Meb Keflezighi
UNITED STATES
BIRTHDATE:
May 5, 1975
PERSONAL BEST:
2:09:15 (New York, 2009)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
01Nov09 ING New York City Marathon 1st 2:09:15
26Apr09 Boston Marathon 9th 2:09:21
22Apr07 Flora London Marathon DNF
05Nov06 ING New York City Marathon 21st 2:22:02
17Apr06 Boston Marathon 3rd 2:09:56
06Nov05 ING New York City Marathon 3rd 2:09:56
07Nov04 ING New York City Marathon 2nd 2:09:53
29Aug04 Olympic Games Marathon 2nd 2:11:29
12Oct03 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon 7th 2:10:03
03Nov02 New York City Marathon 9th 2:12:35
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
03Nov07 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 8th 2:15:09
07Feb04 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials 2nd 2:11:47
CAREER NOTES:
A man with a mission, Meb Keflezighi’s list of accomplishments, like his running style, is simply bold. He’s a two-time Olympian, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist, the 2009 ING New York City winner and the American record holder in the 10,000m.
A member of seven World Championships teams and a four-time NCAA champion while attending the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), Keflezighi is one of the most versatile and dominant track and road racers in America today. At the 2000 Olympics, Keflezighi placed 12th in the 10,000m finals while battling the flu. During his next Olympic go-round in 2004, with experience and health on his side, he cruised to a silver medal in the marathon, the best American male showing since Frank Shorter’s 1976 silver.
In 2005 his third place (2:09:56) at the 2005 New York City Marathon, where he challenged World Record holder Paul Tergat until the closing miles, was the fastest marathon by an American that year. The following year Keflezighi won his fifth national 15K title and though unable to end the American male drought at the Boston Marathon, he finished a strong third, missing his personal best by just three seconds. Struck by food poisoning just before the 2006 ING New York City Marathon he staggered to the finish in 21st place.
Keflezighi was back in top form in 2007, as he rocketed to more national titles at 12K cross county and 15K. However a blister and achilles injury forced him out of the Flora London Marathon in the 16th mile. Seeking to make his second Olympic marathon team at the U.S. Trials in November, Keflezighi was troubled by stomach pain and had to settle for eighth place. A stress fracture in his hip after that race put him on the sidelines but he came back in 2009 with a vengance.
He won national titles at cross country, seven miles and the half marathon and set a PR of 1:01:00. Keflezighi was ninth at the Flora London Marathon, but lowered his personal best to 2:09:21.
At New York City in November 2009 he ended a 17-year winless drought for Americans with another personal best. He broke away from four-time Boston Marathon champion Robert Cheruiyot over the last few miles in Central Park and went on to open up a 41-second margin of victory.
PERSONAL NOTES:
Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi began running at age 12 and ran a 5:20 mile as a seventh grader. He competed with two of his brothers at San Diego High School where he won three state titles his senior year. At UCLA, running for coach Bob Larsen, Keflezighi earned a BA in communications.
Keflezighi immigrated to the United States with his family in October 1987 from the East African country of Eritrea (after living in Italy for two years). He has five brothers and five sisters and currently resides with his wife Yordanos Asgedom and two daughters in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. He trains at altitude there with Team USA.
