Keflezighi Becomes Oldest American Distance Runner Ever to Make an Olympic Team
SAN DIEGO, Calif (Feb. 17, 2016) – ElliptiGO athlete Meb Keflezighi secured a spot on his fourth Olympic team Saturday by finishing second at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. At 40 years old, Keflezighi is the oldest American distance runner ever to qualify for the Olympics. Keflezighi has a few tricks up his sleeve that help him compete with younger runners, including ElliptiGO training, which helps him optimize recovery, increase his volume and keep up with the high mileage he needs for marathon distance success.
Keflezighi is one of nearly 80 Olympic Trials participants who have used ElliptiGO elliptical bikes as their cross-training tool of choice to build strength and aerobic capacity, and to reduce or recover from injuries.
“ElliptiGO has been a big part of my training for many years now,” said Keflezighi. “I’m very fortunate to have ElliptiGO and other sponsors who believe in me and give me a chance to do the best that I can with my God-given talent. At 40, I’m still going strong.”
Click below to listen to the full interview.
Keflezighi has had tremendous success at the Olympics, including a fourth-place finish at the 2012 Olympic Marathon (London) and a second-place finish at the 2004 Olympic Marathon (Athens), which earned him a silver medal.
He is the only runner in history to have won an Olympic medal, the New York City Marathon (2009) and Boston Marathon (2014). Toni Reavis, running influencer, blogger and broadcaster, commented that, “Meb now deserves to be called the best U.S. distance runner of all time.”
“I’ve been running for over 26 years, sometimes running double days and trying to put in 100-130 miles per week. As I get older I have to be smarter and wiser about my training,” Keflezighi said. “ElliptiGO bikes are the closest you can get to running. I run in the morning, and now in the afternoon I no longer have to do a 30-minute run like I used to do. Instead I ElliptiGO for 1.5-2 hours about five days a week. That enhances my cardiovascular system and gets me fitter and stronger with no impact whatsoever.
“That’s a tremendous amount of extra work. If I tried to do that much running now, that would lead to injuries. Even if I have a hard running workout coming up, I can get in a quality effort on the bike with no pounding, and I can still go hard the next day. The ElliptiGO rides allow me to add in a lot of cardiovascular work, and ultimately that’s what the marathon is all about.”
Darren Brown, strategic marketing manager at ElliptiGO and a professional running coach, explains the approach Keflezighi uses: “The more time you can spend at or faster than race pace, the more efficient you become. That’s extremely important when covering 26.2 miles. By replacing slower, easier runs with an ElliptiGO bike, Meb gets all the reparative benefits of increased blood-flow, but without the stresses of impact. As a result, he is able to recover faster, do more consistent – and even harder – work during his high-intensity, race-specific sessions.”
For more information about how Keflezighi supplements his training with ElliptiGO rides, visit https://www.elliptigo.com/train-like-meb/.
About ElliptiGO
ElliptiGO Inc. created the world’s first elliptical bicycle to deliver a fun, comfortable and effective workout experience that inspires people, improves their lives and revolutionizes fitness. Combining the best of running, cycling and the elliptical trainer, ElliptiGO bikes provide a strong cardiovascular workout that eliminates impact on joints and allows people to get out of the gym and enjoy the outdoors. Elliptical cycling is an effective way to build fitness without aggravating injuries, and it is great for everyone from the health-conscious to the elite athlete. The full line of ElliptiGO bikes is distributed through specialty running, cycling and fitness retailers nationwide and through the ElliptiGO headquarters outside San Diego and website: https://www.elliptigo.com/