09:41 in her debut at the distance. She then won the USA Cross Country Championship, running 25:10 to win the race by 51 seconds. At the World Cross Country Championships, Shalane finished 12th in 25:20, leading team USA to the team bronze medal. On the track she opened up with a 2nd place 15:04.23 at Payton Jordan. She then ran 4:10.24 to finish 3rd at a USATF High Performance meet at Occidental City College. She then finished 2nd at the Elite Women's 1500m at the Oregon State Championships, running 4:08.03. At the adidas Grand Prix she ran 4:06.44 to finish 9th. At the USA Outdoors, Shalane qualified for the 1500m final, running 4:11.94. However, she fell in the final and ran 4:19.56, finishing a distant 11th.

At the Pre Classic, Shalane returned to form in the longer distances, running 14:49.08 to finish 2nd in the 5000m. On August 27th, Shalane lost her outdoor 5000m AR when Molly Huddle ran .04 faster, 14:44.76 in Brussels. She ran her 2nd half marathon of 2010 in Philadelphia, placing 4th in a new PR 1:08:36, making her the 4th fastest American all-time. She then ran 2:28:40 to finish 2nd at the NYC Marathon in her debut.

Shalane opened up 2011 with a dominant 44-second victory at the USA XC Championships, where she ran 25:47 for 8k for back-to-back titles. She then ran 8:39.18 to finish 2nd to Meseret Defar in the 3000m indoors in Sweden. At the 2011 World XC Championships, she finished 3rd (25:10) to win another championship bronze medal. She followed that up with a 30:39.57 in the Payton Jordan Invitational 10000m, finishing 2nd to Sally Kipyego.

Championships and Medals

2000 USA Junior Cross Country Championships
2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships (19:36)
2003 NCAA Indoor Championships 3000m (9:01.05)
2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships (19:30.4)
2004 USA 4k Cross Country Championships (12:26)
2005 USA Outdoor Championships 5000m (15:10.96)
2007 USA Indoor Championships 3000m (8:56.74)
2007 USA Outdoor Championships 5000m (14:51.75)
2008 USA 8k Cross Country Championships (25:26)
2008 USA Olympic Trials 10000m (31:34.81)
2008 Bejing Olympics 10000m bronze medal (30:22.22)
2010 USA 8k Cross Country Championships (25:10)
2011 USA 8k Cross Country Championships (25:47)
2011 World Cross Country Championships bronze medal (25:10)

Personal Records

4:05.86 - 1500m - Eugene (2007)
8:33.25AR - 3000m indoors - Boston (2007)
8:35.34 - 3000m - Monaco (2007)
14:47.62AR - 5000m indoors - Boston (2009)
14:44.80 - 5000m - Walnut (2007 - former AR, Molly Huddle 14:44.71, 2010)
30:22.22AR - 10000m - Beijing (2008)
1:08:36 - half marathon - Philadelphia (2010)
2:28:40 - marathon - New York City (2010)

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF, All-Time Athletics

3,000 Meters

1. 8:25.83 - Mary Slaney - Rome (1985)
2. 8:31.38 - Shannon Rowbury - Monaco (2010)
3. 8:33.25i - Shalane Flanagan - Boston (2007)
4. 8:34.99 - Kara Goucher - Rieti (2007)
5. 8:35.02 - Libbie Hickman - Gateshead (2000)
6. 8:35.03 - Jen Rhines - Monaco (2007)
7. 8:37.25 - Vicki Huber - Seoul (1988)
8. 8:38.60 - Cindy Bremser - Zurich (1984)
9. 8:39.36 - Marla Runyan - Eugene (2002)
10. 8:39.56* - Regina Jacobs - Edwardsville (1998)
11. 8:39.86 - Amy Rudolph - Zurich (2000)
12. 8:40.98 - PattiSue Plumer - New Orleans (1992)
13. 8:41.28 - Shelly Steely - New Orleans (1992)
14. 8:41.43 - Joan Hanson - Los Angeles (1984)
15. 8:41.97 - Annette Peters - London (1994)
16. 8:42.03 - Jenny Barringer - Stillwater (2009)
17. 8:42.59 - Deena Kastor - Zurich (2000)

5,000 Meters

1. 14:44.76 - Molly Huddle - Brussels (2010)
2. 14:44.80 - Shalane Flanagan - Walnut (2007)
3. 14:45.35* - Regina Jacobs - Sacramento (2000)
4. 14:51.62 - Deena Kastor - Stockholm (2000)
5. 14:54.29 - Jen Rhines - Oslo (2008)
6. 14:55.02 - Kara Goucher - Berlin (2007)
7. 14:55.74 - Lisa Koll - Paris (2010)
8. 14:56.04 - Amy Rudolph - Stockholm (1996)
9. 14:56.07 - Annette Peters - Berlin (1993)
10. 14:56.72 - Amy Begley - Eugene (2010)
11. 14:58.48 - Lauren Fleshman - New York City (2008)
12. 14:59.20 - Marla Runyan - Boston (2004)
13. 15:00:00 - PattiSue Plumer - Stockholm (1989)
14. 15:00.51 - Shannon Rowbury - Palo Alto (2010)
15. 15:01.36 - Shayne Culpepper - Palo Alto (2004)
16. 15:01.70i - Jennifer Barringer - Seattle (2009)

