Nov 1, 2009 6:00 pm US/Eastern
An American Man, Meb Keflezighi Wins NYC Marathon
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Meb Keflezighi has become the first American man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982.
Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, earned his first major marathon title Sunday. Born in Eritrea, the 34-year-old became a U.S. citizen in 1998.
He was second in New York in 2004 and third in 2005. Keflezighi, wearing "USA on his chest, won in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds.
Four-time Boston Marathon champ Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya was second. Morocco's Jaouad Gharib finished third and American Ryan Hall was fourth. American Alberto Salazar won three straight NYC Marathons from 1980-82.
Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia was the women's winner, with 41-year-old Russian Ludmila Petrova the runner-up for the second straight year.
Two-time defending champ Paula Radcliffe was fourth. The world record-holder from Britain fell back from the lead pack in the 22nd mile. She grabbed her left leg in pain after finishing.
The 37-year-old Tulu won Olympic gold medals on the track in the 10,000 meters in 1992 and 2000. She hadn't won a major marathon since 2001 in London.
Christelle Daunay of France was third.
An estimated 40,000 people from around the world prepared to lace up for the New York City Marathon.
Runners began pounding the pavement Sunday morning on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The marathon also runs through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, reports CBS station WCBS-TV. The race will then end in Central Park.
Columbus Circle, for thousands of marathoners, signals the homestretch – the finish line is just a few blocks away. The NYC Marathon is an amazing event, especially if you are running for a cause that is near and dear to your heart.
Such is the case for 29-year-old Matthew Reeve, an NYU graduate, documentary filmmaker, and the oldest son of late, famed actor Christopher Reeve.
"I haven't run a marathon, haven't run a half-marathon," Matthew says. "[I've] barely run a block."
But Matthew says he will run Sunday, and for a great cause: he's running on behalf of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and spinal cord injury research.
"There's nothing worse than seeing a child not able to walk, and I've seen far too many," Matthew says.
It was 1995 when a horse-riding accident left Matthew's father, Christopher Reeve, paralyzed from the neck down. The actor best known as Superman would never walk again, but spent the rest of his life working passionately to raise money for paralysis research.
"Following my father's injury, from a young age, I've always been aware and grateful for just the ability to move and not take it for granted, and do the simplest things," Matthew says.
Matthew's goal is to raise $1,000 for every marathon mile.
"Even if I'm not raising millions of dollars, and it's just a little bit, it's going to help somewhere and I'm grateful for the opportunity," Matthew says.
Matthew Reeve was born in Great Britain. His mother is Gae Exton, Christopher Reeve's former girlfriend.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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