Long distance runner Shalane Flanagan completed six marathons over the span of six weeks, finishing the New York City Marathon on Sunday. She ran the races all well under her three hour goal.
Over the span of 42 days, Flanagan set out to complete the world’s marathon majors — the Tokyo Marathon, Berlin Marathon, London Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon, and the New York City Marathon. In a post on Instagram, she gave special recognition to the Big Apple.
“From the moment Frank Sinatra wished me well over the Verrazano, I was completely encapsulated by the energy and passion of the city and the fans. For 26.2 miles, every hair on my arms stood up… My legs may have kept me moving forward, but the city made me fly,” she wrote following the race.
The four-time Olympian retired from the sport two years ago and rehabbed from double knee surgeries in 2020. Due to the pandemic, organizers were prompted to move the Boston, London and Tokyo Marathons from fall to spring. In September, the 40-year-old announced plans to do all six races under three hours, a journey she called “Project Eclipse” because of the rarity of the opportunity. She did five of the six races in person, with the exception being the Tokyo Marathon which she completed on her own in the U.S. since it was postponed until March 2022.
Flanagan, who won the New York City Marathon in 2017 to become the first American woman to win the event in 40 years, finished it in 2 hours, 33 minutes and 32 seconds — her best time out of the six this year.
Read more at: https://www.cbsnews.com