Heading into the 2018 New York Marathon, four-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan is the one to beat. Last year, she became the first American woman to win the New York Marathon, finishing with a time of 2:26:53. The historic moment was an emotional one for not only Shalane, but her whole family of accomplished runners. Her mom, the first woman to break a 2:50:00 marathon time in 1971, told Runner’s World that she was “was shaking and yelling and bawling all at once” as she watched her daughter clinch the lead from her home in North Carolina. Flanagan’s father has qualified for the World Cross-Country Championships three times; he was at the marathon watching with Flanagan’s husband, Steven Ashley Edwards. That is, until Steve left to wait at the finish line for his wife.
Flanagan and Edwards have been married for 13 years, but he’s been alongside her since the start of her career. Based on Edward’s unwavering support of her on social media and at competitions (remember when he carried her to medical attention after she collapsed after finishing third at the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials in 2016?), it’s probable that he’ll be there once again to watch his wife defend her title.
Before the results of tomorrow’s marathon, here’s what you need to know about Steve Edwards:
1. He’s Also a Runner
Steve’s bio on the Fleet Feet website says that “running has taken [him] everywhere,” and has “connected him to the best people he knows, most notably his wife.” The two met at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and were on the track and cross-country teams together. The 2002 Track & Field roster (which Shalane is also on) says he grew up in Durham, North Carolina (his mother and mother-in-law both live in North Carolina presently), and he was a mid-distance runner for the team. Edwards was a senior that year, and Shalane was a sophomore.
After college, his love of running continued. He and Flanagan sometimes train together, and he has a marathon time of 2:36. His last marathon was in Washington this past September.
2. He Works as a Coach for Fleet Feet & Nike+ Run Club
And his Instagram handle, “@ffcoachsteve,” shows the pride he has in his role. When he isn’t posting photos of Shalane or his family, Steve posts photos of his clients and upcoming Fleet Feet training events, open for registration.
On the Nike+ Run Club website, Steve’s bio says that “He lives and breathes running, and hasan unshakable belief in getting better. He lives with running on the brain, and will keep you thinking about how to keep getting better. No matter where he goes, he hits the ground running.” It is also worth noting that Nike is Flanagan’s official sponsor (according to the USA Track & Field Website), and she starred in a commercial for their new Nike Vaporfly 4% this past April, ahead of her Boston Marathon participation.
3. Steve Also Works as Shalane’s Agent
GettyShalane Flanagan, wearing her wedding rings, reacts to winning the Women’s Division during the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon.
Although Edwards is a coach, he does not coach his wife (that’s Jerry Schumacher’s job).Steve told Women’s Running that he believes his “role as Shalane’s husband is to be an escape from her running,” and that he “rarely ask[s] her about her training unless she brings up the topic.” According to Running Competitor and her USA Track and Field bio, he is her agent. Which makes sense not only because of his personal and professional relationship to the sport, but how long and how closely he works with his wife. Nevertheless, he asserts that that’s not what their partnership is about: “We discuss all the different facets of our lives most of the time. The last thing she wants to discuss is business when she is around her husband.”
4. He & Flanagan Are Foster Parents, & Considering Adoption
According to Running Competitor, Flanagan received an email while she was training in Rio that two orphaned girls were in need of a foster family for their senior year of high school. The couple made the quick decision to move the girls into their home while Shalane was training in Rio, and Shalane told ESPN that it was “one of the most rewarding things [they] have ever done.” The girls, Breauna and Keauna Cobb, are also runners, but Edwards and Flanagan quickly discovered the girls love sprinting, not cross-country, and have not pressured them to follow in their long-distance footsteps.
On social media, Steve affectionately refers to the twins as “my girls.” Though New York Times reports that “the girls have moved on to community college,” they also say that Edwards and Flanagan planned to spend this fall “seeking to adopt a child.” About parenthood, Shalane told ESPN.com: “I think the hardest part of being an athlete for me is delaying having a family. We want to have a purpose and we want to take care of kids.” Even if they choose not to adopt, according to Shalane, they have talked about fostering children all the time.
5. He Is his Wife’s Biggest Fan
In addition to husband, co-parent, agent, teammate, and partner, Edwards is a fan and admirer of not only Shalane’s many successes, but the way she handles defeat. In his interview with Women’s Running, he concludes with this:
I would say after most of [Shalane’s] failures, I honestly believe they aren’t failures. We learned so much from those experiences, and, in some cases, she ran a perfectly executed race or workout; she just didn’t have it in her that day. I admire her for giving it her all and realizing her limitations. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her fail, because she’s never quit.