Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan (born July 8, 1981 in Boulder, Colorado) is an American distance runner, and currently holds the American record times in the 3000, 5000, and 10000 meter distances. She won the bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics in the 10,000 m.

Biography

Flanagan grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts where at Marblehead High School she participated in soccer and swimming in addition to cross country and track. Her Marblehead HS accomplishments included three-time All-State cross country performances, a first-place All-State finish in the mile, and a two-mile win whose record still stands; her 4:46 mile won the Indoor National Scholastic Championships. She attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she won national cross country titles in 2002 and 2003 — becoming the first individual champion in the sport in Tar Heel history — and numerous track accolades, with best times of 4:11.24 in 1500 m (7th in the US at any level in 2003,) 9:00.22 in the 3000 m, and 15:20.54 in the 5000 m.

Since advancing to the professional level in 2004, she has lowered her 3000 meter time to 8:33.25 and her 5000 meter time to 14:44.80, which are both American records; her 1500m record has slightly improved to 4:05.86. She is a two-time national champion in the women's 5000 meters.

Shalane ran the 10000m for the first time at the 2008 Stanford Payton Jordan invite meeting, in a time of 30:34.49 to beat Deena Kastor's American record of 30:50.32.

At the 2008 Summer Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Oregon Flanagan competed in both the 5000m and 10000m. She won the 10000 m final in a time of 31:34.81. This guaranteed her a spot on Team USA for 2008 Olympic Games. Flanagan also finished third in the 5000 m final with a time of 15:02.81. [cite web
url = http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-TF/schedule.asp
title = USATF - Events - 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field
accessdate = 2008-07-06]

On August 16, 2008, Flanagan finished 3rd in the 2008 Olympic Womens 10000m Finals in Beijing, capturing the Bronze medal.cite news|accessdate=2008-08-16
url=http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-sp-elliott16-2008aug16,0,2812455.column
title=Shalane Flanagan pulls off a gutsy bronze in the 10,000-meter run
author=Elliott, Helene
work=Los Angeles Times
date=August 15, 2008] She also set a new American record in 30:22.22, shattering her own American record set earlier in the year.cite news|accessdate=2008-08-16
url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080815-10k-shalane-flanagan-bronze,0,2691891.story
title=American Flanagan rallies to win 10,000 bronze — Stomach issues can't keep Flanagan from stunning 10K bronze
author=Hersh, Philip
work=Chicago Tribune
date=August 16, 2008] She is only the second American woman to receive an Olympic medal in the 10,000 m.cite news|accessdate=2008-08-16
url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080815-10k-shalane-flanagan-bronze,0,2691891.story
title=American Flanagan rallies to win 10,000 bronze — Stomach issues can't keep Flanagan from stunning 10K bronze
author=Hersh, Philip
work=Chicago Tribune
date=August 16, 2008]

Family

Flanagan presently lives in North Carolina with her husband Steven Ashley Edwards, also a former varsity track and field athlete at UNC. Flanagan also claims great inspiration from fellow UNC athletes Matthew Tabor and Johnny Rich.

Flanagan has two very accomplished parents in the running arena. Her mother, Cheryl Treworgy, is a former marathon world record holder (Cheryl Bridges - 1971) and five-time U.S. World Cross Country Championship participant. Her father, Steve Flanagan, also a U.S. World Cross Country Champion participant and marathon runner (PR 2:18) raised her in Marblehead along with her stepmother Monica.

Personal records

ee also

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

Notes

References

*
* USATF Athlete bios for [http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Flanagan_Shalane.asp Shalane Flanagan]
* [http://www.flocasts.org/flotrack/coverage.php?c=256&id=14505 Video and interview of Flanagan breaking American record in the Womens 10,000m ]