Bathing in NY marathon glory
Flanagan on hold about ’18 Hub run
It’s simply too early for newly crowned New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan to say whether she will be at the starting line in Hopkinton in April for the 122nd Boston Marathon.
“It’s just when you have a big moment like this and then people ask that question, but it’s important right now to soak in the moment. Ever since I was a little girl and watching the Boston Marathon I always dreamed of winning my own major marathon,” Flanagan said from her home in Portland, Ore. “I want to let (a decision) come naturally. Maybe in a couple of weeks.”
Moments after Flanagan, the 36-year-old Marblehead native, crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 53 seconds on Sunday, Tom Grilk, the chief executive officer of Boston, laid out the welcome mat.
“It was fun and very emotional. She has been grinding for years to win a major marathon on the international stage and (Sunday) she did,’’ said Grilk. “We would love to have her come back and run Boston. I know that the Boston Marathon has always been a very important aspect for her and I would not be surprised if she came back and wanted to take another shot at winning the Boston Marathon. We would love to have her run at Boston as the hometown hero. It’s always fun to root for the home team.”
Flanagan became the first American woman to capture the five-borough New York race since Miki Gorman in 1977. Coincidentally, Gorman also won Boston that same year.
“Forty years I felt was really too long a time and quite a drought without a U.S. woman winning the race,” Flanagan said. “It was a huge relief. Getting toward the end of it I could feel the emotion. It was now or never. I felt it was somewhat serendipitous the way things went there. I had doubts but I also knew that I had it in me.
“To be honest, I was running scared there at the end. I didn’t know if someone was close. I couldn’t hear any footsteps. As I approached the finish line I couldn’t hold back (my emotions). You don’t want to let the emotions get the better of you too early because then something might happen and you could tighten up.
“But with about 30 to go I just couldn’t hold it in.”
Flanagan celebrated with family and friends before rejoining New York City Road Runners Club president Michael Capiraso at the finish line around 8:30 p.m. to hand out medals to the late-arriving runners.
“That was just a special moment for me because it doesn’t matter if you’re the first runner across the line or someone back in the wave of runners. All of us face the same obstacle in running a marathon,’’ said Flanagan, who bypassed this year’s Boston Marathon after sustaining a fracture in her lower back during training.
On Wednesday, Flanagan flew to Los Angeles to assist actor/comedian Kevin Hart in putting the finishing touches on a documentary about Sunday’s race. Hart, 38, finished the race in 4:05:06.
Flanagan is also among the six women finalists for the 2017 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award presented annually to the top female athlete in track and field. Other finalists include sprinter Tori Bowie, 400-intermediate hurdler Kori Carter, steeplechase star Emma Coburn, 400-meter runner Phyllis Francis and long jumper Brittany Reese.
Flanagan will be back in the Boston area on Nov. 25 to host the sixth Back The Track 5K in Marblehead.