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AP Photo by Seth Wenig
Sunday, November 1, 2009 - The last time America watched one of their own male marathoners break the tape at the New York City Marathon, was in 1982, when American Alberto Salazar won the last of his 3 consecutive titles. Since then the men’s marathon has been dominated by other countries and it seemed that for a while America could no longer compete against the best in the world.
But that all changed on Sunday, November 1st, when American and San Diego resident Meb Keflezighi won the men’s marathon at the 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon, proving not only that American can indeed compete with the best in the world, they can beat them.
Keflezighi crossed the finish line with tears in his eyes and was visibly overcome with emotion. The 34 year old, whom many had written off as being too old, pulled away from a strong field of competitors at mile 24 and finished with a personal best time of 2:09:15, beating his nearest competitor by 41 seconds.
Keflezighi, the men’s marathon silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, was unable to repeat in Beijing. He had suffered a stress fracture to the hip that not only kept him from the Olympic trials, but also threatened the remainder of his career. It appears he has recovered.
This year’s ING New York City Marathon was also combined with the USA Men’s Marathon Championships, so not only does Meb hold the NYC marathon title, but the USA championship title as well. And it was a dream come true. As Meb states, “You visualize it and visualize it and when reality hits, it’s pretty sweet.”
Keflezighi received a prize package of $200,000. $130,000 was for winning the NYC marathon, $40,000 for winning the USA championships, and an additional $30,000 bonus was given for breaking the 2:10 time barrier. It pays not only to be first but to be fast.
Meb Keflezighi is a US citizen, born in the African nation of Eritrea, and currently resides in San Diego, California. You can follow his blog, become a fan on facebook, or send him a message of congratulations. Click HERE
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