* Update: Live coverage of the New York City Marathon is here.

Before the most decorated American marathoner can race, before he pounds out 26.2 miles across the five boroughs of New York City, burning thousands of calories and bloodying his feet, he needs one thing in particular.

He needs his himbasha.

The marathoner, Meb Keflezighi, earned a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and victories in the Boston and New York City marathons as well as numerous other races by training hard, resting well and eating right.

But, as his large, extended family with roots in Eritrea can attest, he has long had a secret weapon that not only nourishes him, but also reminds him of an ancestral connection at the core of his identity and accomplishment. The himbasha, a fluffy baked bread, almost always arrives special delivery from his mother, Awetash, just before a race.