Who is Meb Keflezighi - 2009 NYC Marathon Champ!

"In my ninth grade yearbook my classmates wrote, 'You're going to be an Olympian'." --Meb Keflezighi

Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (pronounced Ka-FLEZ-ghee) was born near Asmara, Eritrea, on May 5, 1975. One of 10 children, he grew up without electricity or running water. He ran away from the first car he saw as a child, and when he first encountered a television set he wondered how people could be fit into such a small box. His daily chores included caring for the family cattle herd and gathering firewood. Meb's grandfather could tell time by looking at the sun.

During his youth, Eritrea was in the midst of a long guerrilla war of independence from neighboring Ethiopia, and the fighting impinged severely on the lives of the Keflezighi family. Meb's older brothers had to be on the lookout for Ethiopian army troops, who were known for kidnapping and conscripting teenage boys for military service. When they heard troops were on the way, the Keflezighis scattered and hid in nearby fields. In Asmara one day, Meb, still a child, had to help remove corpses from a building after an explosion.

Facing these obstacles, Meb's father decided to leave his homeland. He walked 600 miles to the nation of Sudan and worked there for a time. Then, with the help of a relative, he moved to Milan, Italy. The family joined him there and on October 12, 1987, when Meb was 12, they moved on to San Diego, California, in search of better educational opportunities for the children. One of Meb's sisters would go on to attend medical school at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and another sister went to law school there. Five siblings earned college degrees.

With little ability to speak English, Meb was miserable at first. Classmates teased him about his unusual clothes. He and his brothers had learned to play soccer in Italy, and he dreamed of following in the footsteps of the Brazilian soccer superstar Pele. In a seventh-grade physical education class at San Diego's Roosevelt Middle School, however, he entered a running contest and ran a mile in an impressive 5 minutes, 20 seconds.

San Diego High School

His teacher called a local high school coach who had guided a young runner to an Olympic appearance, and Meb was given the chance to train seriously. Within two years he had shaved nearly a minute off his mile time and was winning local track titles.

As a senior at San Diego High School, Meb placed second in one of the deepest Footlocker National Cross Country Championships ever. The race included Olympians Adam Goucher (1st), Meb (2nd), and Brad Hauser (4th) as well as a host of future NCAA Champions.

Meb's high school track PRs were 8:58 for 3200m and 4:06 for 1600m. He also earned a 4.0 gpa, and a scholarship to run at UCLA.

UCLA

Moving on to UCLA in 1994 on a track and field scholarship, Meb benefited from one of the top college track programs in the United States as he began working with coach Bob Larsen. He placed 16th at the NCAA Country Championships as a freshman, and went on to run a 13:52.06 PR for 5,000 meters and finish 5th in the NCAA Outdoor 5k.

Meb's sophomore season saw him again set personal bests on the track, as he ran 13:37 for 5k and 29:55.75 for 10k. He finished 9th in the NCAA Outdoor 5,000 meters.

Meb turned himself into the best runner in the country his junior year. At the NCAA Indoor meet, he won the 5,000 meters. He then went on to win both the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor meet. He set personal bests of 3:43.95 for 1,500m, 13:33.97 for 5,000 meters, and 28:26.55 for 10,000 meters.

He followed that with a course record victory at the NCAA Cross Country Championships his senior year. He finished a disappointing 4th place at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor 5,000 meter races. He did, however, set new personal bests of 3:42.29 (1,500m), 4:02.86 (mile), 13:26.85 (5,000m), and 28:16.79 (10,000m).

Meb became the winningest runner in UCLA history. The year 1998 was a landmark one for Keflezighi as he graduated from UCLA, became a U.S. citizen, and became the first winner of the annual Carl Lewis Award, given to the country's top male track and field athlete.

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF, Meb Keflezighi Biography - Pulled Corpses from Buildings, Earned Track Scholarship, Ran in New York to Support City

"The hard work, discipline, and commitment I have put in over the years since ninth grade or so have paid off in Athens. Was I surprised? To many people it might have been, but with my God-given talent and hard work, I don't think it was. It was in my daily planner to be top three in Athens on that day." --Meb Keflezighi

Meb made his debut on the international running stage when he finished 5th in the 10k at the Pan American Games in 1999. He was the top American finisher at the 2000 World Cross Country Championships, finishing 26th in 36:45.

Sydney to Athens

He then went on to win the U.S. Olympic trials in 2000 at 10,000 meters and went to Sydney, Australia, to represent his new country in the Olympics. Despite coming down with the flu a few days before the race, Meb finished in 12th place, running a personal-best 27:53.63 seconds.

Meb took up mountain running on the advice of marathon world record-holder Haile Gebreselassie, and he soon bought a home in Mammoth Lakes, California, splitting his time between there and Chula Vista. One of Meb's first training partners in Mammoth was 2004 Olympic women's marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor. Following Meb's lead, Team Running USA has developed into a training home for many elite American distance runners, including Ryan Hall, Dan Browne, and Josh Cox.

