Anyone familiar with running knows there is a wide gap between being a good runner and a great runner.

When Yolanda Flamino of Hancock began her running career, she was firmly planted on the good side of the equation. Now, the 33-year-old is making strides to join her sport’s elite.

Growing up in Ellington, Conn., she didn’t pick up the sport until the spring of seventh grade.

Not knowing what to expect, she was basically pushed into joining a school running club and instantly fell in love with the sport. Flamino was forced to decide between running and soccer in the fall of eighth grade.

“I thought about it long and hard and I chose cross-country, and I’m really glad,” she said.

Since then, Flamino has done things that most runners can only dream of.

She won a Division III New England Championship her senior year at Trinity College, although the season leading up to that point was a disappointment.

“That was a huge goal for me,” she said of the New England Championship. “It was one of the races you picture in your head a thousand times and it’s great when it comes out like the picture.”

After a 13th place finish at the DIII National Championships, Flamino earned All-America status.

She put in some time coaching at the college level, serving as the cross-country and track coach at Smith College, UNC-Greensboro and most recently at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

But ever since she had gotten out of school, Flamino had some things she wanted to do as an athlete.

She spent a few years in Rochester Hills, Mich., as part of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project running team, an organization that has sponsored some top-notch athletes.

One thing she wanted to do was run a marathon.

Her father was a marathoner, so she knew it was in the blood. Despite a big transition from the typical shorter races in both high school and college, Flamino was committed to going the distance.

“Coming out of college, I knew I wanted to do a marathon at some time,” she said. “But at the time, I didn’t know if I could concentrate for 26 miles.”

She trained for her first one in Chicago in 2006 and with her 29th place time of 2:45.19, Flamino qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

“I knew when I did [run a marathon], it wasn’t going to be just to do it,” said Flamino, citing her competitive nature.

In only her second marathon, in San Francisco in 2007, Flamino earned her first win, set a new course record and improved upon her qualifying time by almost two minutes.

“My goal going into it was to win,” she said. “And I thought I could set a course record in the process.”

More importantly than actually qualifying for the trials was where they were held. On April 20, the day before the 2008 Boston marathon was set to take place, Flamino, along with 147 elite U.S. women’s marathoners, ran the streets of Boston, not on the same course, but right around it.

In front of family, friends and her old college coach, Flamino, who went into the trials ranked 65th, finished 38th in 2:42.53, a personal best.

“It was really wonderful and one thing that made it even better was that it was Boston,” Flamino said. “It was just luck of the draw. Good luck of the draw.”

With only the top three advancing to the Summer Games in Beijing, her goal was to crack the top 20, a feat she fell a little short in accomplishing.

“I had to remind myself,” said Flamino. “You forget it was a big accomplishment to qualify.”

For many athletes, one shot at the Olympics is all they get, but Flamino still has her sights set on London in 2012.

She was set to start in the women’s elite grouping this year in Boston, but an injury derailed her dream of competing in what is like her hometown marathon.

“I was really excited to do Boston,” she said.

While getting ready for Boston, Flamino, who is now sponsored by Hammer Nutrition, got an e-mail from USA Track & Field. It was about the 50K championships in Huntington, N.Y., on March 7.

Usually those e-mails quickly go into her trash file, but for some reason she didn’t delete it.

“I just felt I was really aerobically fit,” she said.

The timing of it fit in perfectly with her training for Boston. She decided to go for it and had a game plan, something she said that she almost always sticks with.

But in this race she didn’t. Flamino led from start to finish in winning the event in 3:34.29, good enough for a nine-minute victory.

“I figured I might as well go for it. What do I have to lose?” said Flamino

And then just 10 days before Boston, a pothole changed everything. During a quick warm-up run before a track workout, Flamino stepped in one and twisted her knee.

“You’re thinking, ‘I put up with a lot for that little pothole’,” she said.

She held out hope that it would get better, but it didn’t and she was forced to withdraw.

“I was like ‘it will clear up in a day or two,’ but it didn’t,” Flamino said. “It was kind of hard to deal with.”

Injuries are a big factor in running and Flamino has dealt with her fair share. She severely hurt her foot a few years ago, and was on the verge of surgery and currently she is on a little hiatus because of an Achilles issue.

“You get used to running through aches and pains,” she said.

As tough as it is for her, or any runner, to take time off, Flamino knows it will help in the long run.

“My body seems to be rebelling,” she said. “I felt now was a good time to take a break.”

Having lived in New Hampshire since last fall, Flamino hasn’t had a chance to find all the local hot running spots, but has a few that she likes.

She was a long-term substitute teacher at Conant this year and created a nice eight-mile loop from the high school.

There are also quite a few trails and logging roads near her brother Lance’s Hancock house, where she lives.

Her passion is coaching, not only because it keeps her close to the sport, but it is also a great way to give back.

Flamino feels running has afforded her a lot of opportunities, so giving back is the only logical thing to do.

“Running provided me with a lot,” said Flamino. “It’s just been a big gift to me.”