http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/may/08/saturday-will-be-meb-day-san-diego/
Keflezighi To Receive Key To San Diego On 'Meb Day'
Thursday, May 8, 2014
By Claire Trageser
Photo by Taylor Nealand / Massachusetts Governor's Office
San Diego runner Meb Keflezighi celebrates after winning the Boston
Marathon on April 21, 2014.
Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi, the San Diego runner who last month became the
first American to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years, will be given the
key to the city Saturday by Mayor Kevin Faulconer.
The award ceremony will be at San Diego High School, where Keflezighi ran
track.
Members of the public can come to the school's track beginning at 9:30 a.m.
and walk a lap with Keflezighi. Faulconer will give him the key to the city
in a ceremony at 11:15 a.m.
Keflezighi and his family moved to San Diego as refugees from Eritrea when
he was 12 years old. He started running track at Roosevelt Middle School in
San Diego, and continued while at San Diego High School. At 19 years old,
he won the 1,600-meters and 3,200-meters at the California high school
track and field championships.
After living in Mammoth, Calif. to train with the Mammoth Track Club,
Keflezighi moved back to San Diego in 2013. He lives with his wife and
three daughters in Mission Hills.
Keflezighi clocked a personal best of 2:08:37 at the Boston Marathon on
April 21. He was also the first American in 27 years to win the New York
City Marathon in 2009 and won a silver medal for the U.S. in the marathon
at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
In an interview with Runner's World Magazine, Keflezighi said he had
planned to retire after 2013, but decided to run this year's Boston
Marathon because of the bombings at last year's race. He wrote the names of
the four people killed in last year's bombings on his race number.
City Councilman David Alvarez, who was classmates with Keflezighi in junior
high and high school, will also speak at his ceremony.
Received on Fri May 09 2014 - 06:45:19 EDT