If you are part of the running community, or maybe if you are not, chances are you are seeing this in your news feeds. This was such a powerful example of teamwork. Running is a solitary sport. You can run with team mates and friends; but it’s your body, your training and your skills that get you to the finish line. In this photo taken at the finish line of the 2016 Marathon Olympic Trials, Shalane Flanagan collapsed in her team mate Amy Cragg’s arms.
They had run most of the race together and quite well for 24 miles of the marathon; but it was a very warm day, the warmest in any Olympic trial races, and Shalane wasn’t used to racing in those conditions. Around mile 23 you could see that she was hurting and her teammate was worried for her. In order to make it to the Olympics you have to be the top three finishers. Amy and Shalane were the top two at the time. But then Shalane was losing steam. She was overheating. Amy pushed ahead to the finish and Desiree Linden passed Shalane and then the race as on for the last spot on the team.
Shalane crossed the finish line and collapsed. Her body could not push any further. Her husband scooped her up and put her in a wheelchair. I am surprised she wasn’t vomiting or passed out. I have run races in extreme heat and felt sick from it. The dehydration caused me to feel dizzy, gave me a headache and I felt sick. I am not a professional runner and can only imagine how well she was taken care of after the race to make sure she recovered quickly and safely from pushing herself so hard. The Olympics are taking place in Brazil, which is obviously going to be hot during the summer, so she will need to learn what will work for her to avoid getting sick during the Olympics.
Runner’s World interviewed Shalane after the race. I was curious to know what she was doing to recover and had been following her on Twitter. Check out the article to see what happened after the race and also to know what she experienced during the race. I was curious to know if she was laying in bed being pampered with a massage by her personal physician and given special anti-inflammatory foods by her nutritionist. Come to find out she was laying in bed but she was eating donuts and pastries!
Congratulations to the women going on to Rio in the summer! This was my first time watching the Olympic Marathon Trials and it was a lot of fun and exciting to watch the runners. I’m looking forward to what the world has to present for the marathon during the Olympics!
I was keeping tabs on the women’s olympic trials this year and it was quite a race! I can’t imagine running as fast as those elites do, especially on a hot day like that!