Meb Keflezighi closes out a strong American showing in London

Meb Keflezighi streams the flag down the homestretch
(photo: The Oregonian)

Going into the final "Athletics" event Sunday, the United States Track and Field Team had earned 29 medals; only one short of Doug Logan's lofty goal of 30. All eyes were on fan favorite, Ryan Hall, to compete and potentially get that 30th medal. Needless to say, that didn't happen. Hall, along with Abdi Abdirahman, would both drop out just after the 10 mile mark. The man that came in with little fanfare nearly delivered #30 to a man that's no longer in office.

The word on the street, specifically from Meb Keflezighi's longtime coach, Bob Larsen, was that Meb had been injured and that he was under trained. With that knowledge available, no one gave much of a shot to the 2004 Athens Silver Medalist. And sadly, once Hall and Abdi dropped, I feared Meb may too. Luckily, that outcome was not in the cards.

Instead, Keflezighi slowed worked his was way up from 17th at the halfway mark to 14th at 25k to 10th at 30k to 6th at 35k, and finally, to 4th at the finish line. He was never in medal contention and finished 1:29 behind third placer, Kenya's Wilson Kipsang, but his run further validated his return to glory, after a disappointing 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials, one where he would break his leg and finish 8th, off the Beijing Olympic Team.

A job well done for the veteran. One of many inspiring performances from the American distance squad at the 2012 London Olympics.

Here are a few more of my favorite American Distance Moments of the 2012 games:

• Galen Rupp following his teammate, Mo Farah, to the promise land to earn a Silver Medal in the Men's 10,000 meters (story here).
• Leo Manzano kicking furiously over the last 100 meters of the Men's 1500 to take the Silver Medal, while Matt Centrowitz battled to within .04 seconds of the Bronze (story here).
• Duane Solomon (1:42.82) and Nick Symmonds (1:42.95) going 4,5 in the best 800 final of all time; one where David Rudisha would break the World Record (1:40.91).
• Shannon Rowbury's strong rally for 6th in the Women's 1500; the same race where Morgan Uceny's fall made every distance running fan in America feel sick to their stomach. 
• Evan Jager finishing 6th and Donn Cabral 8th in the Men's 3000 meter Steeplechase. Strong runs by both in an event where the US hasn't done anything in a very long time.
• Emma Coburn's continued improvement in the Women's 3000 meter Steeplechase. Her 9th place finish would net her another PR (9:23.54).
• The Men's 5000. It's been a long while since the United States had three men in the final. All three held their own and a trip with 100 meters to go is the only thing that kept Bernard Lagat off the medal stand.
• All three American's setting PR's in the Women's 10,000. Being your best on the biggest stage is what the Olympics are all about!

And if you're enjoying this Track & Field thing, DN Galan aka Diamond League Stockholm is this Friday, August 17th!

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The Skechers Field Test

Meb Keflezighi wins the San Jose Half 
Marathon in the Skechers GOrun

When it was announced on August 1, 2011 that former Olympic Silver Medalist and 2009 New York Marathon champion, Meb Keflezighi, had signed a shoe deal with with California-based Skechers, I, and many other running fans were intrigued. A few weeks went by and when I was on my annual running vacation to Boone, NC, I decided to send an email to the publicity team at Skechers and see if they were interested in a review of their running shoe line.

Surprisingly, I got an email back within 10 minutes. After a few conversations, a new pair of the Skechers ProSpeed were on my doorstep a week later. Unfortunately, before I could get to my test drive, I was injured. Fast forward a month, I was healed up and ready to go for a spin in the new kicks. Here are my thoughts:

Colorful Skechers boxes

Skechers ProSpeed
Presentation: At first glance, the box makes some pretty aggressive claims, but upon further review, they're pretty harmless. The box says the ProSpeed "promotes mid-foot strike" and also that running "strengthens muscles, increases calorie burn and builds endurance." Fair enough. As you can see, the boxes are pretty detailed, and the inside has more information as well.

Fit: This was my biggest question. How would the ProSpeed fit compared to standard running shoes? The shoe definitely sits up a little bit. It also has an interesting hollow gap underneath the arch. So how does it feel? It feel like a support shoe with an arch-cupping orthotic. It's a snug fit and has a nice locking tongue. My only issue is how high you seem to sit up, but that's part of the goal with the way it promotes your foot to land forward.

Run: Considering my first run in a month was in the ProSpeed, I was a little worried, but they actually felt pretty good! I wore the ProSpeed for two weeks straight and did runs ranging from 3 miles to 10 miles with good results. I hit the roads and the trails, equally, with no signs of distress on the shoes. Post-run strides felt springiy and my legs had good life at the end of long runs. The only con was that it does indeed promote mid-foot strike, which left me with sore achilles. Nothing some eccentric heel drops couldn't fix though. If you are already a mid foot striker, you will likely have no issues, but I tend to hit the heel a little more than I like.

I'm obviously fascinated with the minimalist line.
From left to right, Nike Free, New Balance Minimus,
Skechers GOrun, Brooks Green Silence

Skechers GOrun
Presentation: Like the ProSpeed, the GOrun box is pretty fascinating. The claims are "ultra-lightweight, Resalyte custhioning, integrated OrthoLite insole, GOimpulse sensors, and mid-foot strike." The GOrun is Skechers foray into the minimalist movement and is doubling as their racing flat. Meb did mention on Twitter that his GOrun's have been customized, as I assume is the same with any shoe company and their sponsored athletes. I know David Oliver has custom spikes that Nike doesn't sell, so this is nothing new. I would be interested to know what his mods are though!

