Christian NobleCLEVELAND, Tenn. - One million dollars.
One hundred years.
The number one achiever in United States distance running.
The annual 65 Roses 5K at Lee University had significant things to celebrate Saturday morning, plus its always noble cause: raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
And the number one finisher, out of 634, made it an emphatic Noble triumph.
Christian Noble won by more than a minute. The Lee sophomore runner, redshirting for the current outdoor track and field season, covered the 3.1 miles in 15 minutes, 6 seconds.
Kevin Huwe was second in 16:12, and Rodney Stoker was third in 16:30. Kendrick Gibson (17:28), Jacob Garrett (17:37), Luiz Perez (17:37) and Caleb Morgan (17:58) also finished in less than 18 minutes in the crowded field.
Morgan is Lee's head coach for cross country and track and field, and one of his assistants and former runners, Cayce Bryan, was the women's winner Saturday and 23rd overall in 19:24 - two spots and four seconds ahead of Erica Dunbar of Chattanooga.
Meb Keflezighi shot the starter's pistol and then joined the runners. Later he signed autographs, posed for photos and gave out the awards to the top three finishers in each age group before flying home to San Diego to help celebrate his daughter's birthday.
Among many running accomplishments, the 42-year-old Keflezighi has won the Boston and New York City marathons and competed in four Olympics, finishing second in the marathon in 2004 and fourth in 2012. A 23-time national champion at various distances, he was named "The Most Influential Person in Running" by Runner's World Magazine in 2015.
He and his family came to America from war-torn Eritrea when he was a child - thanks to the hard work and persistence of his father - and Meb went on to four NCAA championships at UCLA.
His first trip to Tennessee, he said Saturday, was in 1995 when the UCLA cross country team ran against the University of Tennessee the same weekend the schools met in football in Knoxville. His trip this past week was his third, and it was full. Arriving Wednesday night, he spoke in Lee's chapel assembly Thursday morning and to athletes gathered for Walker Valley's track meet late that afternoon, worked out with the Lee runners Thursday and Friday, helped with Arnold Elementary's annual Great Strides walk Friday afternoon, spoke again at the 65 Roses dinner Friday and even visited a local senior center.
"It was nice to get intimate with the people here, and spend time with them," Keflezighi said Saturday. "I've been having a lot of fun."
He also referenced the cause addressed by the 65 Roses and the accompanying Great Strides Walk, and the Cleveland event's passing in its 18th year of $1 million raised to battle cystric fibrosis. This is also being celebrated as Lee's centennial year.
Noble and Bryan admitted that Keflezighi's presence and the milestones added to their appreciation of their race victories.
"It makes it really special to win," said Bryan, happy enough because Saturday's was her first race in more than a year. Now 24, she graduated from nursing school in December.
"I got to run with Meb the last couple of days," Noble said, "and he brought a lot of excitement to this."
"It's been phenomenal. He's been great," said race director Bill Estes, who arranged for Keflezighi to take part.
"Meb has a great story, and it is so inspiring, how his family came here," Lee president Dr. Paul Conn said. "And with all he's done in his time here, we've been very impressed with him and his commitment to our cause and what we're trying to do in the community.
"He's a very low-maintenance celebrity athlete."
Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.