“With happy tears I announce today that I am retiring from professional running,” Flanagan began her post. “From 2004 to 2019 I’ve given everything that’s within me to this sport and wow it’s been an incredible ride!”
Flanagan, 38, attended Marblehead High School, where she was named to the Globe All-Scholastic team before going on to star at the University of North Carolina, winning national cross country titles in 2002 and 2003.
She took silver in the 10,000 meters at the 2018 Beijing Olympics, second place in her debut at 26.2 miles at the 2010 New York City Marathon, and bronze at the 2011 World Cross Country Championships, where she became the first non-African to medal at the event in eight years.
She ran the Boston Marathon four times (2013-15, 2018), with her best finish coming in her first race when she took fourth. After finishing seventh in 2018, Flanagan said it was her last time running Boston competitively, although she may return to run in a charity capacity.