We are watching in awe as four-time Olympian and Marblehead High School Class of 2000 member Shalane Flanagan continues her global marathon sprint.
Flanagan turned her back on retirement and recovered from two reconstructive knee surgeries to take aim at a goal only a world-class competitor can achieve: running the six major international marathons in 42 days.
An accomplishment that would be unthinkable for mere mortals is just another goal to conquer for Flanagan, who has demonstrated an indomitable competitive spirit throughout her running career.
She ran the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 26 and the London Marathon on Oct. 3. On Oct. 10, Flanagan ran the Chicago Marathon and then hopped onto a flight to Boston and ran the Boston Marathon on Monday.
“It was my best Boston by far,” she said in a true testament to the fortitude that inspires her to achieve.
She will compete in the virtual Tokyo Marathon using a running app that allows Flanagan and other runners to run the 26.2-mile marathon without going to Japan on Oct. 17. On Nov. 7, she runs the New York City Marathon.
Scheduling delays triggered by COVID-19 shoved the major marathons into a tight, almost back-to-back schedule presenting a daunting challenge for even top runners.
Flanagan — the ultimate competitor — embraced the compressed schedule as a challenge. With each stride, with every mile, and every marathon, she is challenging all of us to summon our best qualities and abilities and push them to the limit during the pandemic.
