Álvaro Mejía (athlete)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Mejía and the second or maternal family name is Florez.

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 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games 5,000 meter.

Álvaro Mejía

Personal information
Born	(1940-05-15)15 May 1940 Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Died	12 January 2021(2021-01-12) (aged 80) Bogotá, Colombia
Medal record Men's athletics Representing Colombia Pan American Games 1971 Cali 10,000 m Central American and Caribbean Games 1962 Kingston 1,500 metres 1966 San Juan 1,500 metres 1966 San Juan 5,000 metres 1966 San Juan 10,000 metres Bolivarian Games 1965 Quito 1500 m 1965 Quito 5000 m 1965 Quito 10,000 m 1961 Barranquilla 800 m 1961 Barranquilla 1500 m

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 also won the 1971 Boston Marathon in two hours, eighteen minutes and 45 seconds. He won a bronze medal at the 1971 Pan American Games in the 10,000 metres. Mejía won the Saint Silvester Road Race in 1966.

1971 Boston Marathon winner

In 1971, the 75th edition of the Boston Marathon 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. He was the first 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. Mejia has one son, Christopher Mejia, born in 1971 (lives in San Francisco).

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing Colombia
1961	Bolivarian Games	Barranquilla, Colombia	2nd	800 m	1:55.5
			2nd	1500 m	4:02.7
1965	Bolivarian Games	Quito, Ecuador	1st	1500 m	3:57.2 A
			1st	5000 m	15:00.9 A
			1st	10,000 m	32:22.5 A
1971	Boston Marathon	Boston, United States	1st	Marathon	2:18:45

Coaching

Mejía coached Colombian athletes including Alirio Carrasco, of Bogotá, who ran 2:12:09 at the Chicago Marathon in 2003.

Death

Mejía died in Bogotá on 12 January 2021 at the age of 80.

References

• Álvaro Mejía at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)

External links

• Alvaro Mejia Flores at Olympics.com
• BostonMarathon.org - 'Race Summaries', Boston Athletic Association
• WestValleyTC.org - "A Confluence of Champions: Mejia, Laris, Anderson, Dare, Clarke, Leydig Highlight WVTC Reunion", Chuck Schneekloth, West Valley Track Club