FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
John Hancock Announces Top Americans For 2017 Boston Marathon
BOSTON, MA, December 21, 2017 - John Hancock Financial today announced the
U.S. Elite Team for the Boston Marathon on April 17, 2017. The exceptional
team, recruited to compete with a deep international field, includes the
men's 2014 champion Meb Keflezighi, four-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan,
two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp, and two-time Olympian Desiree Linden.
Olympians Jared Ward and Abdi Abdirahman are also in the field, as are
Lindsay Flanagan, Clara Santucci (née Grandt), Shadrack Biwott, Esther
Atkins, and Sean Quigley. Additionally, track standout Jordan Hasay will
make her marathon debut at Boston. Collectively, the 12-member John Hancock
Elite U.S. Team has competed and won medals in Olympic, World and Pan
American Championships, and all bring strong credentials to compete for the
win at the 121st running of the Boston Marathon.
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"Our audiences have come to enjoy an American resurgence at the Boston
Marathon in recent years, punctuated by Meb Keflezighi's 2014 victory,"
said Tom Grilk, Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Athletic Association.
"We were very impressed with the American team's performance at the Olympic
Games in August. Our long time partners at John Hancock Financial have done
a magnificent job in assembling these top Americans, all of whom we look
forward to welcoming in April."
"We are thrilled to have such a deep and talented American field this
year," said Rob Friedman, head of Sponsorship and Event Marketing at John
Hancock. "In our 32 years of sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, we've
always invited strong international fields and the elite American team is
always ready to challenge for the prestigious Boston title. The American
team has found success at the highest levels of the sport and they will
certainly add excitement for spectators and fans on the course and around
the globe on Patriots' Day."
Meb Keflezighi, previously announced as a returning champion, is a
four-time Olympian and one of America's most accomplished runners. In 2014
he broke from the lead pack early and beat the fastest elite men's field
ever assembled for the Boston Marathon to become the first U.S. male open
winner since 1983. He is the only American man to have won the Boston and
New York City Marathons (2009) and earned an Olympic Marathon medal
(silver, 2004). Additional career highlights include winning the 2012 U.S.
Olympic Trials Marathon, placing fourth at the 2012 London Olympic Games
Marathon and finishing second at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.
A four-time Olympian, Shalane Flanagan recorded the fastest time ever run
by an American woman on the Boston course (2:22:02) in 2014. Flanagan holds
North and Central American records in the indoor 3,000m and
5,000m and in the10K, 15K, and 25K. Her 10K American record was earned on
the streets of Boston at the 2016 B.A.A. 10K. She won the bronze medal in
the 10,000m at the 2008 Olympics and won the bronze medal at the 2011 IAAF
World Cross Country Championships. Flanagan won the 2012 U.S. Olympic
Marathon Trials and was ninth in the 2012 Olympic Marathon. This year she
finished third at the 2016 Trials and sixth at the 2016 Olympic Marathon in
Rio de Janeiro.
Galen Rupp makes his Boston Marathon debut with two Olympic medals to his
name. This year he won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Marathon and
finished fifth in the 10,000m. At the 2012 Olympic Games, Rupp won the
silver medal in the 10,000m. He holds four American records: indoor 3,000m,
5,000m, and two-mile, and the outdoor 10,000m. Rupp ran his first marathon
at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, winning the event in 2:11:13. A
force in the 10,000m, Rupp has won the national championship in that event
every year since 2009.
Desiree Linden, a two-time Olympian and the fourth fastest American
marathoner of all time, returns to Boston after finishing seventh at the
2016 Olympic Marathon. A top five finisher in six Abbott World Marathon
Majors, Linden narrowly missed winning Boston in 2011 by two seconds,
running 2:22:38, which remains her personal best. She was also runner-up at
the 2010 Chicago Marathon. Additional accomplishments include placing tenth
at the 2009 IAAF World Marathon Championships, second at the 2012 and 2016
U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and second in the 10,000m at the 2015 Pan
American Games.
