Three-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan, who ran the fastest time (2:22:02) ever by an American woman on the Boston Marathon course in 2014, returns for a third attempt at the crown. Leading for most of the way last year, she was instrumental in pushing 10 women to finish under 2:24 for the first time in the history of the sport. Growing up in the Boston area, Flanagan was especially concerned with honoring those affected by the 2013 race day tragedy and her front-running proved her intent to win. After Boston, Flanagan placed third at the Berlin Marathon in 2:21:14 and set a U.S. 25K record along the way. In 2012 Flanagan won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in an event record of 2:25:38 and went on to finish 10th at the 2012 London Olympic Marathon. In 2013, she won the USA Cross Country Championships, recorded her fastest half marathon (68:31) at the Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon in New Orleans, won the USA 10,000m Championships, finished eighth in the 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, and placed second at the USA 12K championship in 37:58.

Flanagan attended Marblehead High School in Massachusetts, where she participated in cross country, track, soccer, and swimming. Both of Flanagan’s parents were top-ranked American marathon runners. Flanagan’s mother Cheryl Treworgy is a former world marathon record holder (2:49:40, 1971) and fivetime member of U.S. World Cross Country Championship teams. She also held the three-mile and 5,000m American records. Her father Steve Flanagan holds a marathon personal best of 2:18 and has also run the Boston Marathon. Flanagan is married to Steve Edwards who was a track and field athlete at the University of North Carolina. The couple lives in Portland, Oregon, and Flanagan is coached by Jerry Schumacher and is part of the Bowerman Track Club.