Meb Keflezighi

Meb Keflezighi waves the United States flag after he finishes during the US Olympic marathon trials February 13 in Los Angeles. He will be honored at the Akron Marathon in September.

(Kelvin Kuo, Associated Press)

AKRON, Ohio - Olympian Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi will be honored at the Akron Marathon and spend race weekend in September meeting with runners, organizers said Tuesday.

Keflezighi, who turns 41 this week, is an Eritrean-born American long distance runner who is heading to his fourth Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August. He will be the oldest American runner to compete in the Olympics.

Keflezighi won the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics and finished in fourth place in the 2012 Olympics.

And he is the only person ever to win the New York Marathon, the Boston Marathon and an Olympic medal. He won the 2009 ING New York City Marathon and in 2014 became the first American male to win the Boston Marathon since 1983.

Keflezighi and his family came to America in 1987 to escape the fighting in East Africa. He won four NCAA titles while at UCLA.

His career includes a number of titles in distance races. He held the U.S. record in the 10,000 meters (27:13.98) from 2001-10.

In October 2015, Runner's World Magazine named Keflezighi "The Most Influential Person in Running" noting that his "universal appeal only begins with his racing."

He will receive the 2016 Akron Marathon Ambassador Award presented by Westfield Bank at an invitation-only reception on Sept. 22. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions and lasting impacts to the sport of running.

He will appear the following day at the Health & Fitness Expo presented by Summa Health and SummaCare, where he'll meet with runners and sign autographs.

Registration for all three Akron Children's Hospital Akron Marathon Race Series events opened in January with incentives geared toward running multiple events. More than 900 people have signed up to run the entire series. Registration is available at AkronMarathon.org.

The 2016 race dates are:

June 25 (National Interstate 8k & 1 Mile)

Aug. 13 (Goodyear Half Marathon & 10k)

Sept. 24 (FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, Team Relay & Kids Fun Run).

The dates were developed to help guide runners through a typical training schedule.