Ben Flanagan on Olympic standards, altitude training and his quest to be Canada’s best

After hitting the Olympic standard for 5,000m earlier this year, Canada’s Ben Flanagan is now aiming to achieve another Olympic standard in an event that ignited his career in 2018. Flanagan will be one of two Canadian men competing at the Sound Running TEN in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on Saturday night, aiming for the Olympic standard over 10,000 metres.

The men’s 10,000m Olympic standard of 27:00 is one of the most challenging marks for athletes. Only 11 men have achieved it so far, out of an allotted 27 spots, and it’s a distance that is not often raced on the professional track and field circuit. Flanagan won the NCAA 10,000m title in his final year at the University of Michigan in 2018, but it’s a distance he hasn’t raced much since turning professional. “There aren’t a lot of opportunities to race the 10,000m, and with such a difficult standard, it’s the hardest to qualify for global teams,” says Flanagan.

The 29-year-old acknowledges that his focus will still be on reaching the Olympic final in the 5,000m, but he also sees a realistic opportunity in the 10,000m. “I think it’s going to take something special to run a 27-flat, but I have nothing to lose,” says Flanagan.

Flanagan won’t be the only Canadian in the men’s field. Coming back from injury, Canadian 10,000m record holder Moh Ahmed will also be aiming to hit the Olympic standard on the same track where he set the national record of 26:34.14 in 2022. “Moh has redefined what’s possible in Canadian distance running, and you never know what kind of form he is in,” says Flanagan about Ahmed. “It’s been a confidence booster to know I am getting closer to his calibre, and to see how far I’ve come.

“I don’t want to be just one of the best Canadian distance runners; I want to be the best. I want to close the gap.”

In the last two seasons, Flanagan, who is from Kitchener, Ont., has found success in the 5,000m, making his first world championship team in Budapest last summer and running under the Olympic standard of 13:07 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in January.

Flanagan will come into the Sound Running TEN after a five-week training stint at altitude in Boulder, Colo., something he’s never done for a race in his professional career. “I was able to train with the On Athletics Club [OAC] guys in Boulder,” he says. “It was really cool. I was a bit starstruck at first, seeing world champion Geordie Beamish and Boston champion Hellen Obiri.”

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Flanagan reveals to Canadian Running that he had some uncertainty about how his body would react to training at altitude, but after chatting with professionals and his coach, Ron Warhurst, he took a more conservative approach, which helped him settle in. “I tried not to be a hero in week one,” laughs Flanagan. “I just let the adjustment come naturally.”

To help Flanagan settle in, OAC head coach Dathan Ritzenhein and assistant coach Kelsey Quinn took him under their wing for the past five weeks. “They both have great attention to detail, are very accommodating and organized,” he says about the On Athletics Club leadership in Boulder. “They were patient with me, and it wasn’t until 20 days in that I started completing my workouts.”

On Saturday night in San Juan Capistrano, Flanagan faces a tough challenge, but he believes running as close as possible to 27 minutes will put him in a good position for Olympic qualification, whether he makes the standard or not. The Sound Running TEN will be broadcast live on FloTrack (subscription required) on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. ET.