Flanagan will debut in marathon in NY

By John Powers, Globe Staff  |  June 16, 2010

By now, Shalane Flanagan has checked off every other box on her road, track, and trail To-Do List: the 1,500, 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 meters, the half-marathon, cross-country. Only one remains undone: the 26-miler.

“It’s the ultimate challenge for the distance runner,’’ says the Marblehead native, who already has a collection of medals and records from shorter events.

So Flanagan has decided to make her debut where most top American marathoners have, in the Big Apple, signing up to take on US record-holder Deena Kastor and what is expected to be a top international field at the New York City Marathon Nov. 7.