Shalane Flanagan's Tips for Her Husband, Steve Edwards, as He Takes on the TCS New York City Marathon

Shalane Flanagan is in town this week for the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, but you won’t find her standing on the start line on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge or running the 26.2-mile course through the five boroughs.

Recently retired from a decorated 15-year career in competitive running—capped by her historic win at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon—Flanagan has joined the broadcast team for this year’s race. Race day will find her live on camera on WABC-TV and ESPN2, sharing her insights on the professional athlete performances.

Flanagan will, however, be at the finish line in Central Park for one key moment: the finish of her husband, Steve Edwards, who’ll be running his first TCS New York City Marathon.

Edwards, 40, is an experienced marathon runner with a PR of 2:36, but he’s never run 26.2 in New York. A former collegiate 800-meter standout (he and Flanagan met as teammates at the University of North Carolina), he’s coached hundreds of runners with the Nike+ Run Club and Fleet Feet and now coaches a high school cross country team.

Although Flanagan, 38, is now a professional coach with the Nike Bowerman Track Club, she doesn’t formally coach Edwards. However, given her success on the New York City Marathon course (in addition to her 2017 victory she was second in 2010 and third in 2018), she figures it can’t hurt to offer him a few race-day tips. Edwards—and any runner taking on the TCS New York City Marathon—could do worse than to follow Flanagan’s advice.

1. Do NOT worry about the first mile! “It is not going to be one of your fastest,” Flanagan says. “You have all this adrenaline, but you’ll be running uphill and possibly into the wind or with a crosswind, so it may feel slow. Don’t worry and don’t fight it—just relax and use that first mile as a warmup.”

2. Mentally prepare yourself for the course’s five major hills. “New York is always giving you gritty challenges, all 26.2 miles,” she says. The significant hills, she notes, are the bridges connecting the five boroughs. “Think of each one taking you to a new adventure, a new experience in the race,” she advises.

3. Regroup when and where you can. “Even though the race is a party, full of noise and excitement almost the entire way, there are some quiet places where you can regroup,” Flanagan notes. At mile 11 the route passes through a Hasidic neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “It’s quieter than the rest of Brooklyn and can be a good place to collect yourself.” Another excellent spot to focus inward is on the Queensboro Bridge, which links Queens to Manhattan at miles 15-16. “It’s quiet because there are no spectators,” she says. “You’re more than halfway done but you still have over 10 miles to go, and it’s right before the really loud part on First Avenue.”

4. Save something for Central Park. “I’ve told Steve to channel his inner Meb [Keflezighi] or Shalane for those hills, to still be competitive there and not give up,” she says. “Work the hills, don’t settle, know that you can still fight for a time or place in those final challenging miles.” Last year Flanagan moved into third place in Central Park and held her spot to make the podium.

5. Hug your wife at the finish line. “Steve was at the finish line for me all the times I’ve run New York, and now I’m going to be there for him—and I want that hug!” Flanagan says. She plans to track Edwards using the TCS New York City Marathon App Powered by Tata Consultancy Services to make sure she's at the finish line to greet him.

6. Have pizza afterward. Flanagan and Edwards have gone to the same pizza place in Midtown after each of her New York City Marathon finishes. “I honestly don’t even know the name of it, but I’ve told him we’ve got to go again this year,” she says. “It’s so good, so New York, and the perfect thing to do after the marathon.”

Flanagan couldn’t be more excited for her husband’s New York debut. “This will be a totally new experience for Steve,” she says. “He’s always been 100% there for me in New York, and this year he’ll have his own day.” Edwards had planned to run in 2017, but at the last minute the couple decided he wouldn’t run. “I didn’t want him to not be at the finish line if something really special happened for me,” Flanagan explains. “We’re both really glad he was there for my win, and now we’re happy that I can be there for his finish.”

Flanagan doesn’t have specific advice for what Edwards should yell in celebration as he approaches the finish. While she famously shouted “F**k yeah!” as she sprinted toward the tape in 2017, she urges Edwards—and the rest of us—to simply be sure our exclamation captures the emotion of the moment. “You just ran the freakin’ New York City Marathon!” she says with a laugh. “There’s no feeling like it and you have to go all-out with celebrating it.”