For the first time since 1977, an American woman has won the New York City Marathon. Shalane Flanagan, a 36-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, ran the race in 2:26:53, ending the reign of Kenyan Mary Keitany, who had finished first in each of the previous three years.
With five miles left in the 26.2-mile course, Flanagan, Keitany, and Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia separated from the pack, Flanagan finishing 1 minute and 1 second ahead of Keitany and 1 minute and 15 seconds ahead of Daska to take the title.
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The path Flanagan took in 2017 to this point has been a remarkable one. She withdrew from April’s Boston Marathon amid high hopes following her American course record of 2:22:02 at the Boston Marathon in 2014. While training in Portland, Oregon, in a snowy January, Flanagan suffered a fractured back from running too frequently on slippery, unstable surfaces and treadmills during the winter months. Her decision to forego the legendary race to focus on future events allowed for a full recovery and improvement, leading to her historic win in New York.
Just a day before the race, Flanagan stated publicly that she was approaching this New York City Marathon as her last.
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If you’re going to step away from an event, this is the fashion in which to do so. We’ll see if she can continue her success in Boston to make a run at runner-up Mary Keitany’s record of 2:13:01 at London earlier this year.
