Shalane Flanagan eyes American marathon record in Berlin

Shalane Flanagan hopes to beat the current U.S. women's marathon record on Sept. 28 in the Berlin Marathon.

A top female finisher at April's Boston Marathon with a time of 2:22:02, Flanagan aims to break Deena Kastor's record of 2:19:36 from the 2006 London Marathon. At 33, Flanagan told The Oregonian:

"I'm getting older," she said. "I feel like if I want to go for one really fast marathon without something big on the line, if I want to give myself one shot to run on a fast course and run to my potential, I shouldn't wait too much longer."

Her decision to run Berlin came with a price. Flanagan and coach Jerry Schumacher decided to pull out of last month's 10,000-meter event at the USA Track & Field Championships to focus on her marathon training.

With less than two months to go, Flanagan seems ready for the challenge. In addition to her stellar time in Boston, she won the Chicago Half Marathon on July 20 with a time of 1:09:44.