Shalane Flanagan's Sole Berlin Marathon Goal is American Record

Published by Runner's World on September 19, 2014

Shalane Flanagan will run the Berlin Marathon on September 28, rather than the more visible (and more lucrative) Chicago or New York City races later in the fall. That's because for the first time in her marathon career, she's focused on time, not place, and thinks Berlin is the best place to do so. Her one goal for the race: break Deena Kastor’s American marathon record of 2:19:36, set in London in 2006.

It’s a mission that Flanagan has had in mind for a year, and it’s a dream apart from the Massachusetts native’s hope last April, which was to win her hometownBoston Marathon. Instead, she was seventh after leading for the first two-thirds of the race; becoming the fastest American woman in the race’s history with her 2:22:02 seemed to provide little consolation.

In Berlin, Flanagan’s not talking about winning, although, in the small field of elites, she very well could. Everything is about running 26.2 miles faster than 2:19:36. In an interview with Runner's World Newswire earlier this week, she spoke repeatedly about steeling herself to “run 5:19 [per mile] pace for 26 miles.”

“Either you’re trying to win the marathon or you’re trying to run the record," Flanagan said. “If a byproduct of the record is a win, that would be fabulous. But I’m going to do everything I can to get the record. This is purely about about seeing how fast I can run over that distance. I think if I start to try and win, that could compromise the running.”

So what happens if she’s next to a leader at, say 23 miles, and that woman makes a move?

“I’m going to have to gauge how much energy I have," Flanagan said. "I don’t want to give the race away. But if I feel like I’m running on fumes and I’m doing everything I can just to maintain, the goal is not to take any major risks [regarding the American record], just be methodical and stick to the plan and the pace.”