On the strength of his altitude training, Meb went on to set a new American record at 10,000 meters on May 4, 2001 at Stanford University, with a time of 27:13.98 seconds. This was a 40 second personal best and was seven seconds faster than the previous record, set by Mark Nenow in 1986. He also won his first US Cross Country title at the 12k distance, finishing 13th at the World Cross Country meet.

In 2002, Meb ran a season best 27:20.15 at Stanford, largely on his own. He also went on to win the US 12k Cross Country and 15km Road Race championships, and finished 14th at the World Cross Country meet (36:09). Meb ran his first marathon in New York (2:12:35) and ran a solid 5k time of 13:21.87.

Meb had another solid year in 2003, finishing 2nd at the US Cross Country Championships, 2nd in the US Outdoor 10,000 meters, and 11th at the World Cross Country Championships, his best ever finish. He also ran a personal best 2:10:03 at the LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon. His best times for the year were 13:20.50 and 27:57.59.

Meb was in great form in 2004, finishing second at the US Olympic Marathon Trials and winning the 10,000 meters at the US Olympic Trials in a meet record 27:36.49. He won the US 15k Championships and the US 8k Championships (22:16). And, of course, he won the silver medal at the Athens Olympic Games.

Athens

Training for the 2004 Olympic Marathon trials in Birmingham, Alabama, Meb faced a series of problems-possibly because he had taken a complete four-week break after the Chicago race. Plagued by tendinitis in both knees, he also suffered from a bout with the flu over the Christmas season. He finished second, five seconds behind winner Alan Culpepper. He returned to training in Mammoth, and worked up to a schedule of 130 miles of running per week.

In the Athens marathon, Meb began conservatively, bringing up the rear for the first mile of the race. But he shadowed the group of leaders throughout the race's midsection and found himself in fourth place with five miles to go. Likely benefiting from the attack on Brazilian leader Vanderlei Lima, Meb made a push to the lead.

Meb finished in 2:11:29 seconds, in second place, 34 seconds behind Italian winner Stefano Baldini, whom Meb spoke with in Italian during the race! At the start of the race, 38 runners had run faster personal-best marathon times than Meb, and his silver medal was widely regarded as a stunner. "Was it a surprise? Maybe," Meb told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "But I don't think it was to me. My plan was to be in the top three."

Athens to Beijing

Meb entered the New York City Marathon in November of 2004, just three months after the Olympics. Meb ended up duplicating his Olympic surprise, finishing second behind South African Hendrik Ramaala and notching a personal best time of 2:09:53.

Meb had a solid year in 2005, but suffered through some difficulties as well. He finished second in the US Outdoors 10,000 meters (28:10.57), but had to drop out of the World Championships 10,000 meters with a torn quadriceps muscle. He recovered in time to run a 2:09:56 at the ING New York City Marathon, just three seconds off of his personal best.

Meb officially changed his focus to the marathon in 2006. He finished 3rd at the Boston Marathon (2:09:56) and 22nd at the NYC Marathon (2:22:02). He did finish 2nd at the US Outdoor Championships in the 10,000 meters (28:18.74) but did not run a full slate of track races during the season.

Meb had a bittersweet 2007, as he struggled to maintain the consistency that has been the hallmark of his career. He was beaten handily by Ryan Hall in Houston, where Hall set the new US Half Marathon record of 59:43. He came back to defeat Hall at the USA 15k Championships in a time of 43:40, but then dropped out of the London Marathon with a blister on his foot. He focused his training on the US Olympic Marathon Trials but finished a disappointing 8th, in a time of 2:15:09.

Meb finished 13th at the US Olympic Trials 10,000 meters in a time of 28:39.02. In his first race after the Trials, Meb finished 2nd at the Falmouth Road Race in 32:09 (7 miles). He followed that up with a 28:28.44 10k at the Memorial Van Damme meet in Brussels.

Beijing to London

In his first race of 2009, Meb won the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 61:25. Meb then won his 3rd USA Cross Country Championship, clocking 36:06 to just hold off a hard-charging Tim Nelson. Meb then ran a personal best 2:09:21 to finish 9th at the London Marathon. He then finished 6th at the USA Outdoor 10000m, running 28:35.49. He returned to the roads at the USA 7 Mile Championships, where he won his race in a time of 32:25. He then finished 5th at the Falmouth Road Race, clocking 32:13.

He continued his big 2009 by winning the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in San Jose in a PR 61:00, setting a 20k AR en route (57:52) and moving up to #3 all-time for the half marathon. He then won his first major marathon, running away from Robert Cheruiyot in the final 3 miles to win the New York City Marathon in a personal best time of 2:09:15. The USATF honored Meb with the Robert E. DeCelle Jr. Award for best Male Long Distance Runner of the Year at their Annual Awards Breakfast on December 5th.

