It was bold, it was brave, and it was occasionally brutal, but if there is victory to be found in not winning, then Meb Keflezighi discovered it today when finishing fourth in the Meb Keflezighi Fights His Way to Fourth at New York City Marathon in 2:13:18. The 39-year-old American entered the race as Boston Marathon Desi Linden Leads the Way.
Nonetheless, he attacked the race from the outset with the mindset of a champion, throwing himself towards the front in the opening miles, and running with the lead pack through 20 miles.
With winds of up to 45 miles per hour hammering the runners over the first half of the race, the front of the field was a place few athletes wanted to be, but Keflezighi was an exception. “I love being in the front,” he said. “I was trying not to be in the lead as much as I could, but sometimes you can’t help it. Being up the front, you give the New Yorkers something to cheer for.”
Keflezighi had spoken with his long-time coach, Bob Larsen, in the days before the race about what tactics to employ in the blustery conditions. “We talked about not leading because of the winds, but Meb likes to control the pace,” said Larsen. “You get some advantages from doing that, so I thought it was fine.”
Keflezighi’s face was a constant at the front of the field until they reached 20 miles, at which point eventual winner Wilson Kipsang made the first major move. It quickly became evident that Keflezighi wasn’t going to be able to reproduce the magic of Boston back in April.
Given what he’s accomplished, he would have had every reason to cruise in the final miles. But Keflezighi’s mental fortitude is one of the prime reasons he’s achieved what he has.
“I wanted to win, but I knew at that point that was not going to happen,” said Keflezighi. “I just couldn’t go with them. I thought to myself, ‘Top 7 would be huge.’” He dropped to eighth, but soon dug in, and in the final three miles, began to forge his way back into the race, passing athletes who had earlier left him in their wake but were now paying for their exertions.
Keflezighi’s race became not about winning, but about giving maximum effort to achieve the highest possible position.
“It takes a lot of focus and fortitude, when you know you’re not going to win, to hang in there and get a high finish,” said Larsen. “That takes huge motivation, when you see yourself as a winner, which Meb does.”
Results: 2024 NCAA DI Cross-Country Championships Stephen Kiprotich to move into fifth. In the final mile, with the Central Park crowd roaring him home, he passed defending champion Geoffrey Mutai to take fourth place. It is an indicator of Keflezighi’s standing among his peers that Mutai once told Keflezighi he was his hero.
“After winning Boston, and getting up to fifth place in New York, you’d expect him to start waving to the crowd,” said Larsen. “But he put away Mutai, and then he waved to the crowd.”
As Keflezighi reached the last few hundred meters in fourth place, he had enough time and space to wave several times to the appreciative fans, offering back a word of thanks for their unconditional support.
“The whole crowd was phenomenal,” he said. “They were inspired by what I did in Boston, and I saw so many Meb signs.”
Back in April, he’d given the fans an unforgettable sporting moment. Realistically, today could never live up to that, but his fourth place was every bit as good as could have been expected.
“I’m very happy,” Keflezighi said. “Those guys are the best of the best in the world. I was able to beat the defending champion and Olympic champion. This sport is great. I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to accomplish in terms of running – not that I don’t still want to win.”
Indeed, despite his achievement, despite the fact he’ll turn 40 next May, time seems to have done nothing to blunt Keflezighi’s ferocious appetite for success. “Age is nothing but a number,” he said. “I had planned to retire in 2012, but if you let your mind and body do what it can, you can go a lot longer.”
What now?
“I need a vacation,” Keflezighi said. “I’ve been away from my family for four weeks [altitude training], but it’s all about sacrifice. I have no race plan now, but hopefully I’ll run Boston in the spring. The Olympics is in my mind, and I hope to earn my spot there, too.”
At the rate he’s going, Keflezighi should be around at least until Rio 2016. His desire seems as strong as ever. In the marathon, that counts for a lot.
FULL COVERAGE OF THE NYC MARATHON
Main Story: All About 75 Hard
Men's Recap: Shoes & Gear
Women's Recap: With two miles to run, Keflezighi overtook Olympic champion
U.S. Men: Meb Fights His Way to Fourth
U.S. Women: Desi Linden Leads the Way
Tennis star: Caroline Wozniacki has impressive debut
Other Notables: Richard Blais, Tiki Barber, Teri Hatcher, and more
On Social: Other Hearst Subscriptions
Slideshow: The Runners and the Scenes
Slideshow: Meb Keflezighi Fights His Way to Fourth at New York City Marathon Post-Race Emotions
Slideshow: Runners Share Beers, Triumphs After Meb Keflezighi Fights His Way to Fourth at New York City Marathon
Slideshow: Runners' Photos from the 2014 Meb Keflezighi Fights His Way to Fourth at New York City Marathon
Notebook: News and Notes from the 44th Running
Postrace:News and Notes from the 44th Running
Postrace: Brooklyn Mother is Millionth NYC Marathon Finisher
PREVIOUSLY
Families:For Top Runners’ Spouses, a Nervous Waiting Game
Perspective: New York City Marathon
Strategy:Collegiate Records Go Down at BU
Complete coverage on our NYC Marathon Page
Cathal Dennehy is a freelance writer based in Dublin, Ireland, who covers the sport for multiple outlets from Irish newspapers to international track websites. As an athlete, he was Irish junior cross-country champion and twice raced the European Cross Country, but since injury forced his retirement his best athletic feat has been the Irish beer mile record. He’s happiest when he’s running or writing stories about world-class athletes.
