This Massachusetts Native Might Be America’s Best Hope for a Marathon Win
The three-time Olympian returns to compete in the 2015 Boston Marathon
This may be the year for Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan. Rita Jeptoo, the two-time defending women’s champion for the Boston Marathon, was banned for two years after failing a drug test last September. The elite women left the starting line in Hopkinton at 9:30 a.m. this morning and are making their way toward the finish line. The women’s field is open for a competitor to seize the olive wreath this year, and it could be Flanagan.
During the 2014 marathon, Flanagan was in the lead, setting the pace for the first 19 miles, but she ended up finishing in seventh place. Despite setting a personal best time (2:22:02), she was devastated.
In tears, she told CBS at the finish line that she wanted her love for Boston to be portrayed in her run.
“I love Boston so much, and I really wanted to do it for my city,’’ she said.
Flanagan finished 4th in 2013 Boston Marathon, and she is a three-time Olympian. She won a bronze medal in the 10,000-meter race at the 2008 in Olympics in Beijing, making her the second American woman to win an Olympic medal in that competition. She finished 10th in the 2012 London Olympic Marathon.
Monday morning Flanagan encouraged all the runners to do their best:
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