Meb the Champion

It was 2004.

After years in the doldrums, U.S. male distance running was beginning to show signs of life. But when it came to marathons, it seemed hard to believe that any American could stand on the podium, let alone win, a major marathon against the best in the world. Kenyans seemed to have a permanent franchise on the Boston Marathon, and Americans were a rare sight among the top ten in any big race.

The 2000 Olympics, for example, had been something of a low-water mark, as the U.S. sent only one entrant to the marathon, Rod De Haven, and he finished 69th.

And then, four years later in Athens, Meb Keflezighi won the Silver medal. It was as if he lighted a lamp for U.S. runners and lifted it up and said, "Believe!" Of course it was not just Meb; there were lots of runners who had begun to believe that maybe we just needed to accept the challenge, work harder, care more. But it was Meb who crossed the line in Athens in second place, and made it all real. Later that year, he would finish second again in the New York City Marathon.

The word "champion" can mean the winner, but it comes from the Medieval latin word for warrior, and it also means one who does battle for another's honor.

Three years later at the U.S. Olympic Trials in New York, Meb seemed like a former champion. He struggled through the race with an undiagnosed stress fracture in his hip and finished 8th, six minuted behind Ryan Hall. On this nightmare day, he also lost his friend Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died at the five mile mark of the race.

The injury almost ended Meb's career, but he made a comeback in 2009. Leading up to New York, here's what LetsRun.com had to say about his chances:

"Meb is 34 and his marathon PR is 2:09:21 on a flat course. Meb's prep half may have been faster than Hall's but Hall's was a tactical affair. And in my book, despite Meb's Olympic silver, Hall is a better marathoner than Meb (Meb's silver says to me that he may be a better hot weather marathoner). So if they both have good days, expect Hall to be the top American, but it would be nice to see a resurgent Meb mix things up."

On Sunday, against perhaps the strongest NYC Marathon field ever assembled -- a field that included five men who had run 2:06:17 or better -- Meb endured all the surges, and then broke Robert Cheruiyot in Central Park. He won in a personal best 2:09:15. In the final stages of the race, he pointed to the USA on his singlet to remind everyone that he was running for his country, as well as for his friend and for himself. It was his first ever victory in a marathon, and the first victory by an American man in New York since 1982. Behind Meb, Hall finished fourth, with Americans taking six of the top ten spots.

On Sunday, Meb became a champion as the winner of the race. In truth, he was our champion all along.