Update, May 8, 2014, with times for Saturday’s events.
Meb Keflezighi, the San Diego Olympic medalist who became the first American man to win the Boston Marathon in 31 years, will be honored Saturday at San Diego High School.
Those who attend “Meb Keflezighi Day” will get a chance to walk the track with the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, according to the San Diego Hall of Champions.
Keflezighi’s Facebook page lists the schedule of events at Balboa Stadium, 1405 Park Blvd., where he competed while he was at San Diego High:
- Fans can start arriving at 9:30 a.m. Saturday
- The “Walk With Meb,” kicks off at 10:15 a.m.
- The ceremony to honor him will follow at 11:15 a.m.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilman David Alvarez, a middle and high school classmate of Keflezighi’s, will present him with awards.
The runner, who turned 39 on May 5, won the 118th Boston Marathon on April 21 with an official time of 2:08:37. He has been celebrated far and wide, including a call from President Barack Obama.
He was among nearly 36,000 runners in a race that was scarred a year earlier by two homemade bombs that killed three people and injured 264 others.
As Keflezighi approached the finish line roughly 10 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Wilson Chebet of Kenya, he could be seen pumping his fist as the crowd cheered him on.
Keflezighi and his family immigrated to the U.S. as refugees from Eritrea when he was 12. He won both the 1600 meter and 3200 meter races at the CIF California State Championships in 1994 while at San Diego High.
– City News Service