Ben Flanagan

Benjamin Flanagan (born January 11, 1995) 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 three-time winner of the Falmouth Road Race, having won the race in 2018, 2021, and 2022.

High school career Flanagan finished second in the U16 2000 m at the 2010 Canadian Youth Nationals. The next year he competed in the U18 3000 m, once again finishing in second. That same year he was selected to represent Canada at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, France, where he placed 16th in the 1500 m.

He competed in the junior race at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, placing 34th and finishing as the top Canadian.

College career Flanagan attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While there, he was coached by three-time Olympian and fellow Canadian Kevin Sullivan.

Flanagan was the Big Ten 10,000 m champion in 2016 and 2018, and the 2017 NCAA Great Lake Regional Cross Country champion. He 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.

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.

On September 4, 2018, he joined the Reebok Boston Track Club in Charlottesville, Virginia to be coached by Chris John Fox.

2019 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 placed 10th in a time of 7:54.40.

Flanagan opened 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 won 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 February 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, Flanagan 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.

Nevertheless, Flanagan ran 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 the roads, he won his second Falmouth Road Race in August and won his first Manchester Road Race in November.

2022 On January 12, Flanagan announced on Instagram that he was leaving the Reebok Boston Track Club. 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.

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.

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.

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.

At the B.A.A 5K in April, Flanagan broke Charles Philibert-Thiboutot's Canadian record in the 5 km road race, running 13:26 and finishing second behind training partner Morgan Beadlescomb.

At the 2023 Canadian Track and Field Championships, Flanagan won the 5000 m in a time of 13:39.36.

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.

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 also attended the University of Michigan. After dating for three years, the two got engaged.