Meb's Place in the History Books is Set

By Scott Bush

It's official, the great Meb Keflezighi is set to retire in one year's time, with his final competition taking place next November at the TCS New York City Marathon. The 41 year old, having competed in his fourth Olympics this past August, easily ranks as one of the best, if not the best, American distance runner of all-time. Having won major marathons, an Olympic medal, numerous American championships and setting an American record, it's worth debating his place among America's greatest runners. 

Top Honors

• 2004 Olympic silver medalist at the Athens Games - First American to win an Olympic medal in the marathon since 1976
• 2009 New York City Marathon champion - first American man to win the race since 1982
• 2014 Boston Marathon champion - the year after the tragic bombing, Meb became the first American man to win the race since 1983
• Broke the American 10,000m record with his 27:13.98 performance in May 2001, which stood for nine years
• Ranks in American top five all-time over the distances of marathon, half-marathon and 10,000m

Judge for yourself how Meb's greatness compares to other top American distance runners, but certainly factor in how he led the American revival in international distance running and has been consistently challenging for U.S. and international championship titles for nearly 20 years, since becoming an American citizen in 1998.