Lauren Fleshman was the top collegiate distance runner in American history. Then, as a professional athlete, she transformed herself into an entrepreneur and a forceful advocate for women in sports. When she included a photo of her pregnancy-loosened belly in a blog post a year after trying out for the 2012 Olympics, it drew more attention than any race she had won.
And now, in announcing her retirement at age 34, Fleshman also carries the wrenching distinction of most likely being the best American distance runner never to make an Olympic team, her competitive career repeatedly impaired by injuries that had her on crutches at the wrong four-year intervals.