From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Feb 08 2010 - 17:55:50 EST
http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/blogs/running-matters/will-the-real-american-please-stand-up-2/
Will
the “real” American please stand up?
By Dane Rauschenberg • February 8, 2010
Meb Keflezighi won the New York City Marathon last November. During the
race, instead of the usual sponsor splashed across his chest, Meb was
wearing a singlet showing the country he is a citizen of: the United States
of America. As the first American to win the race, male or female, since
1982, it was a proud moment for U.S. running, and it seemed almost surreal
that Meb chose to wear his Team USA shirt for this—his first victory ever in
a major marathon.
However, the immediate discussion popping up in newspapers and around the
Internet was that Meb, born in Eritrea and having become an American citizen
in 1998, was not a “real” American. Also, this was in no way good for U.S.
running for that same reason—he was not American. Arguments of this nature
are incorrect simply because they mix the issues. (Interesting side note:
the last American to win prior to Meb was* Cuban-born* Alberto Salazar.)
This past weekend at the Miami Marathon I spent time with two American
runners. However, I was the only one born in the United States. Our
discussion went to Meb and his victory. We were almost in complete agreement
about most of the underlying issues.
-American long distance running had been in a swoon for a very long time but
seems to be rebounding.
-People want American distance running to get better.
-Whether they would admit it or not, some were hoping that “American
distance running” would have far paler skin than Meb.
Without delving too deep into the underlying racial issues here, it was
clear to see that part of the problem was not only that Meb was not born in
the U.S., but his victory did not exactly signal the beginning of the return
to American-*born* preeminence in distance running. This was where the
confusion in the question lies.
First and foremost, Meb is 100-percent American. Any argument otherwise is
ignorant of U.S. law. He is a citizen of the United States, and unlike many
of those who just happened to be born in the confines of this country, he
actually had to take a test to show his knowledge of American history. There
is nothing further to discuss with regards to Meb’s citizenship.
However, the question about the dominance of African-born distance running
remains. Whether it is genetics, the nature of the lives of those runners
(high altitude training, lack of modern conveniences which make running a
way out, etc.) or anything else which seems to make those of the Rift Valley
this decade’s better runners remains to be seen.
With regard to American distance running, the question which needs to be
asked is whether the U.S. system is creating the right environment for
Americans, either natural born or naturalized, to succeed on the world
scene. The U.S. has been fortunate lately to have great success amongst its
natural-born citizens like Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein, but Meb’s
victory at New York is also a victory for the U.S. system. You see, genetics
play a large part in success of an athlete but are not the complete puzzle.
Training, attitude, and coaching make up far larger portions than many give
them credit.
And as Meb’s victory came long after he had moved to America, became a
citizen, and then lived and trained with an American system, I say the
future is very bright indeed for American distance running.
And Mr. Keflezighi can remain standing.
*Dane Rauschenberg** is the author of *See Dane Run*, which recounts his
2006 feat of running an official marathon every weekend of the year in a
different North American city. *Running Matters* is his weekly blog for Blue
Ridge Outdoors.*
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