NEW YORK — There was a moment, about halfway through, when 42-year-old Meb Keflezighi thought he could win the final marathon of his career.
“I knew there was going to be a big deciding factor at one point,” Keflezighi said afterward, referencing his time in a leading pack of about 12 men as the 26.2-mile race snaked from Queens into Manhattan.
Keflezighi, the only person to win an Olympic medal and the New York City and Boston Marathons (in 2009 and 2014, respectively), then began to feel his age.
He faded about 15 seconds behind the lead pack in the 20th mile entering the Bronx and another minute and a half in the 23rd as Central Park came into view.