NYC gears up for marathon
Security has become a recurring theme
Meb Keflezighi swore he’d never run another marathon. Hurting and cold at the finish line in New York City in 2002, he told Bob Larsen, his coach, that one was enough. He was done.
But Larsen knew better. With a little time and perspective, he figured Keflezighi would want to be back for another 26.2 miles.
Now, 15 years later, Keflezighi prepares for his final career marathon. Poetically, it’s his 26th. At 42 — another nod to the marathon distance in kilometers — Keflezighi will end his career where it began, at the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday.
“I learned a lot what to do, what not to do in my first New York City, and ever since it’s been a developing passion,” Keflezighi said. “I love training for the marathon. It’s done a lot for me. If you have the tenacity or the persistence and patience, you can achieve it. And for me, I’ve been blessed because of those experiences and now looking forward to going back one more time.”
Keflezighi is far from that marathon rookie. In his fourth marathon, he claimed Olympic silver in 2004 in Athens. Keflezighi won New York in 2009, making him the first American to do so since 1982. He’s finished in the top 10 there eight times, including seven times as the top American.
In 2014, a year after the Boston Marathon bombing, Keflezighi became the first American man to win that race since Greg Meyer in 1983.
He’s the only person to have won those two storied U.S. marathons and an Olympic medal. He was injured and couldn’t compete in Beijing in 2008 but made two more Olympic teams, finishing fourth in London and 33rd in Rio.
In many ways, Keflezighi has become the face of the marathon in the USA, singularly known as Meb. He’ll wear that on his bib Sunday, which will mark the last time a professional athlete will have his first name on the bib in New York.
“I think it’s unprecedented to run at this level for this long a period of time,” said Larsen, who recruited Keflezighi to run for UCLA and coached him post-collegiately.
“Here’s someone who rejected it after his first race and has become an icon in the sport, so quite a leap from that first experience once he got it down.”
Keflezighi was already a U.S. champion and Olympian in the 10,000 meters when he and Larsen decided to try the marathon. Larsen had urged Keflezighi not to surge coming of the Queensboro Bridge around mile 16, knowing the canyon-like sound of the crowd would be tempting.
But running down First Avenue, Keflezighi went for it. He threw his gloves and beanie away, not thinking of the way New York’s skyscrapers would block out the sun. He dumped cold water on his head.
By mile 22, his body shut down. He fell from fourth to ninth. Larsen found him shivering under a blanket in the athlete tent.
“He looks up at me and he said, ‘You’ve just seen my first and last marathon,’ ” Larsen said. “I’m just laughing, because I knew when he recovered fully and thought about it, when he was flying down First Avenue, he’d want to do that again.”
Shortly after that first marathon, Keflezighi returned to Eritrea, where he was born. Seeing how people were struggling there gave him a new perspective on the temporary discomfort of the marathon. When he returned, he told Larsen he wanted to run another.
In the 15 years since, he learned how to train for the distance. He lived in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., for years to run at altitude and, though he’s moved back to Southern California, he trained there for five weeks for New York.
He’s stayed on top of the sport by doing the boring things that can prolong an athlete’s career — focusing on nutrition and stretching, balancing sleep and travel and learning when to push it and when his experience will make up for a fewer miles.
For Keflezighi, the race will be bittersweet and emotional. He wants to be competitive, but with runners such as former world recordholder Wilson Kipsang in the field, he’s realistic.
“It should be interesting and be competitive, but at the same time, my saying has been to be as competitive as I can, but I definitely can tell my body is not as it used to be,” Keflezighi said. “I still have the desire, but the body is not moving as I used to, so it’ll be interesting to see the results.”
Larsen doesn’t discount Keflezighi’s ability to pull out a good race and surprise people, noting he was not expected to medal in Athens. As Keflezighi toes the line one last time, Larsen knows people will watch to see what Meb will do.
Whatever it is, Keflezighi knows he’s done after this New York City Marathon, a decision he’s reached not out of pain or learning the hard lessons of the distance but in celebration and appreciation for what it has given him.
“Even if he just has an average race and finishes and comes across the line, I know when he goes across that line it’s going to be emotional for me and a whole lot of people,” Larsen said. “He’s got friends everywhere around the world and a lot of people who have helped us do this thing. For him to go across the finish line one more time, I hope he’s got a smile on his face and I hope it goes pretty well, and that leaves a lot of latitude. Because of his age and everything he’s accomplished, he owes us nothing. We just hope he has a nice, good day. It’d be great if it’s a memorable one.”