webmaster
© Copyright DEHAI-Eritrea OnLine, 1993-2010
All rights reserved
From: B-Haile (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Mon Nov 22 2010 - 07:52:35 EST
November 22, 2010
Meb the marathon man impresses with his life's lesson
Brian Boyce
The Tribune-Star The Tribune Star Mon Nov 22, 2010, 05:00 AM EST
TERRE HAUTE - The floor of BookNation was tough to see Sunday afternoon as dozens of fans packed into meet "Marathon Meb."
"It's a thrill," Deb Kazlow said, her autographed copy of "Run to Overcome: The Inspiring Story of an American Champion's Long-Distance Quest to Achieve a Big Dream" in hand. The Vermont resident explained she was in town for the weekend visiting friend Melinda Modesitt and learned that running celebrity Mebrahtom Keflezighi would be at BookNation signing autographs. And so, the cross country mom stopped in to get one for her son. "He's an inspiration to runners, both young and old."
Known to fans and friends as Meb, the man considered America's top distance runner for the past decade, sat by windows facing Wabash Avenue, adorned in running gear, as he signed autographs.
It's a long way from the African countries of Eritrea and Ethiopia, from whence his family fled during the 1980s warfare. Landing in San Diego in 1987, Meb and his 10 siblings grabbed hold the American dream as immigrants. Now, of the children out of high school, seven possess undergraduate degrees, one a master's in business administration. Another is a medical doctor, and yet another an attorney.
And then there's a professional distance runner. In November 2009, Meb became the first American since Alberto Salazar in 1982 to win the New York City Marathon.
In 2004, he won the silver medal in the Olympics despite an initial ranking of only 39th of 100. Just 70 days after that feat, he took second in the 2004 ING New York City Marathon.
>From his 5:20 one-mile time in junior high school to four NCAA titles in one year at UCLA, Meb's persistence has proven his willingness to go the distance.
"He talks about how much hardship he's come through, and it's just really neat to see him do all that through running," Cassidy Hass, 15, said while standing in line.
The Mason High School Bulldog cross country runner noted she was in town to watch the NCAA championships and decided to hop on down to the bookstore and meet Med in person.
Hawi Keflezighi, Meb's younger brother and manager, said the group's been on the run since Tyndale published the book.
The autograph tour kicked off in New York last year after the marathon and has taken him to New Jersey, San Antonio, Austin, Massachusetts, Indianapolis and Terre Haute this weekend. The duo heads to Flint, Mich., this week before turning west to Las Vegas and then back home to California.
Meb won the 1997 NCAA cross country tournament, conducted that year in Durham, N.C., and said he planned to visit the course today and meet up with fellow runner and visitor Joan Benoit-Samuelson, who happened to write the foreword to his book.
"Awesome. It's been great," Meb said, as the book signing wrapped up around 2:30 p.m.
Asked for advice he might give this year's national competitors, Meb said he hasn't personally run the LaVern Gibson course, but "dress warmly and wear a cap," he laughed, explaining the difficulty of getting raindrops splattered into one's eyes.
"I always say run to win," he said, adding that doesn't always mean getting first place. Runners should strive to do the best they can. "And the first thing is to have fun. And the second is to stay healthy."
Some fans carried out multiple books to give as Christmas gifts, and Meb described Terre Haute as a very gracious and welcoming town.
Meanwhile, Hawi was busy keeping up with the rest of the day's schedule. "One season in cross country in high school," he laughed when asked if he, too, was a runner. "I saw where my talents were."
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.869 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3271 - Release Date: 11/21/10 20:35:00
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----