Four-time Olympian and noted U.S. marathon champion Shalane Flanagan is retiring from competitive running after a 15-year career, the Massachusetts native announced Monday morning on social media.
In two posts on Instagram, Flanagan explained she will be transition to a role as professional coach for the Nike Bowerman Track Club in Portland, Oregon.
"I have felt my North Star shifting," she wrote. "My passion and purpose is no longer about MY running; it's more and more about those around me."
Flanagan, who is from Marblehead, Mass., went to the Olympics four times, winning a bronze medal at the Beijing games in 2008, according to her Team USA bio. The 38-year-old also won the 2017 New York City Marathon, becoming the first U.S woman to win the race in 40 years when she crossed the finish line in 2:26:53.
"I'm not a real emotional guy and my eyes were leaking," her father, Steven Flanagan, told NBC10 Boston at the time.
In her Instagram posts announcing the retirement, Flanagan thanked the five coaches who guided her through her career and her family and friends for supporting her.
"My personal motto … has been to make decisions that leave me with 'no regrets' … but to be honest I have one. I regret I can’t do it all over again," Flanagan said at the end of her message.
