UCLA alum Meb Keflezighi, who won the argent badge at the Athens Olympic chase but didn't accomplish the U.S. aggregation for the Beijing Games, set a personal-best time in acceptable the New York City chase today.
Keflezighi, a built-in of Eritrea who grew up in San Diego and became a U.S. aborigine in 1998, became the aboriginal American man to win the chase through New York's 5 boroughs back Alberto Salazar triumphed in 1982. In a acreage with a almanac 43,741 starters and a able aristocratic group, Keflezighi set a claimed best of 2 hours 9 account 15 abnormal afterwards he bankrupt abroad from Kenya's Robert Cheruiyot with just over two afar to go.
Ryan Hall of Big Bear, Keflezighi's casual training accomplice in Mammoth Lakes, was fourth in 2:10:36. Six American men accomplished in the top 10, the aboriginal time that has happened back 1979.
"It was such a accepted achievement because he had some struggles the accomplished few years," Keflezighi's coach, Bob Larsen, said by buzz from New York.
"He's been assiduous and got rid of all the injuries. He's such a aggressive guy. He's still got it."
Keflezighi was abnormally affecting as he approached the accomplishment line, canonizing his black eighth-place accomplishment at the 2007 New York marathon, which served as the U.S. trials for the Beijing Games. He afterwards abstruse he had a breach in his hip.
"He was actually ample on the floor, allowance to room, afterwards the Olympic trials marathon," Larsen said.
The 2007 chase aswell was atramentous by the afterlife of aristocratic U.S. marathoner Ryan Shay, who died of a affection ailment during the race. Today, Keflezighi beyond himself if he accomplished the point in the advance area Shay had fallen.
Keflezighi begin the concrete and brainy backbone to abstracted himself from Cheruiyot -- a four-time Boston Chase champ -- and approached the accomplishment band alone. "Robert had to let him go," Larsen said. "At the end, he acicular to the 'USA' on his jersey a brace of times. It was a big moment.
"He's 34. A lot of guys wouldn't accept persevered. This is a big footfall for him and addition big footfall up for everybody in American ambit running. This is the best acreage they've anytime had in New York."