A Conversation with Meb Keflezighi, 2014 Boston Marathon Winner!

Boston Strong, Meb Strong, USA, USA, USA!!!

So honored to meet The Man, The Myth, The Medal...The Meb!

Meb and I holding court in the auditorium

People say that life is full of surprises, but it's not often that a random hallway conversation turns into a top five life moment. That's exactly what happened when I was asked, unofficially and somewhat as a favor, to host an auditorium Q & A session with professional marathoner Meb Keflezighi. 

I played coy at first, in part because I didn't want to seem too eager to agree to the request. In other part - the slightly more terrifying one - the thought of interviewing a world-class athlete in front of a packed auditorium of co-workers scared the bejeebers out of me. 

What if I froze up? What if got cotton mouth? What if I became a distraction because I couldn't stop clearing my throat? What if I fell off the stool and injured myself? What if I called him Meg? These ridiculous thoughts and more went through my head before, during and after I agreed to do it. 

And then Meb won the freaking Boston Marathon! 

One thing became certain as I surreptitiously watched the live feed of Meb's gutsy performance in Boston on April 21st - this was going to be a big deal. A thin line of perspiration formed on my brow, and I was unknowingly white-knuckling my desk as Meb wound down Boylston Street, peeking over his shoulder way too many times as the dogged field tried to overtake him. It was not an easy race to watch if you were rooting for him - 26.2 miles is a ton of distance to cover when playing rabbit to world-class marathoners.  

It was only when victory was imminent, when he placed his shades on his head and spread his arms out wide before crossing the finish line that I was able to celebrate and de-clench my jaw. As Meb - now forever cemented as a national hero - began his victory lap, the full weight and importance of his victory began to sink in. More for him, but also a tiny, terrifying bit for me.

Meb's heroic finish, forever frozen in time

He was the first American to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years, a fact as amazing as it is undeniably unbelievable. His historic victory came one year after the horrific terrorist bombings that rocked the finish line; as a result, there were more eyes on the event, greater media coverage and security scrutiny, emotions thick as an early morning Boston harbor fog. It was a time when America wanted - really, needed - an American to bring joy to this recovering city. A time to "Take Back Boston", as the rally cry went. 

Meb understood this more than anyone as he was there that fateful day, posted up for hours at the finish line, laid up by an injury, yet showing up to cheer as the collective of professionals and amateurs completed their arduous journey. Proof that not only is he a great runner, but an amazing and humble person, a true ambassador for the sport. Just another example of the DNA that makes Meb a genuinely inspiring athlete, as opposed to simply a great one.

Using the events of the previous year as motivation, Meb ran the race of his life. He referred to it as the gutsiest race of his professional career, and his greatest accomplishment in the sport he loves so much. If Boston is the holy grail for marathoners, and it is, Meb was drinking from the chalice with both hands, chin towards the sky. 

The Boston Marathon victory tops off an incredible career which includes, among other highlights: the 2004 Olympic silver medal in the Marathon, first place at the New York Marathon, first place US half-marathon Championships, Olympic Trials champ and owner of a host of US records and collegiate championships.

As a side note, you know you're a stud when you can describe the number of records you've held using the phrase "a host of..."

ALL of this was going through my head when I began to prepare for the Q & A session. I channeled my inner Charlie Rose and read any and everything I could about the prolific marathoner. I'm what could be described as a casual follower of the pro running circuit, so up to this point I knew Meb as the guy with an unpronounceable surname, the American who had won marathon silver in Athens, a consistent big-race challenger and, most interestingly to me of late, a dude who was succeeding in pro sports while wearing Sketchers. How could you not love the guy?

I scoured the Internet and learned about his family's incredible journey from war-torn Eritrea to Italy, and finally to San Diego, California. As a former Peace Corps volunteer living for two years without plumbing, I somewhat understood the impoverished environment of his youth, though the bombings he experienced as a child hit Managua two full decades before I took up residence in Nicaragua.  

