Meb Keflezighi

Meb Keflezighi was an American distance runner who won one of the most inspiring US marathons ever. Born in Eritrea he came to the United States as a youth and competed in four Olympics between 2000 and 2016, winning a silver medal in the marathon in 2004.

Keflezighi ran in college at UCLA, winning four NCAA titles. He was a three-time US cross-country champion, winning in 2001-02 and 2009. At the 2001 World Cross-Country Championship he helped the US team to a bronze medal finish.

Although he ran the 10,000 metres at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Keflezighi focused on the marathon and road races in later years and ran the marathon at the 2004, 2012, and 2016 Olympics. In 2009 he won the New York City Marathon, the first American man to win that event since Alberto Salazar in 1982. Meb had previously been on the podium at New York twice, winning silver in 2004 and bronze in 2005.

In 2014 Keflezighi started the Boston Marathon one year after the horrific bombing that occurred at the 2013 Boston Marathon, in which three people were killed and 100s injured by bombs left near the finish line by two psychopathic brothers. At the time a US runner had not won the men’s race since 1983 (Greg Meyer), and Keflezighi was not considered among the favorites. Inspired by the memory of the tragedy, however, and the crowds that supported him, he pulled away to win the race in the last miles and became a hero to the Boston people.

For his victory at Boston Meb was given the Jesse Owens Award by the USATF as Athlete of the Year. His victory made him the first runner to win the New York Marathon, the Boston Marathon, and an Olympic marathon medal. Keflezighi was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2017 he was recognized as an Outstanding American by Choice by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2017.

Personal Bests: 10000 – 27:13.98 (2001); Mar – 2-09:56 (2005).