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QandA with Meb Keflezighi

Published by
DyeStatPRO.com   Dec 12th 2014, 6:38pm
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Meb Is "As American As It Can Get" 

Published by ESPN Endurance on December 12, 2014

Meb Keflezighi, 39, made one heck of a run in 2014, finishing fourth in the New York City Marathon and winning Boston only a year after the bombings at the finish line. A three-time Olympian and a silver medalist, Keflezighi has broken the tape at a marathon before, in NYC in 2009 and the Olympic trials in 2012.  

But Boston was different for the proud American. At age 12, Keflezighi settled in San Diego after leaving war-torn Eritrea, and at 23, he became a U.S. citizen. Sixteen years later, he became Boston's hero, leaving in his trail those who would deny he is a "real" American.

THE MAG: I'm sure like most elite athletes, you visualize your goals. Was there a special kind of visualization that you did for Boston? 

KEFLEZIGHI: I wasn't in the best shape ever for me, but mentally I was, emotionally I was. When the Red Sox won the 2013 World Series and put the trophy on the finish line, I was watching on TV, and I said I wanted to do that for the runners. I told my wife, "Boston deserves this."

Can you tell us about the key moments on the course?

I usually like to get out front. I don't want to get tackled, don't want to trip. Mile 5 was one of the crucial ones, where I saw the defending champion Lelisa Desisa's mechanics. He just didn't look efficient to me. I saw that, and I thought: "Well, I'm gonna give it my best. I came to Boston to win, podium or run a personal best. I'm gonna do it if I have to do it by myself." So I made that move, and Josphat Boit went with me.

At eight miles, it was just Boit, and I thought, "I don't know what they're worried about, but we're gonna push the pace." So he went with me; he helped me out quite a bit. That was huge. Because I was like: "Should I wait for the group or should I go with him, because he's moving pretty well? There are big hills ahead." I looked back, and they were way back.



Read the full article at: espn.go.com

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