Former Tar Heel track and cross country champion Shalane Flanagan went into the Olympic Marathon considered to be a contender to on the medal podium. Unfortunately, Flanagan was unable to keep pace with a breakaway group of runners after the midway point and faded to 10th.

Flanagan ran in the lead group which included over two dozen runners early on. As the field thinned out through the wet and narrow streets of London, Flanagan lost contact with a group of three Kenyans and the eventual Olympic champion Tiki Galena of Ethiopia who broke the Olympic record.

Flanagan, who won bronze in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympics finished the 26.2 mile course in 2:25:51. Fellow American and training partner Kara Goucher finished 11th.