San Diego distance-running veteran Meb Keflezighi finished 13th in the Boston Marathon Monday as he prepares for retirement, but he left the door open for a future appearance at the iconic footrace.
The San Diego High School graduate, a native of war-torn Eritrea, completed the 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 17 minutes, or 7 minutes and 30 seconds behind winner Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya.
Kirui finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds to claim a trophy, a guilded olive wreath from Marathon, Greece, and the $150,000 first prize.
American Galen Rupp placed second. "It's so exciting to see Americans being competitive here," said Rupp, the Olympic bronze medalist who was making his Boston debut. "It's a real exciting time. And it's awesome to see American distance running on the upswing and being competitive in these races."
Rupp was 21 seconds back, and Japan's Suguru Osako 30 seconds behind him.
2017 BOSTON MARATHON TOP THREE MEN'S TIMES
- Geoffrey Kirui, Kenya, 2:09:37
- Galen Rupp, United States, 2:09:58
- Suguru Osako, Japan, 2:10:28
2017 BOSTON MARATHON TOP THREE WOMEN'S TIMES
- Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:21:52
- Rose Chelimo, Bahrain, 2:22:51
- Jordan Hasay, United States, 2:23:00
Rounding out the top 10 were runners from California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.
And while Keflezighi finished 13th this year, he won in 2014, one year after a pair of bombs killed three spectators and wounded 260 others. He was the first American man to win in Boston in three decades.
He told the Boston Herald he might return as an amateur. “I would love to come back here, this is a special place," Keflezighi said.
“The finish line of the Boston Marathon is historic and to be able to be here, it's where people's dreams come true.''
The 41-year-old Keflezighi plans to step down from competitive running this fall after the New York Marathon, which would be his 26th event at that distance.
RELATED LINK: San Diegans Honor Hometown Hero Meb Keflezighi As ‘America’s Finest Runner’
In last year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he finished 33rd after having to stop seven times because of stomach problems. In so doing, however, he became the second-oldest U.S. Olympic runner.
