SUNDAY
On his last race as a pro
immigrated to the U.S. from war-torn Eritrea, and Keflzighi arrived stateside when he was 12. He graduated from UCLA, and ran his first NYC Marathon in 2002. He went out fast that year and crumbled after hitting the wall at Mile 21. He finished ninth overall.
“I told my coach it’s my first and last marathon,” he said. “I got my Ph.D. that day, what to do and what not to do.”
Rebounds followed. He was the runner-up in 2004 and won in 2009 when he posted a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 15 seconds. Five years later, he put forth his personal best in winning the Boston Marathon one year after terrorists bombed the finish line. He wrote the names of three bombing victims and the name of a police officer shot to death by one of the attackers on his bib.
“Everybody that runs has a reason,” he says.
He flew into New York from a family gathering in San Diego on Monday night. Seventy or so family members will await him at the finish line Sunday, and he has signed up to come back later at night to greet the race’s final finishers as they cross the line. Race officials are expecting more than 50,000 marathoners to complete the race. Security will be increased in light of the West Side terrorist attack, but as much as the city changes around him, Keflezighi knows the course better than anyone.
“There’s no race like New York,” he says. “There’s no other. So delightful to be here.”