Jared Ward rounds out the 2016 Olympians in the Boston field. In 2015, he
won the U.S. National Championship in the marathon, 25K and 20K and
finished second in the half marathon. In early 2016, Ward secured a spot on
the Olympic Team with a third place finish at the U.S. Olympic Marathon
Trials. At the Olympics, Ward ran conservatively in the heat and humidity
and steadily moved up through the pack as other experienced runners
faltered. He crossed the line in sixth place, less than a minute and a half
out of medal contention.
Also on the Elite U.S. Team is four-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, who most
recently finished third at the New York City Marathon. Abdirahman is a
multiple national champion in the 10,000m, 10K, 10-mile and half marathon.
He placed third in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, but did not
finish at the Olympics due to injury.
Lindsay Flanagan is also on the team after setting a 2:29:28 personal best
with a fourth place finish at the 2016 Frankfurt Marathon. The 25-year-old
won the silver medal in the marathon for the U.S. at the 2015 Pan American
Games.
Clara Santucci has a personal best of 2:29:54 from the 2011 Boston
Marathon. The 2014 and 2015 winner of the Pittsburgh Marathon, Santucci
also finished seventh at the 2013 Chicago Marathon and fifth at the 2014
Chicago Marathon.
Shadrack Biwott, a teammate of Galen Rupp's at the University of Oregon and
brother of elite marathoner Duncan Kibet, makes his Boston Marathon debut
after finishing seventh at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon and fifth at
the New York City Marathon with a personal best time of 2:12:01.
Esther Atkins also returns to Boston where she holds her personal best time
of 2:33:15. A 2014 champion of both the Tallahassee and Twin Cities
Marathons, Atkins finished 11th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
Sean Quigley grew up a few miles south of Boston and was a seven-time
All-American at La Salle University. Ninth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon
Trials this past January, Quigley set his marathon personal best of 2:13:30
at the challenging Fukuoka Marathon in 2014.
Making her marathon debut is Jordan Hasay, an 18-time All-American at the
University of Oregon. As a junior she won the silver medal in the 1500m at
the IAAF World Youth Championships and finished fourth in the 1500m at the
IAAF World Junior Championships in both 2008 and 2010. As a U23 competitor,
she won the gold medal at the 2012 NACAC Championships in the 1500m. At the
2013 IAAF World Championships she placed 12th in the 10,000m. Hasay most
recently won the U.S. 10 Mile Road Running Championships in October,
finishing in 52:49. Both Hasay and Rupp are coached by 1982 Boston Marathon
champion Alberto Salazar.
The 2017 Boston Marathon marks the 32nd year of John Hancock's landmark
sponsorship of the legendary race. The complete elite international field
will be announced in January. For additional information about the elite
athlete program and sponsorship, please visit
www.johnhancock.com/bostonmarathon/sportspartnerships.html or follow us
@jhboston26 on Twitter.
2017 Boston Marathon John Hancock Elite USA Team
Shalane Flanagan USA 2:21:14 (Berlin, 2014)
Desiree Linden USA 2:22:38 (Boston, 2011)
Lindsay Flanagan USA 2:29:28 (Frankfurt, 2016)
Clara Santucci USA 2:29:54 (Boston, 2011)
Esther Atkins USA 2:33:15 (Boston, 2014)
Jordan Hasay USA Debut
Meb Keflezighi USA 2:08:37 (Boston, 2014)
Abdi Abdirahman USA 2:08:56 (Chicago, 2006)
Galen Rupp USA 2:10:05 (Rio de Janeiro, 2016)
Jared Ward USA 2:11:30 (Rio de Janeiro, 2016)
Shadrack Biwott USA 2:12:01 (New York City, 2016)
Sean Quigley USA 2:13:30 (Fukuoka, 2014)
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife John Hancock Financial is a
division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with
principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as
Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United
States, the group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial
protection products and wealth management services through its extensive
network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Assets under
management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were $966
billion (US $736 billion) as at September 30, 2016. Manulife Financial
Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on
the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of
the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and
administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance,
annuities, investments, retirement plans, long-term care insurance, college
savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information
about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
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