FLANAGAN TO HEADLINE CHICAGO RNR RUNNING FESTIVAL
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2014 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.
(09-Jul) -- Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan will play a big role at the upcoming Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Running Festival, July 18-20, including running the event's signature half-marathon, race officials announced yesterday.
The Nike-sponsored athlete, 33, who lives in Portland, Ore., has a half-marathon career best of 1:08:31, and has broken 69 minutes for the distance three times. She recently ran a personal best 2:22:02 at the Boston Marathon last April (the fastest ever by an American at that race), and will be using her run at Chicago as part of her fall marathon training program. Flanagan, however, has not yet announced where she will be running a fall marathon.
"This will be my first step towards a marathon this fall and I'm excited to see where my fitness is at after my recent training in Park City," Flanagan said through a statement provided by race organizers. "It will also be a treat for me to shakeout with the Chicago running community at the 5-K on Saturday while enjoying the amazing views of the downtown skyline along the city's beautiful lakefront."
In the 5-K, Flanagan will act as an informal pacer, but plans to run the half-marathon competitively. She'll face several other elite women, including Americans Lindsey Scherf (1:11:45 PB) and Nuta Olaru (1:08:59), and Denmark's Jessica Draskau-Petersson (1:12:52). The event record is 1:08:05 by Kara Goucher in 2008.
Flanagan also plans to attend a concert by Billy Joel which takes place on the first day of the festival at historic Wrigley Field.
"From the Billy Joel concert on Friday night at Wrigley Field to Saturday's 5k and Sunday's half-marathon, it’s going to be an incredible weekend in Chicago," Flanagan said.
PHOTO: Shalane Flanagan running the final meters of the 2014 Boston Marathon where she finished seventh in a personal best 2:22:02 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
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