Boston Strong-Meb Keflezighi

I met Meb Keflezighi many years ago on the Stanford track.  He had just finished winning the 5K, it was dark as the lights were on and all around Meb was a throng of people, more than two dozen, happily basking in the glow of his win.  "Who are all these people?" I asked.  They were members of the Keflezighi family and friends.

Over the years Meb has won more races, shared more victory celebrations, and made more friends.  On Monday, nearing his 39th birthday, he gained more followers by winning the Boston Marathon.  It was another improbable victory in an illustrious career that includes an Olympic silver medal and a New York City Marathon crown among his many triumphs.  Back when Americans won more frequently at the Boston Marathon, the late Boston Globe sports writer Joe Concannon used to ask other journalists and/or well known individuals in the sport to predict who would win and place in the annual trek from Hopkinton to downtown Boston.

If he had been around to go through that ritual this year, it's a safe bet that Meb would not have been at the top of anyone's list.  Meb has made a career of exceeding expectations.  From a silver medal in Athens in 2004 to becoming the first American in 27 years to win a New York City  men's title in 2011, and now Boston Marathon crown 31 years after Greg Meyer became the last American man to win, Meb has defied age and PR bias to race to wins in the marathon world's most prestigious events.  It's no accident that he has triumphed in conditions that require meticulous preparation, intelligent pacing, and challenging courses.

In an era when 2:04 and 2:05 marathons have proliferated among the Africans who now dominate the event, the refugee from Eritrea set his personal best on Monday of 2:08:37.  As Minnesotan Ron Daws used to preach, you need to study the Boston course and prepare for its unique challenges if you want to do well in Beantown.  In an era where many major marathons are on courses designed to improve the runners' chances to run fast times, Boston challenges the runners not only to be fit and healthy physically on race day, but to manage their energy wisely or suffer the consequences.

While Meb may not be the fastest marathoner on the planet, he may well be the smartest in how to manage his race, how to disperse his energy throughout to get the best result.  Marathoning, in essence, an exercise in energy management and Keflezighi has demonstrated again and again his proficiency in that skill.  His coach, Bob Larsen, who is, like Meb, an often underestimated jewel in the running world, is part of the impressive support team surrounding Keflezighi. (Runner Academy podcast on Larsen is HERE, interview with Larson starts at 6:28.  Larson is a Minnesota native.). San Diego residents Rich and Pat Levy have also been an important part of "Team Meb."  Levy, himself an accomplished athlete who ran for the University of Houston, will ride along with Keflezighi on a bike during long tempo runs.  He and his wife Pat have become members of Meb's extended family, providing support, friendship, and camaraderie in addition to help on training runs.

Meb's brother, Merhawi, manages his business affairs, and his wife Yordanos and two children ground him in life outside the sport.  Meb's win represents, perhaps, the biggest affirmation of the tag line for this year's event, Boston Strong.