I just appreciate the ability to run again.' I know it sounds a little crazy to do this, but I have 20 years of running behind me and all this training, and I feel fit. I retired in 2019, and I had two knee surgeries that I thought were going to take me out from running forever, so I'm just, like, in a way, celebrating my health, the fact that I can run again. 'The short end of the 'why' is because I can,' Flanagan said in phone conversation with The Washington Post. Not only did Flanagan want to complete all six races in 42 days, but she also planned to do each in under three hours.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual major marathons schedule, which generally starts early March with the first race in Tokyo and concludes early November with the last marathon in New York City, was condensed into just seven weeks. It was in the same post that Flanagan let the running world know she was indeed back - while simultaneously announcing her biggest challenge yet, and an opportunity that will only happen once in a lifetime: running the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in seven weeks.

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