Former NYC Marathon Winner Inspires Student-Athletes

It was, as Kurt Vonnegut would say, a strange collision of time and space, Hillsborough High School English teacher and runner Alyssia Puma said.

During a training workout along the Charles River the day before this year's Boston Marathon, Puma ran past Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 ING New York Marathon champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist.

"As we made eye contact, I thought, 'is that Meb Keflezighi?'" Puma said. "Without skipping a beat, he smiled and waved. I took that as an invitation to join him running."

The several-minute exchange between the two netted Puma his e-mail address, and, for members of the Hillsborough High School and Middle School cross country teams, a chance to meet Keflezighi.

During an hour-long assembly Tuesday—two days after this year's New York Marathon, where Keflezighi placed sixth—the African native addressed and inspired about 100 student-athletes.

"Athleticism does open doors for you," Keflezighi said. "But academics help you for life. I know my career is coming to an end in three or four years. Talent can only take you so far. You have to put in the effort."

The stop at the high school was Keflezighi's second on a tour to promote his book, "Run to Overcome."

Originally from Eritrea, Africa, Keflezighi, 35, found running increased his self-confidence, particularly after immigrating to San Diego without knowing English, he said. Investing in the sport provided immediate results for him, and he believes the efforts should extend into the students' academic work, he said.

"Running is great because you put in as much as you can and you see the results," he said. "You just have to do the best you are capable of doing. Your teachers will be happy, your parents will be happy, your coaches will be happy and you will be happy.

"If you're happy with your sport, you are going to do well in school," he added.

Coaches at the school revisited several of Keflezighi's points during a question-and-answer session. The coaches asked questions submitted by student-athletes, including perfect race times when Keflezighi was a student, his athletic idols, whether he listens to music on runs and dealing with injuries.

"There is always a light at the end of the tunnel [regarding injuries]," Keflezighi said. "I had a pelvis fracture before I ran the [2009] New York Marathon. When I didn't get on the Olympic team, I told my brother, the New York Marathon is going to be my Olympics."

For at least one cross-country runner, Keflezighi's experience resonated.

"It helped me because I was injured when I first tried to run, so him talking about his injuries helped me not feel like a failure, because even the best runners get injured," Hillsborough High School junior Meredith Taghon said. "It made it feel like success isn't out of my grasp."

Near the end of the discussion, Puma and Athletic Director Michael Fanizzi presented Keflezighi and his brother, Mebhawi, with Hillsborough track shirts and winter hats as a sign of appreciation for their appearance.

"Always remember, when you wear the Hillsborough jersey, just like I wear the USA jersey or my UCLA jersey after, you have the pride to represent your school," Keflezighi said as he accepted the items.

For the coaches, meeting a champion athlete meant inspiration and added drive for their teams.

"Hopefully, it brought [the teams] some inspiration to work hard and to want to do the best they can," Hillsborough High School cross country and track coach Rich Refi said. "The main lesson is to stay healthy and have fun and maintain a good balance between academics, family and sports.

"It's [his success] been a process," he added. "It was over a long period of time. He didn't just go out there and win."

At the age when athletic careers are beginning, the drive to work is a key to success, according to Keflezighi.

"The biggest thing is the work ethic," Keflezighi said. "You have to do your homework and class work and practice. ... It's also how to take instruction from coaches and teachers. You have to have that skill to get better. I believe learning it was one of my best assets."

At the end of the presentation, Keflezighi signed copies of his book, "Run to Overcome," and even ran several exercises at the teams' after-school practices.

Once students finished a warmup lap around the school's track, Keflezighi demonstrated stretches and warmups he performs during his training, and joined the teams for another lap around the track.

"It was really inspiring to see someone who has done so well," junior Mary Domborowski said. "I learned you have to work hard and success is what you make of it."

As Keflezighi knows, and told students, success in a race isn't simply about finishing first. Conditions, tactics and a number of other factors influence races, and, for Keflezighi, it's more about performance than a first-place finish.

"It doesn't mean you're less fit," Keflezhigi said. "It means my tactics were a bit less than last year. ... What you do is keep pushing, keep believing. It was my year last year. This year, it was someone else's. You don't look back and say, 'I wish I did this, I wish I did that.'"

This story is courtesy of Hillsborough Patch (http://hillsborough.patch.com), which is set to launch later this fall.