Meb Keflezighi, of the US, reacts after profitable the 118th Boston Marathon, April 21, 2014.John Tlumacki | The Boston Globe | Getty PhotosWhen Me
Meb Keflezighi, of the US, reacts after profitable the 118th Boston Marathon, April 21, 2014.
John Tlumacki | The Boston Globe | Getty Photos
When Meb Keflezighi ran his first aggressive race within the seventh grade, his motivation was easy: to get a t-shirt for his faculty’s operating membership that his older brothers additionally wore.
But after operating a mile in 5 minutes, 20 seconds, he found he had a singular expertise. His trainer on the time informed him, “You are going to go to the Olympics.” And phrase at school rapidly unfold.
“I did not converse English on the time, however my image by the health club made historical past,” mentioned Keflezighi, who immigrated to the U.S. from Eritrea.
“They mentioned, ‘Hey, here is the quickest child,’ and folks began giving me high-fives,” he added. “And that was how my operating began.”
Immediately, Keflezighi, 44, is the one runner to have received an Olympic medal, the Boston Marathon and the New York Metropolis Marathon. This yr’s New York race, anticipated to draw greater than 50,000 runners, kicks off on Sunday morning.
Nonetheless, these highs additionally got here with their fair proportion of challenges.
Earlier than profitable the New York Metropolis Marathon, Keflezighi confronted plenty of setbacks that led him to query whether or not he would ever be capable to run once more. That included a stress fracture in his hip that left him crawling on his arms and knees simply to get round.
Meb Keflezighi…