In celebration of Meb Keflezighi’s 10 year anniversary of his 2014 Boston Marathon victory, we will be featuring a Celebration of Meb, highlighting and sharing an aspect of Meb’s life on and off the track and roads leading up to the 2024 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15. We are thankful to both Meb and Hawi (Meb’s brother and agent) for their partnership on this feature.
It wasn’t easy being a distance runner at UCLA, but it was the right choice for me. I had a great coach turned friend and mentor in Bob Larsen.
Meb Keflezighi | Run to Overcome
Between his days at San Diego High School and earning a place on four Olympic Teams, Meb was a student athlete at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA). He would earn a degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in Business, all while competing for the Bruins in track and cross country. In addition to numerous All-American honors, Meb was a four-time NCAA Champion and would be inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
As one would imagine, coming out of high school with the accolades and accomplishments Meb had, there were many options in front of him at the time. Through them all, it was Bob Larsen and UCLA shined the brightest from a meeting eight months prior to the end of his high school career, and a ‘leap of faith’ by Coach Larsen to offer a rare full scholarship.
From Run to Overcome, Larsen said, “Kiddingly, I’ve said I gave the scholarship to the family rather than Meb. Meb was impressive, but the family, wow. They were tough, high-achieving, determined people. Definitely that went a long way in my decision.”
From Meb’s first step onto the UCLA team through his running career, Larsen remained his coach.
Meb at UCLA
Personal Bests:
- 1500m: 3:42.29
- 5000m: 13:26.85
- 10,000m: 28:16.79
NCAA Titles
- 5000m (Indoor)
- 5000m (Outdoor)
- 10,000m
- Cross Country
