Wednesday, 4/16/97 Going The Distance Talented runner has
improved to become national leader
By Emmanuelle Ejercito Daily Bruin Staff Mebrahtom Keflezighi
has been daydreaming a lot lately. During his long-distance races,
the junior runner reflects on life, school, religion, family, the
Olympics and anything else that just happens to dash through his
mind. As he rounds the track for the umpteenth time, he thinks
about how grateful he is for the fact that he and his family
escaped war-torn Eritrea 10 years ago. It’s not that he’s a lax
athlete that doesn’t have a determined focus when he races. It’s
just that it is hard to concentrate on outrunning the field when
you’ve lapped them already. From the first day that Keflezighi ran
onto the UCLA campus, he has always been ranked among the top
distance runners in the nation. As a freshman, Keflezighi earned
All-American honors in both cross-country and track. In his
sophomore season, Keflezighi came within two seconds of the school
record for the fastest 5,000 meter run during the Mt. SAC relays,
turning in a personal best of 13:37.00. Keflezighi also played hero
during the 1996 Pac-10 Championships. With UCLA in a tight race
against Oregon for the title, Keflezighi’s first-place finish in
one of the last events, the 5,000 meter, gave the Bruins eight
pivotal points to seal UCLA’s fifth-straight Pac-10 crown. "It’s
rare, someone who each season get better and stronger," UCLA head
coach Bob Larsen said. "But with Meb’s improvement it’s just a
natural extension of what we’ve seen." Sure there was improvement
from his freshman to sophomore season, but what happened in his
junior year is beyond normal progress. His development this year
has increased in geometric proportions. "This season is a pretty
big step up," Larsen said. "His workouts are the best he’s ever
done." What could be the cause of this huge leap in the Keflezighi
evolution? Well, when Keflezighi won the 5,000 meter during the
Pac-10 Championships he not only helped UCLA to a conference
championship, but he also provided the snowflake of confidence that
would turn into a massive snowball. "Winning the Pac-10, I beat the
guy that won it the year before," Keflezighi said. "And the Pac-10
is a great conference; it has great athletes, and to win that after
having a side ache, it kind of gave me a confidence." This newfound
sense of self has evidenced itself on Keflezighi’s trophy shelf. In
this year’s cross-country season, Keflezighi took the Pac-10
individual title. But he didn’t just win it, he was Julius Caesar:
he came, he saw, he conquered. Keflezighi became the first Bruin to
win the Pac-10 cross-country men’s title in 17 years, and he won it
in record style. The Stanford Golf Course was no match for
Keflezighi, as he ran the 8,000 meter race in 23:45, breaking
running great Martin Keino’s record and earning the garnishment of
the Pac-10 Male Cross-Country Athlete of the Year. However, the
conference title was just a sample of what was to come in track
season. At the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, Keflezighi
obtained his first national title by outdistancing the field in the
5,000. Two weeks later, Keflezighi again served notice of his
distance prowess, this time in the 10,000 meter race. At the
Stanford Invitational, Keflezighi flew through 25 laps to finish in
28:26.55. He set a personal best and established himself as the
national leader in the 10,000. Twenty seconds faster than anyone
else in the country, the only thing the nearest competitor can do
is enjoy the cool breeze as Keflezighi rushes by. "I’ve never led
the nation before, and now I am," Keflezighi said. "Now everybody
is thinking, ‘How can I beat Meb?’ "I have to say ‘I’m leading the
nation and you are going to have to work really hard to beat me.’
The individual has to be faster than I am, stronger than I am and
have a great race to beat me because I’m in shape right now, and
running is going well for me." Though he leads the nation in the
10,000 and is the national indoor champion in the 5,000, it took
some convincing to make Keflezighi admit that he was a distance
runner. Keflezighi’s dream was to be a miler; he loves the mile.
Last year at the indoor nationals Keflezighi competed in the 3,000
meter; this year Larsen suggested trying the 5,000. Keflezighi was
hesitant at first, but his revelation that the distances are his
forte has allowed him to excel. "There is no doubt in my mind that
I am a distance runner," Keflezighi said. "It gave me a focus of
what I want to do to be a distance runner. I guess realizing who I
am really has made the nice things happen for me." While Keflezighi
has already acquired numerous individual titles, he is not
completely satisfied with what he’s accomplished here. "I’m going
to do the best that I can do to get the team title because it’s the
ring that counts," Keflezighi said. "You can get an individual
title, but the team title … I’d like to get it. I’d like to have
one before I leave; my chances are narrowing down really, really
quick. I only have one more season after this." But if Keflezighi
continues at the pace he’s on, he should get ready to send in his
ring size. Mebrahtom Keflezighi hopes to ring in many victories on
the track this season. Full speed ahead