Bottom of the GOrun's

Fit: The fit is pretty snug on the GOrun. I found them to run a little big, but they are nice and snug through the forefoot (thanks to locking tongue). The heel fit is similar to other minimal shoes. That being a little loose to along the foot to move. I have the Nike Free 3.2's, the New Balance Minimus Roads, two pair of the Brooks Green Silence (that I train and race in) and a pair of the Brooks Pure (Project) Cadence, that I run in as well, so I am pretty accustomed to the ins and outs of this kind of shoe. The GOrun has some similarities to all of them and is a little meatier in the midfoot, which lends it to go as a racing flat and not just a minimalist shoe.

Run: What sets the GOrun apart from other minimalist shoes is the thicker sole. I did a three mile fartlek on the track with them, with a few miles warmup, drills (A-skips, karaokes, high knees, butt kicks) and then cooled down a few miles on the grass and was very happy with the results. There is a little responsiveness to the GOrun that isn't there in other minimalist shoes. I know Meb has had some say in the design of the shoe, so more than likely, this was his input. The shoe breathes well and doesn't move much once you start running. Judging by the initial feedback I have received on this shoe, people are very interested, so feel free to email me directly for more specific information about the fit and run of the shoe. Addendum: The GOrun is as comfortable shoe as I have ever worn when going sock-less and running on grass/wood chips. It always is easy to get dog crap off of if you find yourself stepping in it!

For more information on the GOrun, go to the Skechers site here and via a nice YouTube piece here.

Final Thoughts on Skechers Running Shoes: It's a good start. Are the ProSpeed and the GOrun going to start taking market share from Nike, Brooks, Asics, New Balance and Mizuno? Probably not just yet, but lets hope their commitment is long enough to see some improvement in product development. The GOrun specifically is a nice shoe, and I imagine they'll only get better with Meb's input. Their stock is up and they had a nice article on MarketWatch today about their journey into the crowded running shoe market.

Meb Keflezighi won the San Jose Half Marathon in the GOrun and will be running the New York City Marathon this weekend in them as well. If he can make some noise near the front, like he did with his win in 2009, it will provide a great deal of awareness for the brand. As he gets older and away from competing, hopefully he'll really dig into the development of the shoes, as it seems like he's already involved on that front.

Also, more sponsorship for athletes is a good thing, so lets hope that Skechers will continue with that commitment!

Can't find Skechers at your local running store? Buy them (at a discount) at Amazon.com here!



Check out my review of Meb Keflezighi's book, "Run to Overcome," here

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Bookworm: "Run to Overcome" by Meb Keflezighi

November 1, 2009 is a day I will always hold special. The New York Marathon was the first marathon I had really trained for and it was on what would have been my Grandmother's 83rd birthday. She had just passed away the week before and I would be channeling her for strength in those last 5 miles. Luckily, I persevered and achieved my goal of qualifying for the 2010 Boston Marathon. Not long after I finished and got my phone from the UPS trucks that had our personal belongings, I called a friend of mine in Raleigh who had been watching the race on Universal Sports. "Who won?" I asked, being a huge fan of the sport. "The American!" he said. "Ryan Hall?" I thought? "No, Meb. He left Robert Cheruiyot at Mile 22 or so." I couldn't believe it. I was one of those that had all but written Meb off on the world marathoning scene, but after reading "Run to Overcome," I should have never doubted him.

"Run to Overcome" is a nicely put together biography written by Meb himself with the help of ex-longtime USA Today Track & Field contributor Dick Patrick that will please new runners and experienced veterans alike. It is a genuine account in the vein of Tom Jordan's "Pre" that starts with Meb's childhood in Eritrea and his family's difficult trek to the States. Being a long time fan of Meb, "Run to Overcome" does a focused job of telling the story of his rise through the ranks in the US running system, starting with his outstanding San Diego High School career that ended with a 2nd place finish at the 1993 Foot Locker Cross Country Championship and would earn him a full scholarship to UCLA, where he would meet his longtime coach, Bob Larsen. For those unfamiliar with Meb's college career, he would win 4 national titles including the 5k/10k double on the track in the spring of 1997, followed by the cross country title later that fall. He would also go on to receive a bachelors degree in Communications, something that he is very proud of, even negotiating with Larsen to let him retake a Calculus class over the summer to better his GPA.

Where the book will please more serious runners is in the later chapters where Meb divulges some of the tough aspects of being a professional runner and he pulls back the curtain a little to show how that side of the business works, and how he has been affected by it. Meb also shares what goes into a typical training week and some other key components (weights/core/diet/massage) that have kept him world class into his mid thirties. What makes this book excellent is the fact that Meb doesn't shy away from his failures and uses each of them as fuel for his next achievement. He mentions a goal that has eluded him is a Boston Marathon victory. I, for one, hope he lines up with me again in 2011 to take it to the Newton Hills one more time before preparing for the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston!

Be sure to check out RuntoOvercome.com for more information and order your copy of "Run to Overcome" on Amazon.com here)

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