What resonated, though, is how in countries with very little, a strong sense of family is not only important, but essential for survival. Authentic (spicy) food eaten by hand, music and especially dancing are what bring friends, family and neighbors together, instead of being separated by the invisible barriers put up by the Internet, texting and stuffy cubicle environments. When life is simplified, true priorities percolate up to the surface, and for Meb and the rest of the Keflezighi's, that means family, education, hard work and, fittingly, endurance. 

But I don't want to give away all of the good parts...this is his story. Buy Meb's book, Run to Overcome. Let him tell you about his father's own Pheidippides-esque odyssey (that's marathon humor), his family's arrival in the US, and his journey from a shy grade-schooler who ran one heck of a first mile to the man we know today: Marathon Meb.

Inspirational and entertaining with just the right amount of humor and training information

Meeting Meb

I slept terribly the night before I was to meet Meb, unable to shut down my brain as it played out and deconstructed every possible scenario for what could go wrong, right and terribly wrong during the Q & A session. Usually a trusted ally and source of humor, my inner monologue was being a real pain in the you-know-what as I analyzed an event that was yet to happen.

I finally managed to ignore myself - "get out of my head", as they say - long enough to reach a state of deep slumber, though this was mere moments before my morning alarm buzzed me back to reality. Game on!

Knowing that I would be jittery, I requested to meet Meb and his entourage earlier in the day, if for any reason hoping to get any "Meg's" out of the way before I did so in front of a crowd. First we gave him a hero's welcome, gathering in the lobby to cheer him on upon entering our friendly confines. Forty or so Garmin employees loudly applauded Meb as he slowly ambled into building, completely surprised by the affectionate display shown towards him, forcing him to (I assume) politely disconnect the phone conversation that our applause had interrupted.

Greeting the champ

It was quite the front lobby moment - certainly more memorable than the handfuls of times the receptionists have had to greet me as I request temporary badges on my forgetful days. We clapped, whistled, hooted and hollered while Meb flashed his magazine-cover grin, gave us a patented thumb's up and, coolest part of it all, held up the Boston Marathon first-place medal that had likely adorned his neck for four straight days and nights.

As the cheers subsided, Meb, who was hobbling a bit as his body was still far from fully recovered, began shaking hands and posing for pictures with anyone who requested it of him. He had an interaction with every single person who took the time to greet him in the lobby, creating 40+ uniquely personal and life-lasting memories in the span of a couple of minutes - further proof of his inspirational pedigree.

As the glowing crowd dissipated and Facebook became inundated with pics of Meb and his new besties, he was chauffeured, along with Merhawi  - his brother/manager - to a fully-stocked conference room that would act as his home base throughout the day. (To learn more about the brother/brother agent/athlete relationship, read this article from Competitor). 

He was all smiles and jokes as we entered the room. A passing (some might say creeping) employee caught him as he was sitting down, and told Meb how much of an inspiration (there's that word again) and hero he was to him. You could tell the guy was nervous, and Meb made a point to ask his name, shake his hand and sincerely thank him for the compliments. His day more than made, the guy all but floated out of the room. 

It was an odd sensation, sitting across from him. Here he was, a world-class athlete, Olympic medalist and record holder, 126 pounds of cheekbones, abs and smiles who had just freaking won the Boston Marathon. And he was talking to me! It was surreal. 

A couple of employees helped him setup some new vivofit's - Garmin's fitness tracking band - and made no-brainer jokes about how many steps he'd do in a day. I made a joke about how my high school track coach routinely got on me for looking over my shoulder too much, but how Meb's coach probably gave him a pass because he, you know, won the freaking Boston Marathon. That he afforded me a chuckle at this barb, even if he was humoring me, put me at ease. 

As he and Merhawi ate breakfast burritos, myself and Andy, who was pegged to introduce him to the audience later that day, asked if there was anything specific he'd like us to mention. "You wrote down Boston Marathon Winner, right?", he joked without missing a beat. With one quip, he not only cracked up the room, he put us both at ease, releasing us of any tension or anxiety we had once felt. 