10,000 Meters

1. 30:22.22 - Shalane Flanagan - Beijing (2008)
2. 30:50.32 - Deena Kastor - Palo Alto (2002)
3. 30:55.16 - Kara Goucher - Beijing (2008)
4. 31:13.78 - Amy Begley - Berlin (2009)
5. 31:17.31 - Jen Rhines - Palo Alto (2007)
6. 31:18.07 - Lisa Koll - Palo Alto (2010)
7. 31:18.96 - Amy Rudolph - Palo Alto (2005)
8. 31:19.89 - Lynn Jennings - Barcelona (1992)
9. 31:21:20 - Katie McGregor - Helsinki (2005)
10. 31:21.92 - Elva Dryer - Palo Alto (2005)
11. 31:27.12 - Molly Huddle - Palo Alto (2008)
12. 31:28.92 - Francie Larrieu-Smith - Austin (1991)
13. 31:30.89 - Annette Peters - Philadelphia (1997)
14. 31:34.37 - Kate O'Neill - Palo Alto (2004)
15. 31:35.25 - Blake Russell - Carson (2005)
16. 31:35.3 - Mary Slaney - Eugene (1982)

Half-Marathon

**. 1:06:57** - Kara Goucher - Newcastle (2007)
1. 1:07:34 - Deena Kastor - Berlin (2006)
2. 1:08:05 - Kara Goucher - Chicago (2009)
3. 1:08:23 - Joan Benoit - Boston (1983)
4. 1:08:36 - Shalane Flanagan - Philadelphia (2010)
5. 1:09:14 - Olga Appell - Tokyo (1994)
6. 1:09:39 - Cathy O'Brien - Philadelphia (1990)
7. 1:09:54 - Sylvia Mosqueda - Austin (2004)
8. 1:10:00 - Colleen de Reuck - Duluth (2003)
9. 1:10:03 - Anne Marie Lauck - Philadelphia (1994)
10. 1:10:08 - Lisa Weidenbach - Seattle (1990)
10. 1:10:08 - Serena Burla - Houston (2010)
12. 1:10:09 - Amy Yoder Begley - Birmingham (2009)

Marathon

1. 2:19:36 - Deena Kastor - London (2006)
2. 2:21:21 - Joan Benoit - Chicago (1985)
3. 2:25:53 - Kara Goucher - New York City (2008)
4. 2:26:20 - Desiree Davila - Chicago (2010)
5. 2:26:22 - Magdalena Lewy-Boulet - Rotterdam (2010)
6. 2:26:26 - Julie Brown - Los Angeles (1983)
7. 2:26:40 - Kim Jones - Boston (1991)
8. 2:27:03 - Amy Hastings - Los Angeles (2011)
9. 2:27:10 - Marla Runyan - New York City (2002)
10. 2:27:35 - Francie Larrieu-Smith - London (1991)
11. 2:27:51 - Patti Catalano - Boston (1981)
12. 2:27:59 - Olga Appell - Minneapolis-St. Paul (1996)
13. 2:28:01 - Colleen De Reuck - Chicago (2003)
14. 2:28:15 - Lisa Weidenbach - Chicago (1989)
15. 2:28:18 - Christine McNamara - London (1997)
NR. 2:28:40 - Shalane Flanagan - New York City (2010)

*Caught using performance enhancing drugs
**Downhill course, does not qualify as American Record

Sources: All-Time Athletics

10,000 Meters

01. 29:31.78 - Wang Junxia (CHN) - Beijing (1993)
02. 29:53.80 - Meselech Melkamu (ETH) - Utrecht (2009)
03. 29:54.66 - Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) - Beijing (2008)
04. 29:56.34 - Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR) - Beijing (2008)
05. 29:59.20 - Meseret Defar (ETH) - Birmingham (2009)
06. 30:01.09 - Paula Radcliffe (GBR) - München (2002)
07. 30:04.18 - Berhane Adere (ETH) - Saint-Denis (2003)
08. 30:07.15 - Werknesh Kidane (ETH) - Saint-Denis (2003)
09. 30:07.20 - Sun Yingjie (CHN) - Saint-Denis (2003)
10. 30:11.53 - Florence Kiplagat (KEN) - Utrecht (2009)
11. 30:11.87 - Ayalew Wude (ETH) - Utrecht (2009)
12. 30:12.53 - Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) - Saint-Denis (2003)
13. 30:13.37 - Zhong Huandi (CHN) - Beijing (1993)
14. 30:13.74 - Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) - Oslo (1986)
15. 30:17.49 - Derartu Tulu (ETH) - Sydney (2000)
16. 30:18.39 - Ejegayehu Dibaba (ETH) - Sollentuna (2005)
17. 30:22.22 - Shalane Flanagan (USA) - Beijing (2008)
18. 30:22.48 - Gete Wami (ETH) - Sydney (2000)
19. 30:22.88 - Fernanda Ribeiro (POR) - Sydney (2000)
20. 30:23.07 - Alla Zhilyayeva (RUS) - Saint-Denis (2003)

Sources: All-Time Athletics