Shalane Flanagan’s triumph at the New York City Marathon wasn’t just a win for her and her family.
It was a win for all American women.
When news spread that she was the first American women to win the race in 40 years, American women everywhere let out a collective “F*ck yeah!”
And that’s exactly what she could be seen mouthing as she crossed the finish line.
Flanagan’s unofficial time was 2:26:53. She had been leading the pack in the race alongside Kenyan Mary Keitany, who won the race for the last three years in a row. She ended up getting ahead of Keitany around the 23rd mile and kept it up until the end, according to Refinery29.
Flanagan, 36, was the first U.S. woman to win the race since Miki Gorman in 1977.
In addition to dropping the F-bomb, Flanagan, who was born in Colorado and grew up in Massachusetts, broke out into a barrage of tears. Her win was an emotional one.
Flanagan placed sixth in the marathon in 2016 and 10th in 2012. She also competed in the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics where she won a bronze medal that was eventually made silver when Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse’s medal was taken away for a doping violation.
“I think running gives her, as it does a lot of girls, a sense of power about what they can achieve in a society that doesn’t always offer that,” Flanagan’s mother Cheryl Treworgy told Runner’s World. “She understands that in running she has a chance to attain her dreams. Shalane can do it all. She’s probably got the best range of any U.S. runner ever.”
Flanagan comes from a family of athletes as Treworgy used to hold the American and world record for the marathon.
Flanagan is known for supporting and nuturing the female talent around her in a field that’s normally cuthroat and competitive, the New York Times reports.
“I thoroughly enjoy working with other women,” Flanagan told the newspaper. “I think it makes me a better athlete and person. It allows me to have more passion toward my training and racing. When we achieve great things on our own, it doesn’t feel nearly as special.”
All 11 of the women she worked with as a training partner have made it to the Olympics.
“Shalane has pioneered a new brand of ‘team mom’ to these young up-and-comers, with the confidence not to tear others down to protect her place in the hierarchy,” runner Lauren Fleshman told The New York Times. “Shalane’s legacy is in her role modeling, which women in every industry would like to see more of.”
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