Meb Aiming for Half Marathon Masters Record at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose

Meb Keflezighi is eyeing more records—and the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon will be home for his next attempt.

The 40-year-old Keflezighi is planning to race Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose on Sept. 27, where he will attempt to break the U.S. masters record for the half marathon. The current mark is 1:03:23, set by Mbarak Hussein at the Philadelphia Distance Run back in 2005.

Keflezighi, just weeks after turning 40, ran a 1:02:29 at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego in May, but the net drop of the point-to-point course made his time ineligible for records.

So he will go for it at Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose instead, and he has a great history there—in addition to winning the race in 2009, 2010 and 2011, his 2009 time of 1:01:00 stands as his personal best for the distance.

“From 2009 to 2011, Meb dominated the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon, winning the race he co-founded all three years, and setting an American record at 20K on the way to his 2009 victory,” said Tracy Sundlun, senior vice-president and co-founder of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. “Well, Meb is back! And he wants some more American records, but this time they are masters records as he will be running Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose for the first time after turning 40 on May 5.

“To say that we as an organization are excited is an understatement. Meb has been doing unprecedented things with his feet for over 20 years, and I can’t wait to see what new chapter of greatness he writes on September 27 on the streets of San Jose!”

Meb has a busy schedule ahead of him. After Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose, he’s planning to run the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1. A few months after that, he will race in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles on Feb. 13.