Date: Sunday, 05 November 2017
Running Times, August/September 1994: The Quiet Killer
Runner’s World, March 1998: Race Recap
Meb closed out his junior season at UCLA in 1997 with a win at the NCAA Championship 10K in 28:54. His breakout race earned him recognition as 1997’s NCAA Division I Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
Running Times, December 2000: A Man of Two Countries
Coming off a victory at the 10,000 meters at the 2000 Olympic Trials, Meb was buckling down for his first Olympic games in Sydney. We caught up with him in our December issue of Running Times, where Meb talked about his love of running, native country Eritrea, and future plans. “I’m lucky enough to have two countries,” he said. “I want to help Eritreans with coaching and sponsorship. I know there are 3.5 million people there who are proud of me. I’ve not forgotten them.”
Runner’s World, July 2001: A Minority of One
On May 4, 2001, Meb broke the U.S. 10,000-meter record—the first of many times he would rewrite the running history books. His time of 27:13.98 made us curious about the life of this 25-lap phenom, and we got some answers in “A Minority of One.” Meb shared that transitioning to American life wasn’t as smooth as his graceful running stride. “I didn’t know the culture here. Kids made fun of me and my clothes,” he said. “But my parents taught us to do the best with what we had.”
Running Times, June 2003: Mammoth Mission
By June 2003, Meb was taking his training to new heights at the Team USA high-altitude training camp in Mammoth Lakes, California. At 28 years old and training at 8,000 feet, he was primed for the 10,000 meters or marathon in the 2004 Olympics. “Sure, I have my goals,” he said, “to do the best that I can. Beyond that, the bar just gets higher.
