Benjamin "Ben" Flanagan (born 11 January 1995)[1] is a Canadian long-distance runner. He is currently the Canadian record holder in the 5 km and 10 km road races. He is also a 3-time winner of the Falmouth Road Race, having won the race in 2018, 2021, and 2022.
Flanagan was the Big Ten 10,000 m champion in 2016 and 2018, the 2017 NCAA Great Lake Regional Cross Country champion, and won the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships 10,000 m by running 28:34.53 and passing Vincent Kiprop of Alabama in the final metres of the race.[3] Following his victory, Flanagan went viral on social media after he was recorded screaming "where's my mom?" in his post-race interview.[4]
Professional career
2018
Flanagan claimed his first major professional victory in the 2018 Falmouth Road Race running the 7 mile course in a time of 32:21.
Flanagan made his professional debut on January 26, 2019, at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge at the Armory in New York City. Contesting the 3000 m, he took first, running a personal best of 7:48.80. Two weeks later, he returned to the Armory once again to compete in the 3000 m at the 2019 Millrose Games. He would go on to place 10th in a time of 7:54.40.
Flanagan would open his outdoor season competing at the BAA 5K, placing fourth in 13:49. Competing over 10,000 m, he set a personal best of 28:19.51 in Palo Alto on May 2 and would go on to win the Canadian title in the event the next month in Burnaby.
2020
Ben opened his 2020 campaign on January 25 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix running 7:56.02 over 3000 m. The next month competing at Boston University he ran personal bests over 3000 m (7:47.37 on Feb 15) and 5000 m (13:31.07 on Feb 28).
Despite competing sparsely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flanagan managed a 10,000 m personal best of 28:06.88 in August. In December, he made his half marathon debut, taking the win in Hardeeville, South Carolina in 1:03:19.
2021
In 2021, Ben failed to qualify for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. He achieved the necessary world ranking but was beaten out for a spot on the Canadian team by Moh Ahmed, Justyn Knight, and Luc Bruchet.[6]
Nevertheless, he was able to run a 10,000 m personal best of 27:49.07 on May 14 and a 5000 m personal best of 13:20.67 on May 27.
On January 12, he announced on Instagram that he was leaving the Reebok Boston Track Club.[7] The next week, he announced that he had signed a contract with On and was moving back to Ann Arbor to train with the Very Nice Track Club under coach Ron Warhurst.[8][9]
Under Warhurst, Flanagan continued his success on the roads setting a Canadian 10 km road record at the B.A.A. 10K in 28:11 and winning his third Falmouth Road Race in 32:25.[10]
On October 23, Flanagan competed in the Valencia Half Marathon. While he only finished 18th overall, he beat fellow Canadian Cam Levins by 4 seconds and broke Rory Linkletter's Canadian half marathon record holder with a time of 1:01:00.[11]
2023
Flanagan opened his season on January 27 with a personal best of 13:11.97 over 5000m at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic. The following week he set a personal best of 7:43.49 in the 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
Later that summer, he qualified to represent Canada at his first World Athletics Championships in the 5000m where he finished 11th in his heat with a time of 13:38.69[1]
On January 26, Flanagan entered the 5000 m at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston with the goal of achieving the Olympic standard of 13:05.00. Coming through the 3000 m mark in 7:55.01, he reached 4800 m in 12:36.78, needing a last lap of 28.22 or faster to hit the standard. Trailing noted fast-finisher Geordie Beamish, he closed his lap in 27.85, the second fastest finishing lap of anyone in the field (besides Beamish). With that, he ran a time of 13:04.62, hitting the Olympic standard, making him eligible to be selected to represent Canada at the 2024 Olympics.
On February 4, Ben finished 4th in the 3000 m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, running a personal best of 7:40.19.
At the TEN, Flanagan ran a time of 27:20.93, eclipsing his previous personal best time by almost 30 seconds. The mark placed him 3rd on the all-time Canadian list, only behind Moh Ahmed and Cam Levins.
Ben is the son of Ron and Michelle Flanagan. He has two sisters, Kristen and Jamie.[13][14]
Flanagan met his fiancé when his host family for the Falmouth road race got a flat tire causing him to stay the night with the president of the race, whose daughter happened to also attend the University of Michigan. After dating for three years the two got engaged.[15]