A few words with 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi

One runner to watch on Monday, April 17 is 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi.

2004 was quite a year for Meb. He brought home the silver medal from Athens and then just seventy days later he was runner-up at the ING New York City Marathon. Last year, Meb finished a strong 3rd in New York with a time of 2:09:56, after Paul Tergat (2:09:30) and Hendrick Ramaala (2:09:31) battled to the finish in Central Park.

Will Meb break the tape in Boston?

“I always ‘run to win,’” says Keflizighi. “It is the motto that I live by. This means as long as I try my best in the preparation and actual race, I am satisfied with my effort. Everyone starts and finishes at the same place. There are no substitutes, no timeouts. You get out of running what you put into it.”

Meb was at the Failense Sports Club in Cambridge on Jan. 27 to meet with fans who will be cheering him on when he runs his first Boston Marathon. I caught up with Meb online and asked him a few questions…

1. Did you run any of the Boston course when you were in town? What were your impressions?

I ran every single aspect of the marathon course. I ran the whole course in segments. I ran the course every day I was there expect Monday (1/23/06) because it was snowing. I ran indoors at Boston University that day. It’s a challenging course. It helps to be familiar with the course. I will know what is ahead in the course, so on race day there won't be any surprises for me.

2. Are you doing anything different in your training for Boston?

Yes. I’m trying to find similar terrain in San Diego to prepare me for Boston. That is what Coach Larsen and I did when training in Mammoth for Athens.

3. I know this is your first Boston Marathon, but what tips or advice would you give someone running Boston?

You earned the right to run in Boston, so enjoy the excitement of the event and the crowd.

4. How far will UCLA go in the NCAA college basketball tournament? (Meb earned his B.A. at UCLA)

I hope they go all the way. I will always be cheering for the Bruins to do something special. We need another Championship banner. Once a Bruin always a Bruin.

5. Do you like the Red Sox?

Yes, I like the Red Sox. I hope I can throw the first pitch at one of their home games one day.


Thanks Meb. And congratulations – Meb and his wife are expecting a baby in March.

Check out www.runmeb.com and learn more about Meb and his running career. And watch for Meb’s new MasterCard commercial.