The New York Marathon was this past week, and an American won the 26.2 mile race for the first time since 1982. Who’s that American? Mebrahtom Keflezighi.
Better known as just Meb, he’s not the typical American. He was born in Eritrea, a country in Africa. His family moved to the United States when he was a kid, and he became a naturalized citizen in 1998.
So the issue at hand here is how big of a difference is it for an American-born runner to win the marathon, compared to someone who was born somewhere else, then later gained their citizenship after moving?
I’m sure a lot of people would have liked to see Ryan Hall. Hall has become a fan favorite as of late, with his 2008 Olympic trials marathon victory, and since he became the first U.S. runner to break the one-hour barrier in the half marathon. Hall even graduated from high school the same year as running juggernauts Dathan Ritzenhein and Alan Webb, but seems to be passing them in popularity. Many figured Hall to be the favorite going into the race.
I would say even with Meb winning the marathon, it’s still something for U.S. running fans to be excited about. It’s not like he took the Chris Kaman route, and decided to get U.S. citizenship because his country was too competitive in running. Meb even went to high school in the U.S., so he has been here awhile. Him winning in no way should tarnish the “American victory.”
After his victory, Meb appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, where he delivered a hilarious Top Ten List about running the marathon. For example, Meb posed the question, "Why can I run 26 miles in less time than it takes to play a World Series game?"
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