American Wins NY Marathon – First in 26 Years
Posted on 01. Nov, 2009 by rubber chicken in Lifestyle, Sports
Though his name sounds pretty foreign, Meb Keflezighi, 34, became the first American to win the New York Marathon since 1982, finishing with a personal best time of 2:09:15. Second place went to Kenya’s Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and third to Morocco’s Jaouad Gharib.
A silver-medalist from the 2004 Olympics, Keflezighi cried as he crossed the finish line but not because he won; “The memory of Ryan Shay is what I cried for.” Shay was his friend and training mate who died while running in the Olympic Trials in 2007.
Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia won the women’s race with a time of 2:28:52. Ludmila Petrova of Russia came in second.
