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 Nov 2 RRCA Congratulates Hall of Famer for NY VictoryNew York, November 1, 2009—The ING New York City Marathon 2009 was the scene of a major statement in American distance running. Throughout this decade, Meb Keflezighi has proven that an American can compete with the best marathon runners in the world. Sunday, he proved that he can beat them. Pulling away from a very strong field in the 24th mile, Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist and 2005 RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame member, won the race’s 40th running in a personal-best time of 2:09:15.Keflezighi is the first American to win New York’s great race since the last of Alberto Salazar’s posted the last of his three consecutive victories in 1982. Because the ING New York City Marathon and USA Men’s Marathon Championships were held concurrently for the first time since 2001, Keflezighi, 34, won the first two marathon titles of his career in a single race. “You visualize it and visualize it and when reality hits, it’s pretty sweet,” said Keflezighi, who defeated runner-up Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a four-time Boston Marathon champion, by 41 seconds. Tears welled in Keflezighi’s eyes as he broke the tape in Central Park, where two years ago a stress fracture in his hip at the U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Marathon denied him a trip to Beijing and imperiled his career. “A lot of people were writing him off, saying he was too old,” said Ryan Hall, who finished second in the USA race and fourth overall, and who trains with Keflezighi. “But if there was one other guy who I wanted to see win this race, it was Meb. He’s like an older brother to me.” Keflezighi, who fittingly wore a USA jersey, won $200,000: $130,000 for the ING New York City Marathon title, $40,000 for the USA Men’s Marathon crown, and a $30,000 time bonus for finishing in under 2:10. The marathon’s 40th running drew a record 43,741 participants on a windy, occasionally misty day with temperatures in the mid-50s. Six Americans finished in the top 10: Keflezighi, Hall, Jorge Torres (seventh in his marathon debut), Nick Arciniaga (eighth), Abdi Abdirahman (ninth) and Jason Lehmkuhle (10th). Read more about the ING New York City marathon: http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/race_day_stories.htm Learn more about RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame at ###
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