Sources: Wikipedia, USATF, Meb Keflezighi Biography - Pulled Corpses from Buildings, Earned Track Scholarship, Ran in New York to Support City

Meb's Championships and Olympic Medals

1997 NCAA Indoor 5k champion
1997 NCAA Outdoor 5k champion
1997 NCAA Outdoor 10k champion
1997 NCAA Cross Country champion
2000 USA Olympic Trials 10k champion
2001 USA Cross Country champion (12k)
2001 USA 15k champion
2002 USA Cross Country champion (12k)
2002 USA Outdoor 10k champion
2002 USA 15k champion
2004 USA Olympic Trials 10k champion
2004 USA 15k champion
2004 Athens marathon silver medalist
2007 USA 15k champion
2009 USA Half-Marathon champion
2009 USA Cross Country champion (12k)
2009 USA 7 Mile champion
2009 USA Marathon champion
2009 ING New York City Marathon champion

Meb's Personal Records

1500m - 3:42.29 - Westwood (1998)
5000m - 13:11.77 - Heusden (2000)
10,000m - 27:13.98 (AR) - Palo Alto (2001)
20,000m - 57:52 (AR) - San Jose (2009) *
half-marathon - 1:01:00 - San Jose (2009)
marathon - 2:09:151 - New York City (2009)

* en route to half marathon

Sources: RunMeb.com, USATF

Marathon

1. 2:05:38 - Khalid Khannouchi - London (2002)
2. 2:06:17 - Ryan Hall - London (2008)
3. 2:08:47 - Bob Kempainen - Boston (1994)
4. 2:08:51 - Alberto Salazar - Boston (1982)
5. 2:08:53 - Dick Beardsley - Boston (1982)
6. 2:08:56 - Abdi Abdirahman - Chicago (2006)
7. 2:09:00 - Greg Meyer - Boston (1983)
8. 2:09:15 - Meb Keflezighi - New York City (2009)
9. 2:09:27 - Bill Rodgers - Boston (1979)
10. 2:09:31 - Ron Tabb - Boston (1983)
11. 2:09:32 - David Morris - Chicago (1999)
12. 2:09:35 - Jerry Lawson - Chicago (1997)
13. 2:09:38 - Ken Martin - New York City (1989)
14. 2:09:41 - Alan Culpepper - Chicago (2002)
15. 2:09:57 - Benji Durden - Boston (1983)

Half Marathon

1. 59:43 - Ryan Hall - Houston (2007)
2. 1:00:00 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Birmingham (2009)
3. 1:00:55 - Mark Curp - Philadelphia (1985)
4. 1:01:00 - Meb Keflezighi - San Jose (2009)
5. 1:01:07 - Abdi Abdirahman - Philadelphia (2006)
6. 1:01:17 - Khalid Khannouchi - Philadelphia (2000)
7. 1:01:30 - Keith Brantly - Philadelphia (1993)
8. 1:01:32 - Paul Cummings - Dayton (1983)
9. 1:01:43 - George Malley - Philadelphia (1982)
10. 1:01:47 - Herb Lindsay - Manchester (1981)
10. 1:01:47 - Bill Reifsnyder - Philadelphia (1985)
11. 1:01:47 - Jon Sinclair - Philadelphia (1985)
12. 1:01:52 - Todd Williams - Orlando (1981)
13. 1:01:57 - Bruce Bickford - Philadelphia (1986)

10,000 meters

1. 27:13.98 - Meb Keflezighi - Palo Alto (2001)
2. 27:16.99 - Abdi Abdirahman - Eugene (2008)
3. 27:20.56 - Mark Nenow - Brussels (1986)
4. 27:22.28 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Palo Alto (2006)
5. 27:25.61 - Alberto Salazar - Oslo (1982)
6. 27:29.16 - Craig Virgin - Paris (1980)
7. 27:31.34 - Todd Williams - Knoxville (1995)
8. 27:33.48 - Galen Rupp - Palo Alto (2007)
9. 27:33.93 - Alan Culpepper - Palo Alto (2001)
10. 27:34.72 - Alan Webb - Palo Alto (2006)
11. 27:36.99 - Tim Nelson - Palo Alto (2009)
12. 27:37.17 - Bruce Bickford - Stockholm (1985)
13. 27:37.45 - Bob Kennedy - Palo Alto (2004)
14. 27:37.74 - Anthony Famiglietti - Palo Alto (2006)
15. 27:41.05 - Ed Eyestone - Walnut (1985)
16. 27:42.15 - Dan Browne - Palo Alto (2004)

5,000 meters

1. 12:56.27 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Zurich (2009)
2. 12:58.21 - Bob Kennedy - Zurich (1996)
3. 12:58.56 - Matt Tegenkamp - Brussels (2009)
4. 12:59.22 - Bernard Lagat - London (2006)
5. 13:01.15 - Sydney Maree - Oslo (1985)
6. 13:10.00 - Adam Goucher - Heusden-Zolder (2006)
7. 13:10.86 - Alan Webb - Berlin (2005)
8. 13:11.77 - Meb Keflezighi - Heusden-Zolder (2000)
8. 13:11.77 - Tim Broe - Oslo (2005)
10. 13:11.93 - Alberto Salazar - Stockholm (1982)
10. 13:11.93 - Anthony Famiglietti - Walnut (2007)
12. 13:12.24 - Chris Solinsky - Heusden-Zolder (2007)
13. 13:12.91 - Matt Centrowitz - Eugene (1982)
14. 13:13.32 - Abdi Abdirahman - London (2005)
15. 13:13.49 - Bruce Bickford - Oslo (1985)

Source: All-Time Athletics, Malmo