My instinct was fortuitous, in that meeting him before the interview would prove to make it much (much) easier, though this was primarily due to Meb's easy-going nature and the fact that he's such an unassuming star. Powerful and impactful, with a vigorously competitive spirit, true grit and a never-ending desire to succeed - to win! - yet safe in his understanding of who he is and how to treat others. Inspirational. Again, that word. 

After our chat which I secretly didn't want to end (ever!), engineering came calling and Meb was pulled into what we joked would be an overly technical session with the fitness engineers about Garmin's running watches. Unlike most sponsored athletes, however, he was looking forward to this opportunity. A Garmin user years before we signed him, he's a true believer in the technology of GPS running watches; he even nerded out - I'm using the term affectionately in an attempt to portray his passion on the topic - to us, describing how he uses heart rate, step cadence and other features in training and competitions. Now there's a testimonial with legs. (Sorry for the running pun).

I left the meeting feeling great, unable to contain my excitement. Mike Tyson couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I'm not sure why I returned to my desk because I was way too distracted to do any real work. I sent a couple of emails, but had resigned myself to stalling for a few hours until the Q & A. I found a few videos of Meb online, but had to stop watching them as I was becoming, embarrassingly, like a child, way too excited. 

When I couldn't stand it anymore, I got up and walked around for a bit until I found myself in the lower level of the building where Meb was doing on-air interviews for the local TV stations. Not coincidentally, this was the first time that I made the connection that there could be outside media at the event. Though not full-blown, a renewed panic ensued. Luckily, the majority of my sweating was psychological, allowing me to play it cool on the outside. 

Meb was released from his media duties and given a slight reprieve before he was to speak in the auditorium. A group of us chatted with him in the bowels of the building, passing the time and trying to soak up every minute with the champ. Someone gave him a putter, with which he sent a few golf balls flying towards the hole on the tiny practice green that I've never seen anyone use before, ever. 

Someone else brought a few boxes of his book - you may remember it as the book I once recommended that you purchase, Run to Overcome - for him to sign, as he would be selling them after the session. True to form, he wouldn't leave the putting green until he finally sunk one, and I must say, it took more than a few tries before he was able to raise the putter in celebration. The neat thing is, every time I pass that particular spot now, I smile as I recall the time I saw the Boston Marathon winner hole out. 

It took more than fore tries for Meb to sink it (terrible golf pun)

Getting training tips from Meb and Merhawi

The Author

Meb and my buddy Jay, who is tall, but not a giant

It was almost time...

It is here that I would like to state for the record that the single worst question to ask someone faced with nerve-wracking circumstances is, "Are you nervous?". "Of course not" I lied, unconvincingly, a lot, to everyone. There's a reason that the phrase "Good luck!" exists. Use it!  

We headed down the corridor towards the auditorium, where Jody, who manages our sponsored athletes - the one who I'll forever be grateful to for asking me to emcee the event - posted up with Meb at the door. Merhawi, Andy, myself and the rest of the crew snuck in the ground floor of the auditorium, where, to my immediate horror, we were greeted by a full house. 

Andy, wearing a ridiculous K-State shirt, grabbed the handheld microphone and began the proceedings. He ran through a number of Meb's accomplishments, generating raucous applause when he stated the time in which he finished the Boston Marathon, a mind boggling PR of 2:08:37. Upon hearing this thunderous ovation, Jody urged Meb into the room, where the intensity of the noise increased exponentially; the standing ovation lasted more than four minutes, reaching a crescendo akin to something felt in Allen Fieldhouse when the Jayhawks are on a roll. 

Meb stood there stoically and smiling, praising the crowd with humble bows and a few thumb's up. As Andy directed him to his stool, he joked that Meb jumped the gun (a layered joke, more running humor), and went on to complete the full list of his accolades. He finished, said my name, and handed the mike to me; as I grabbed it, two very real thoughts surfaced: 1) Holy crap, this is happening. Like, NOW!, and 2) I wonder if the cameras can pick up the visibly aggressive heart palpitations emanating from my chest cavity. 

