The last time Meb Keflezighi ran a marathon in New York he had the worst day of his running career.Two years ago at the Olympic trials, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist took ill a few days before the race, suffered calf cramps because of dehydration the last half of the 26.2 miles and wound up breaking his right hip. That wasn't the worst part.
Shortly after finishing eighth, five spots out of another Olympic berth, he learned that his close friend and ex-training partner, Ryan Shay, had died during the race of heart-related problems.
Keflezighi collapsed upon hearing the news. "We spent thousands and thousands of miles running and taking ice baths," he said of his time training with Shay in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
They talked on the bus ride to the start line in New York and had spent an afternoon reminiscing in the hotel lobby a few days before the race. "Life in general, his plans," Keflezighi says of their chat. "I definitely miss him."
Keflezighi, 34, has gotten a second wind in his running career after fearing injuries might force him into retirement. He's among the favorites in Sunday's New York City Marathon in a field that includes U.S. countrymen Ryan Hall, Brian Sell and Abdi Abdirahman plus Kenya's Robert Cheruiyot and defending champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil.
"(Shay) was definitely an inspiration for me to get healthy with good training," Keflezighi said. "He's going to be in my thoughts throughout the race."
Keflezighi's comeback has occurred in stages. For a few days after the 2007 race, he had to walk on all fours in his hotel room. His legs and feet were so swollen he couldn't fly to Shay's funeral.
It wasn't until a couple of months later that doctors figured out he had a hip stress fracture.
Last fall he spent two months at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, concentrating on strengthening the right side of his lower body during daily rehab sessions.
"You're only as good as your wheels," said Bob Larsen, the retired UCLA coach who has been coaching Keflezighi for 15 years. "That whole side needed balancing out, from the hip all the way down. The whole foundation needed to be reworked.
"If 2008 didn't knock him out, you've got to say he's got great character and great motivation to keep going with how much work he had to put in without racing."
The work has paid off with an outstanding 2009. Keflezighi ran a personal best marathon of 2:09:21 in London in April in addition to personal bests in the half marathon and 7 miles. He's now talking about the 2012 London Olympics.
Keflezighi's family has been a source of strength. He and wife Yordanos have two daughters, ages 3 and 1, with another child due in January. The native of Eritrea, who came to the USA in 1987, has 10 brothers and sisters, including brother Merhawi, his agent.
The downtime gave Keflezighi an opportunity to savor his accomplishments that include a U.S. record in the 10,000 in addition to his 19 U.S. titles and Olympic medal.
"God has blessed me with another chance," he said. "I have accomplished many things. It's possible there are others to accomplish. I don't think my God-given talent has been fully tapped."
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