August 22, 2016
Meb’s Final Games: A Fall and a Flourish
Meb Keflezighi crossed the finish line of his 24th marathon remarkably happy for someone who had just completed a very rough 26.2-mile journey. Beset by stomach problems at the halfway point, he stopped seven times in the next 13 miles to vomit or dry heave, including once before entering the race’s final straightaway.
Keflezighi finished in 33rd place in 2:16:46, far behind the winner, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, and Americans Galen Rupp and Jared Ward. Rupp was the bronze medalist in 2:10:05 and Ward was sixth, setting a PR in 2:11:30. Keflezighi has said this will be his last Olympics. But he wasn’t lamenting his off day.
“This is the best victory lap ever,” he said. “You can see [runners from] India, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Cuba. All those guys. I enjoyed every bit of it. There was somebody from Tanzania who said, ‘My country did not send me here not to finish.’”
That was Keflezighi’s goal too—finish no matter what. He wants to run two more marathons to make it an even 26 for his career before he retires. “My full name is Mebrahtom,” he said. “It sounds almost like marathon.” But Keflezighi turned serious when looking at the body of his work. In 1998, he said, he became interested in helping revive American distance running, which hit a low point in 2000. “That dream has come true for me,” he said. “And to be part of it and witness it is a huge reward. I feel honored to be a part of it.”
He grew tearful talking about his coach, Bob Larsen, who has worked with him since he was a freshman at UCLA. “He’s been a father figure to me,” Keflezighi said, taking a long pause to collect himself. “Twenty-two years is a long time. It’s a lot longer than most marriages.”
He cited American medalists at these Games—like Matthew Centrowitz, who won the 1500 meters on Saturday night—as “just awesome.”