"Are you all miked up, Meb", I awkwardly stated as I situated myself on the lone empty stool, making a mental note, a final reminder to myself to try not to fidget, blink too much, scrunch my nose, fall down or mistakenly refer to the newly anointed men's Boston Marathon champ as "Meg". 

It was on...

I may have looked calm and collected, but I was freaking out inside. On the other hand, I may not have looked calm and collected. 

I had an idea for how I wanted this to play out, but understood that flexibility was going to be key as I didn't know how the champ would respond to my questions. I had an arsenal of topics in my back pocket, heavily researched, and my only goal was to have some witty banter - to come off as knowledgeable, humorous and easy-going - before opening it up to the audience.

Knowing people would want to hear about Boston, I began with a question about how he was feeling leading up the race. A simple question in my mind, I ended up asking Meb how he felt, both emotionally, psychologically and physically as he prepared for Boston. You'll notice that I mentioned three terms, thus making my use of the word "both" completely and utterly inaccurate. Still...a decent start.

Meb took us back farther than the starting line, constructing a descriptive account of his fitness and additional challenges in the years preceding this Boston victory. He painted a detailed and informative picture of his training that lead up to Boston, and how he knew that he had to make a statement there to honor the bombing victims of the previous year. He summarily answered my three-pronged question, and without further prompting from me, checked off the next seven on my list as he recounted the race.

For the record, I was totally cool with it. His great answer/race recap gave me sufficient time to steel my nerves as I glanced out at an audience where I recognized more than a number of co-workers and friends.

It was extremely compelling to listen to him describe the last few miles of the race, as he maintained a tenuous lead, yet remained keenly aware that the field was advancing towards his targeted back. That he used the crowd as motivation to maintain his crazy-fast pace, and had to focus on not only his body, but his emotional state as he headed towards Boylston Street and the finish line.

He was alternately funny and serious, detailing his grueling adventure, inviting all of us to experience it as if we were there with him, waving an American flag in his direction as he sped past us, a victorious blur.

He was remarkably genuine and sincere in recounting how much this victory meant to him and his family, to the crowds cheering him on, to America and Boston. He was humble yet confident, and assured of the significance of his performance. It was a true joy listening to him tell his story, and I had the best seat in the house.

Proving in person he knows how to celebrate a victory

After his great race summary, I threw out a few questions to keep the conversation going. I wanted him to speak about the way in which he honored the bombing victims before the race, writing their names on his racing bib. I was also curious as to how "The Call" went, and Meb brought us into his conversation with President Obama, detailing how much it meant for him, an American by way of Eritrea and Italy, to speak with America's top boss. His sense of pride in recalling this event was tangible and contagious, and he had the audience completely captivated.

Not wanting to press my luck - no "Meg's" to speak of - I segued from that anecdote and let the audience have their turn. Hands shot up like fireworks. There were four floating mikes, and my goal was to shoot for equal coverage, both geographical and demographical (spellcheck just told me that this isn't a word, but it sounds so nice when paired with geographical).

A secondary goal was to make some sort of engineering crack, but looking out at the audience comprised primarily of engineers, I understood that it would have to be a delicate one...or extremely funny.

The audience questions were very good, and I unknowingly selected a diverse group of individuals. There were Garmin engineers and employees, of course; but I also nailed a few guests who came specifically to see Meb. One of which was wearing an orange Boston Marathon windbreaker from this year's race, an easily-recognizable badge of honor within the running community. It was apparent to everyone in the room that his day, month and year were made when Meb congratulated him for completing the same race that he won.

