Meb Keflezighi Ready To Rock And Roll

The 2004 Olympic silver medalist is running to win.

This Sunday, Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 ING New York City Marathon champion, will be lacing up his racing flats at the Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in his beloved San Diego. A true competitor, the 35-year-old UCLA alum will be there to do one thing: win.

“I run to win — I always do,” he admits.

Keflezighi attended San Diego High School. As a senior in the 1994 California State Track Meet, he won both the 1,600 and 3,200m events. At UCLA, he went on to win four NCAA championships and then three U.S. Cross-Country titles.

In 2004, he surprised the world by winning a silver medal in the Olympic marathon in Athens–a race now famous for its oppressive heat and humidity as well as its difficult course.

“The weather was so miserable in Athens, people thought the winner would run 2:15,” he recalls. “Talk about setting goals and going for it. I didn’t run my first marathon until I was 27. Athens was my fourth marathon. Everybody thought I had a better chance to succeed in the 10,000.”

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