Meb Keflezighi finishes in tears as he says farewell to the Boston Marathon

Meb Keflezighi, 41, ran his final competitive Boston Marathon on Monday and was in tears as he crossed the finish line.

The 2004 Olympic silver medallist and 2014 Boston Marathon champion will end his competitive marathon career at the end of this year. His 26th marathon, one for each of the race’s 26 miles, will be in New York City in November.

Keflezighi, who won the New York City Marathon in 2009, finished 13th in 2:17:00, a little more than seven minutes back of winner Geoffrey Kirui. The San Diego resident is one of the most consistent marathoners of all-time reaching the podium five times at the six big-city World Marathon Majors. He has a lifetime best of 2:08:37 in the marathon.

At the finish, Keflezighi took the time to visit the family of Martin Richard – Denise, Jane, Henry, and Bill – in the grandstands located on Boylston Street. Richard, who was eight at the time, died in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Keflezighi was spectating that year and went on to win Boston 12 months later.

Keflezighi, as always, was a fan favourite in Boston on Monday. He made the announcement last November that 2017 would be his final year of competitive marathon racing though he has not ruled out running more marathons in a less-competitive capacity in the future.

Useful Canadian Running content for running the 2017 Boston Marathon

– Men’s recap
– Women’s recap
– Photos from the start line
– Top Canadian results