Álvaro Mejía Florez (15 May 1940 – 12 January 2021) was a long-distance runner from Colombia, who became a national hero after competing in the 5,000 meter race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Mejía competed in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics in the 10,000 meters, where he placed tenth, and in the 1972 Munich Olympics, where he ran the marathon. Mejía won the Saint Silvester Road Race in 1966, the 1971 Boston Marathon, and a bronze medal at the 1971 Pan American Games in the 10,000 meter race.
1971 Boston Marathon winner The 1971 Boston Marathon, the 75th edition of the event, had one of the closest finishes ever, as Mejía dueled almost the entire way with Pat McMahon, a native of Ireland and local Massachusetts resident. Mejía finally pulled away from McMahon less than 150 yards from the finish, clocking 2:18:45, just five seconds ahead of McMahon. Mejía was the first Boston Marathon winner from South America.
Coming to America Mejía was married to Terri Stickles, the American bronze medalist in the 400 meter freestyle swim in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Stickles brought Mejía to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969. They met in Cali, Colombia, where Terri was a Peace Corps volunteer.
From 1969 until 1985, Mejía dispensed running advice along with running shoes and apparel at a sporting goods store ("Olympic Sports") he owned with Stickles in San Mateo, California. During the 1970s, he competed as a member of the local West Valley Track Club (WVTC), at a time when the club often dominated team competition in Northern California. Several Colombian runners followed Mejía to train in Northern California and compete alongside Mejia for WVTC, including Víctor Mora, who placed second in the 1972 Boston Marathon.
International competitions Representing 1961South American ChampionshipsLima, Peru7th800 mNT ?1500 m3:57.6Bolivarian GamesBarranquilla, Colombia2nd800 m1:55.52nd1500 m4:02.71962Central American and Caribbean GamesKingston, Jamaica1st1500 m3:51.41963South American ChampionshipsCali, Colombia1st1500 m3:53.51964Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan48th (h)5000 m14:41.41965Bolivarian GamesQuito, Ecuador1st1500 m3:57.2 A1st5000 m15:00.9 A1st10,000 m32:22.5 A1966Central American and Caribbean GamesSan Juan, Puerto Rico1st1500 m3:50.31st5000 m14:42.61st10,000 m31:34.01968Olympic GamesMexico City, Mexico10th10,000 m30:10.61971Boston MarathonBoston, United States 1stMarathon2:18:45Pan American GamesCali, Colombia3rd10,000 m29:06.934thMarathon2:27:591972Olympic GamesMunich, West Germany48thMarathon2:31:56
Coaching Mejía coached Colombian athletes including Alirio Carrasco, of Bogotá, who ran 2:12:09 at the Chicago Marathon in 2003, and Olympian William Roldán.
Death Mejía died in Bogotá on 12 January 2021 at the age of 80.Murió Álvaro Mejía Flórez, exponente del atletismo colombiano
References
External links
BostonMarathon.org - 'Race Summaries', Boston Athletic Association - "A Confluence of Champions: Mejia, Laris, Anderson, Dare, Clarke, Leydig Highlight WVTC Reunion", Chuck Schneekloth, West Valley Track Club