It also highlights the uniqueness of this event, that it's such a high profile race for professional runners, yet amateurs are there on the very same course, sharing the road, dealing with the same elements. Even among the non-professionals, however, qualifying times are dropping, making it increasingly difficult to secure a bib number, nevertheless finish the Boston Marathon. Which is why it was so special to see their exchange, the equivalent of Lebron James dishing out high-fives at a pick-up game at a local YMCA. 

When asked what data field he referenced most during training and on race-day, I sprang into action, commenting, "And thus begins the engineering portion" somewhat sarcastically. As I was saying it, some small part of my brain questioned whether this was a smart move, career-wise, you know. Curious if my smart mouth would get me into trouble, I was relieved as a small and somewhat nervous wave of laughter emanated from the crowd - turns out there were enough marketing, sales and support friends out there to generate a chuckle. And luckily the engineer (what else would he be?) remained unfazed, intently curious about Meb's forthcoming response, as if he had a fedora, disposable flash camera, a pen and pad. Meb made his day and probably created a new running watch by answering the question.

Boston Strong!

Meb was top of the podium (running analogy) for the audience, which consisted primarily of those with engineering degrees, many of whom were part of the team that developed the running watch technology that Meb has been using for years. I asked all members of the fitness and Garmin Connect teams to raise their hands in recognition, so that he could personally thank them (with a thumb's up), and to demonstrate just how many individuals were on the project.

All those who raised a hand that day were able stake a tiny claim as a contributing member of Team Meb, as they pumped him up when he pressed "start" on his Forerunner at the beginning of the race; they helped him keep up his super-human pace while in lead, surrounded but alone with his beeping virtual partner; and they gave him permission to stop churning after breaking the ribbon with his chest with one final, ceremonial "beep" that registered 26.2+ miles, a digitally-frozen moment in time and marathon history.

The event could have gone on for another three hours, or until Meb's legs began to cramp due to dehydration, or an excess of witty banter. With 300+ potential autograph seekers in the audience I was given the "wrap it up" signal after 45 outstanding and all-too-quick minutes.

I closed the session by summing up how proud we are to have Meb as part of the Garmin family, the only part of the proceedings that I had rehearsed prior to the event. After some words of thanks on his part (totally unnecessary, by the way) he received a huge ovation from the crowd before I instructed them to filter to the right and form an autograph line.

In all the commotion, I didn't want to miss my chance walk away with a customized souvenir from the man himself. So out of fairness to the crowd, and riding high on post-interview endorphins, I helped bring the autograph table to Meb, then helped myself to the front of the line. Even after meeting him ahead of time, after sharing his spotlight in front of my co-workers, I felt like a Justin Bieber fan chasing after a lock of hair.

Meb has this unexplainably comforting and familiar aura about him, yet he also exudes supreme confidence, coolness and humor. He's a man who is comfortable with the fact that if he does his job well, he'll be on TV's and newspapers across the U.S. and around the globe, not to mention every corner of the Internet. And he's good with that. What I'm saying is, he's an easy guy to have a dude crush on.

He stayed and signed posters, racing bibs, medals and even a few Forerunners for everyone who had the patience to stand in the seemingly-growing line. While he did that, Merhawi sold signed copies of his book until he was left standing next to a pile of empty boxes.

After the visit to Garmin, Meb, Merhawi and their entourage - namely, Meb and Merhawi - went on to bigger stages and brighter lights. I went home and talked my lovely wife's ear off like a teenager checking in after a great first date. It was a memorable day, a special moment, and I'm thankful that my name was the one thrown around in the "Meb Brainstorm" session that I wasn't a part of.

Congrats once again to Meb and the entire Keflezighi family. I look forward to seeing Meb toe the line once again; and even though Boston was, as he put it, the greatest, most grueling victory of his professional career, I have a feeling this isn't the last we've heard from Marathon Meb.

Check out the Kansas City Star's report on Meb's visit to Garmin HERE.

Meb and I on the home page of the KC Star

Meb and I hanging out on Facebook together, solidifying our friendship

If you're interested, check out these interesting stories about some pretty interesting individuals that I happen to know: 

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