Flanagan becomes historic NYC Marathon winner

An emotional Shalane Flanagan crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon and wrapped herself in an American flag before falling to her knees in tears.

Flanagan became the first American woman to win this race since Miki Gorman’s back-to-back victories in 1976 and 1977. She finished in an unofficial time of 2:26:53.

“It’s indescribable,” Flanagan said, according to the Guardian. “It’s a moment I’m trying to soak up and savor.”

Flanagan beat three-time defending champion Mary Keitany of Kenya to win the race. Keitany was trying to join Grete Waitz as the only women to win the race at least four times in a row.

Keitany finished second and Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia, competing in the New York City Marathon for the first time, finished third.

Among the men, Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya held off countryman Wilson Kipsang for his first major marathon win.

The 36-year-old Flanagan is the American record holder in the indoor 3,000 meters and the indoor 5,000. She won a bronze medal that later became a silver in the 10,000 in the 2008 Olympics. She finished sixth in the Rio Olympics marathon.

Flanagan had run the NYC Marathon only once before, in 2010, when she finished second.

A fracture in her lower back had kept Flanagan out of this year’s Boston Marathon, so Flanagan focused on New York and Keitany.

She told the Guardian she was willing to “suffer dearly” to win in New York.

“Sometimes we don’t realize the moment when we feel like dreams are taken away that actually there’s some delayed gratification down the road,” Flanagan said after the race, according to Runner’s World. “I think it was a blessing that I got injured this past winter and I came here full of energy and motivation and desire to put on the best performance of my life.”

Kamworor won in an unofficial time of 2:10:53, three seconds faster than Kipsang. Lelia Desisa, a two-time Boston Marathon champion, was third in 2:11:32. The race marked the 26th and final marathon as a professional for 42-year-old Meb Keflezighi, who won the NYC marathon in 2009. He finished 11th Sunday.

More than 50,000 racers participated in the event.

Marcel Hug of Switzerland, a push-rim wheelchair racer, won his third New York City Marathon title. His unofficial time was 1 hour 37 minutes 17 seconds. Manuela Schar, also of Switzerland, won the women’s push-rim wheelchair race, holding off Tatyana McFadden.