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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Jun 01 2011 - 07:57:07 EDT
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/31/keflezighi-home-heights-ready-rock-n-roll/
Keflezighi home from the heights, ready to Rock 'n' Roll
By Nick Canepa , UNION-TRIBUNE
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 10:59 p.m
The prodigal distance runner is coming down off the mountain and out of the
cold, returning however briefly to claim 13.1 miles of his hometown turf.
Then Meb Keflezighi will return to Mammoth, where he doesn’t ski or
snowboard, but lives and trains along the rarefied slopes of the majestic
Eastern Sierra.
At long last, the Dodge Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon beckons the
most decorated among local long distance runners. Keflezighi on Sunday
morning will compete in the half, or 13.1-mile race, and the 35-year-old San
Diego High and UCLA alum isn’t here to just say hello to old friends or
attend a reunion.
His plans include winning.
“I run to win — I always do,” says Meb, who, along with co-author Dick
Patrick, has written a book, “Run to Overcome,” and will be signing copies
Friday during the Runners Expo at the downtown Convention Center. “It
depends on who has the best day, but I’ll give it my best.”
Keflezighi has had a few best days. The native of Eritrea, who came to San
Diego with his family at the age of 12 and became an American citizen in
1998, has some hardware to show for the years of wear on his 5-foot-7,
125-pound body. He has overcome some harsh injuries to succeed, including a
broken hip in 2008.
As a senior at San Diego High in the 1994 state meet, he scored a rare
double, winning the 1,600 and 3,200. He won four NCAA championships at UCLA.
He won three USA cross country titles. In the terrible Athens heat and
humidity at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he surprised the world, taking silver
in the marathon.
“The weather was so miserable in Athens, people thought the winner would run
2:15,” says Meb, who ran second in 2:11:29. “Talk about setting goals and
going for it. I didn’t run my first marathon until I was 27. Athens was my
fourth marathon. Everybody thought I had a better chance to succeed in the
10,000.”
Then, of course, came the great triumph in the 2009 New York Marathon, the
first win by an American there in 27 years.
“There was more personal satisfaction, winning New York,” he says. “A year
before, I suffered a pelvic fracture and couldn’t walk. I was on my knees
and elbows. It was my dream. My dream always was to win New York.”
And now Meb Keflezighi, pedigree fully documented, can’t even get a shoe
deal. Not that he’s desolate — he says he still works with Sony and
Powerball Energized Juice — but come on.
“I won a silver, New York and three national titles during my 12 years with
Nike, but on Jan. 1 my contract with them expired, and that was it,” he
says. “I’d like to get with another one. We’ll see what happens.”
Keflezighi probably didn’t know what running shoes were when he was a kid.
He was a soccer player, which does require a lot of stamina — if you’re any
good.
“I didn’t even think running was a sport,” he said. “My coach in junior high
wanted me to run a mile. That was in 1987 (when he was 12). I ran 5:20, and
I guess I’ve been running ever since.”
Meb decided to wait before becoming a marathoner, which is how it used to
be. But with the tremendous influx of young African runners, that’s all
changed now.
“In high school and college I never ran beyond 10 (kilometers),” he says. “I
wish I could have won New York earlier, but starting at 27 was good for me.
I wasn’t a high-mileage runner in high school.
“Now kids get out of college and go straight to marathons.”
Most of the best marathoners don’t run many of them.
“I’ll run the half here and do the usual short races leading up to New York
on Nov. 6,” he says. “And then 69 days later I’ll be ready to run in the
Olympic Trials in Houston.
“I’m pretty healthy now. I had a little injury in March. I was training in
Central Park in New York and this dog jumped out of the bushes. I tried to
hurdle it, but I sprained my knee. I had to walk back to the hotel. I wish I
were a little fitter now, but I really want to run in San Diego.”
Win or lose, he knows he’s going to have plenty of support Sunday.
“It’s going to be very emotional for me,” he says. “There are going to be a
lot of fans, friends and teachers rooting me on. I’ve gotten a lot of
emails. I’m getting excited.”
And by coming off the mountain to sea level, he knows he’ll be fresh.
“Most definitely,” he says. “Most people I compete with train at altitude; I
wish I had high-altitude training early in my career. You can feel it. When
I’m driving, when I get to 1,000 feet, I can feel my lungs expand.”
Ever wonder why John Elway led so many fourth-quarter comebacks in Denver?
5,280 feet.
But it will be good to see Meb Keflezighi back at sea level, back in the
town where the little kid from war-torn Eritrea found peace and success.
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