Meb Out of Boston

KEFLEZIGHI WITHDRAWS FROM BOSTON MARATHON WITH INJURY
By David Monti
(c) 2013 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
(Used with permission)

(05-Apr) -- Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi has been
forced to withdraw from the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15,
due to a persistent calf injury, race organizers said this morning.

The same injury had also knocked the 38 year-old, three-time Olympian
from Mammoth Lakes, Calif., out of the NYC Half on March 17.

"Despite my best efforts, a nagging injury to my calf has not healed
sufficiently, so I have to withdraw from the Boston Marathon," Keflezighi
said through a statement provided by John Hancock Financial, the organization
 which funds and manages Boston's elite field. "I'm very disappointed.

My training was going well in January and February, which had me very excited about the possibilities this spring. I even skipped the NYC Half Marathon to focus
 on getting healthy for Boston, but unfortunately, it wasn¹t enough. I ran out of time to recover enough to compete for a victory at the Boston Marathon.
Nevertheless, I will still be coming to Boston to attend events for John Hancock and look forward to supporting the most prestigious marathon in the world."

Organizers also said that Kenyan Laban Korir has also withdrawn from the race on advice of his coach, Patrick Sang.

PHOTO: Meb Keflezighi celebrates after winning the 2009 ING New York City Marathon