Keflezighi Shut Out of Boston (as reported by TheOnion.com)

BAA Marathon Releases Elite Field For 2011 And Meb Keflezighi Is Left Out And Controversy Simmers - story on letsrun.com

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It's not April Fool's Day, but what the hell...

(Boston, MA) - The BAA's new online entry system apparently claimed a famous victim who failed to get his entry to the 2011 Boston Marathon in on time. Meb Keflezighi, Olympic silver medalist and the first American runner in a generation to win the prestigious New York City Marathon, was shut out of the Boston race when the 21,000 available entries were filled in a little over eight hours. That means Keflezighi will be watching the 2011 race on TV instead of racing the Kenyans up heartbreak hill.

"I'm disappointed, obviously," said Keflezighi from his home in Mammoth Lakes, California. "I tried to log in to the web site, but the server was busy. I didn't think it was a big deal because last year we had like, what, 60 days before they ran out of entries. I went out for a long run and when I got back I tried again and the race was full."

"Of course California being three hours behind didn't help any," the former Olympian added.

Race Organizers downplayed the outcome of using their new online entry system. "It's unfortunate," said Hancock's sponsorship and event marketing chief Doug Fluffman, "but we thought our [race entry] system performed remarkably well, all things considered. It's certainly more fair than relying on snail mail. At the same time we sympathize with Mr. Tetrazini and we certainly hope he is able to get up a little earlier next year so we can welcome him to Boston in 2012. Of course, if he really wants to run this year's race, there are still some charity numbers available."

For his part, Keflezighi said he wasn't interested in raising money to gain entry to the hugely popular BAA marathon. "I would hope that the race would want to see somebody at the front wearing a USA singlet," he said. "I mean, after I won New York, it was a great thing for this country. I went on Letterman. I read his lame top-ten list. People started believing in U.S. distance running again. Doesn't that count for anything?"

But despite the runner's complaints, the BAA appears ready to stand firm. "Every runner has to realize that it's not about who wins or loses, it's about the common man and woman and giant beer can who give the race its unique character. It's about the runner who selflessly raises $5000 for medical research. It's about fairness..."

And having a fast internet connection.

(No actual wire service accounts were harmed in this story.)