Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan, who last month won the New York Marathon, will headline the group of elite runners who have signed up for next April’s Boston Marathon.
Also set to run is Chicago Marathon champion Galen Rupp. Joining them are Olympians Desiree Linden, Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, Deena Kastor, and Molly Huddle, the latter of whom is the North American 10,000m record holder.
“The 2018 John Hancock U.S. Elite Team represents a dedicated group of athletes who have consistently challenged themselves to compete with great success on the world stage,” said John Hancock chief marketing officer Barbara Goose. “We are honored to invite this team to the Boston Marathon to lead 30,000 runners along the world’s most historic marathon route.
“And of course, it will be especially engaging for local fans to welcome Marblehead’s own Shalane Flanagan back to follow up her magnificent triumph in New York.”
On Nov. 5, Flanagan became the first U.S. women to win the New York Marathon since 1977. A four-time Olympian, she holds American records in the indoor 3,000m and 5,000m and in the 10K, 15k And 25K.
She won the silver medal in the 10,000m at the 2008 Olympics and won the bronze medal at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Flanagan was the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion and then finished ninth in the 2012 Olympic Marathon. Last year she was third at the 2016 Trials and sixth at the 2016 Olympic Marathon in Rio de Janeiro.
Flanagan, a Marblehead High graduate, was back in her home down Nov. 25 to run in the fourth annual Back The Track road race. Her appearance drew throngs of people to the town.
