Meb Keflezighi earns men's win at 2009 NYC Marathon

He was born in the East African nation of Eritrea, growing up in a hut with no electricity. When he was 10, his family moved to Italy; two years later, they came to the United States. Keflezighi began running in junior high in San Diego, then went on to star at UCLA. In 1998, he became an American citizen.

The U.S. Olympic trials for Beijing were held in New York two years ago. Keflezighi hobbled to eighth at the trials, then later found out he had a stress fracture in his hip. Long days of rehab followed, and he didn’t feel 100 percent until early this year.

He visualized, he overcame obstacles, he persevered. I would call that a victory earned!