Shalane Flanagan Breaks American Record at BAA 10K
Shalane Flanagan Breaks American Record at BAA 10K
Shalane Flanagan didn’t waste any time making her final race before this summer’s Olympic Games count. The four-time Olympian crushed the BAA course in a ne
Shalane Flanagan didn’t waste any time making her final race before this summer’s Olympic Games count. The four-time Olympian crushed the BAA course in a new American record of 30:52 Sunday in Boston.
Flanagan told the Boston Herald that the race would serve as a tune-up before she and Bowerman Track Club teammate Amy Cragg compete in the marathon in Rio de Janeiro. Craig finished third overall in 31:31 behind runner-up Edna Kiplagat (31:06).
Flanagan’s performance in Boston is an 11-second improvement on her previous 10K personal best from last year.
“When Jerry [Schumacher] and Amy and I sat down to hash out our Olympic schedule, when to go to altitude, when to run a half-marathon, Jerry thought it would be a great idea to go some place and run something shorter like a fast 10K,” Flanagan told the Boston Herald before Sunday’s race.
Flanagan and Cragg will return to Park City, Utah for one final stint at altitude training before the Games. The two training partners ran nearly synchronized during the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials last February. Despite intense heat, Cragg won the race over Desi Linden, and Flanagan managed to battle the heat through the line for a third-place finish overall and another Olympic berth. Cragg returned to the finish line to catch her as she fell to the ground in exhaustion.
When asked if the training partners would continue the trend of working together at the Olympic Games, Flanagan told reporters in Boston that it would depend on the pace of the race.
“I think we’ll assess when we get out there. If it’s a slower-paced race then we’ll find each other together, but if it’s a hard race we’ll just have to do what’s best for us and do whatever it takes for us to each have our best race,” Flanagan told reporters after her victory.
Congratulations to Olympian @ShalaneFlanagan, who just set an American 10K record! pic.twitter.com/jXg1ADEnCs
— B.A.A. (@BAA) June 26, 2016
Flanagan told the Boston Herald that the race would serve as a tune-up before she and Bowerman Track Club teammate Amy Cragg compete in the marathon in Rio de Janeiro. Craig finished third overall in 31:31 behind runner-up Edna Kiplagat (31:06).
Flanagan’s performance in Boston is an 11-second improvement on her previous 10K personal best from last year.
“When Jerry [Schumacher] and Amy and I sat down to hash out our Olympic schedule, when to go to altitude, when to run a half-marathon, Jerry thought it would be a great idea to go some place and run something shorter like a fast 10K,” Flanagan told the Boston Herald before Sunday’s race.
Flanagan and Cragg will return to Park City, Utah for one final stint at altitude training before the Games. The two training partners ran nearly synchronized during the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials last February. Despite intense heat, Cragg won the race over Desi Linden, and Flanagan managed to battle the heat through the line for a third-place finish overall and another Olympic berth. Cragg returned to the finish line to catch her as she fell to the ground in exhaustion.
When asked if the training partners would continue the trend of working together at the Olympic Games, Flanagan told reporters in Boston that it would depend on the pace of the race. “I think we’ll assess when we get out there. If it’s a slower-paced race then we’ll find each other together, but if it’s a hard race we’ll just have to do what’s best for us and do whatever it takes for us to each have our best race,” Flanagan told reporters after her victory.