Elite athlete kicks off walk-a-thon

Sisters Christian Academy held its annual fundraising walk-a-thon last Thursday. It's a common event at the school, but this year it kicked off with an uncommon twist.

Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi, an elite runner from Eritrea, started the walkers, joggers and runners.

Keflezighi and his family came to the United States after fleeing their native country of Eritrea to escape a war with Ethiopia. His unexpected athletic and academic successes earned him a full scholarship to UCLA, where he won four NCAA titles in one year and earned his B.A. in communication studies with a specialization in business.

He is an Olympic silver medalist (Athens 2004) and a three-time national champion in cross-country (2001, 2002, and 2009). He came back from an injury to win the 2009 New York City Marathon, setting a personal best time of 2:09:15. Meb became a U.S. citizen in 1998. He recently won first place at a marathon in Houston, qualifying him for the London Olympics.