Benefield: Meb Keflezighi coming to Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon

There are a small number of elite athletes who get to be called by just one name: Ali, Pele, Jordan. Add Meb to the list.

Meb Keflezighi, 41, is one of the greatest American runners ever: a four-time U.S. Olympian, four-time NCAA champion and winner of both the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon. He's the only runner to win New York and Boston and medal in an Olympic marathon.

But he calls his win in Boston, the year after the bombings, the most significant of his storied racing history.

“To win the Boston Marathon was the pinnacle of my career,” he said.

He was in Boston, but not competing, in 2013 when a bomb killed three and injured more than 260 others near the finish line of the race.

“I set a goal for myself to win the race,” he said. “I wanted to change something positive on Boylston Street. It was the mercy of God that that day happened. Even a gold medal would not have matched the Boston Marathon.”

He was the first American male to win since 1983. And, at just shy of his 39th birthday, he was the oldest winner in more than a half-century.

“I'm trying to describe how meaningful it was but words can't really describe it,” he said.

It's a career that is not over, but one that is certainly slowing down now that he is 41. But even that seems strange because Keflezighi is a guy who seems to run with almost youthful delight.

The Rio Olympics were Keflezighi's fourth and yet his goal was to reach the podium. He said he had the goods.

But on race day, beginning just after mile 13, he was beset with stomach problems. He stopped seven times and finished 33rd.

Just before crossing the finish line on Rio's Sambrodoma, the famed Carnival route, Keflezighi started to salute the crowd but instead he fell awkwardly on the rain-slicked street and ended up face first on the ground.

“I'd been struggling to get to the finish line,” he said, so to go down on the final steps of his final Olympic moment was another blow. “You are like, ‘Are you kidding me?' ”

So, nose first to the pavement, Keflezighi paused. Then he ripped off three push-ups, got up, tipped his hat to the crowd and walked across the line. The crowd went crazy.

“I thought, ‘Hey, let people know I'm OK,' ” he said.

Despite his remarkable resume over more than two decades of competitive running, Keflezighi exudes a humility that endears him to runners and athletes everywhere. Maybe it was his beginning.

Keflezighi emigrated to the U.S. from war-torn Eritrea, settling in San Diego when he was 12. The date? Oct. 21, 1987. It's a day he marks with calls and texts to family members every year.

“It's a refreshing time for me to reflect back, where it all started and the wonderful opportunity that people gave us,” he said. “There have been so many, the generosity of people who helped us assimilate to this great country.”

Keflezighi said his father would wake up the kids at 4:30 a.m. to have everyone in the family practice English.

Maybe that is where his discipline was born. And his appreciation.

This is a guy who calls representing his country “a blessing.” He's a guy who says running has given him everything.

“It gives me everything I could ever imagine,” he said. “It's taken me around the world.”

Keflezighi's parents, Awetash and Russom, had 10 little Keflezighis - nine of whom now own college degrees. Meb Keflezighi earned his at UCLA, where he became an NCAA champion known not only for his gifts, but for his meticulous training.

Those habits have become more entrenched as Keflezighi has stretched his career years beyond his peers.

In his younger days, an invitation to run would be met with an enthusiastic “See you in three minutes.”

Now, there is a routine in prepping his maturing body. There is a cup of tea - or coffee on hard run days - some toast with almond butter, loosening up on the foam roller, the whole nine yards.

And that's before he'll walk out the door.

“I've just got to do that,” he said. “Nutrition is important and recovery is important.”

That same attention to detail marks the decisions Keflezighi is making in mapping out the final stages of his competitive racing career.

He wants to run two more marathons (he won't say which ones just yet) to bring his total to 26. Twenty six marathons at 26.2 miles a piece. Want more precision? A 26.2-mile race converts to 42 kilometers. Keflezighi will be 42 next year.

But Keflezighi has irons in the fire. He's an author, a motivational speaker and he endorses a slew of products.

He'll be in Sonoma County this weekend supporting Krave jerky at the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon on Saturday. He is slated to greet runners at the post-race wine and music festival. He will also be the keynote speaker at a pre-race dinner Friday night.

One gets the feeling that even after marathon No. 26, Keflezighi will keep running. Maybe not racing, but running. As humble as he is, he's aware of his gifts.

“For me, it's given me peace of mind, that I'm on this earth to be a runner,” he said.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”