Meb Keflezighi wins NYC Marathon

NEW YORK (AP) - Meb Keflezighi became the first U.S. man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982 on Sunday, a victory that capped an outstanding day for American distance running.

Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia captured the women's race, with two-time defending champ Paula Radcliffe falling back to fourth then grabbing her left leg in pain after finishing.

Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, learned after a disappointing performance in the U.S. Olympic trials in New York two years ago he had a stress fracture in his hip. He capped the long and painful comeback with a landmark victory against a deep field for his first major marathon title.

That day in 2007 he also lost close friend Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died during the race. Keflezighi said the tears he shed after winning were for Shay.

Born in Eritrea, the 34-year-old runner became a U.S. citizen in 1998. He was second in New York in 2004 and third in 2005. Wearing "USA" on the front of his jersey, Keflezighi won in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds.

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