Marathons Everywhere!

I found THREE marathon news items of note today, so let this heretoafter be known as the "Marathon" post. Here, a sponsor.

One: This is what you call one fast chickee. She runs about the same pace as I cycle (on a slow day where I'm yawning anyway).

NEW YORK - Kenyans again ruled the New York City Marathon on Sunday, with Margaret Okayo smashing the course record and Martin Lel winning his first marathon ever.

Okayo won the New York race for the second time, dropping to her knees and kissing the ground after crossing the line in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 31 seconds. She shattered her 2001 course record by nearly two minutes.

Reigning world champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya was second among the women in 2:23:04, followed by Lornah Kiplagat, a native Kenyan who became a Dutch citizen this year, in 2:23:43. They also beat the previous course record.

"I didn't know I was going to break my own record, but I was just trying to do my best," Okayo said.

And you succeeded.

Two: Sheer craziness!

NEW YORK - Sunday's New York Marathon will be the seventh one in seven days — on seven continents — for two British adventurers.

Before coming to New York, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes — cousin of actors Ralph and Joseph — and his running partner, Michael Stroud, ran an overnight marathon past Egypt's ancient pyramids and through Cairo streets.

Fiennes ran in support of the Women for Peace International, an organization chaired by Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak, and the People to People initiative, which promotes international peace, according to a press statement.

The pair had already completed marathons in London, Singapore, Chile, the Falkland Islands and Australia.

Each 26-mile run had to be completed within six hours so the pair could remain on schedule, Stroud told reporters Wednesday in Sydney, Australia.

Hope these guys can sleep on the plane and that their supply of carbs is endless.

Three: He did it. With only eight weeks of training. Commendable and a bit daft, but for a good cause. Nice publicity stunt, too. Anyone making fun of him want to give it a shot? Then be quiet. If I were training for a marathon, I'd train for at least a year. I'm only a so-so endurance athlete, though, and running ain't my thing.

Running on a bum right knee and just two months of training, hip-hop entrepreneur Sean "P. Diddy" Combs completed the New York City Marathon on Sunday in just under four hours and raised $2 million for children, double the amount he planned.

"Never in my life have I ever experienced anything as crazy as this," Combs said at a news conference.

The producer-rapper, formerly known as Puff Daddy (news - web sites) and Puffy, decided in September to run his first marathon.

As he crossed the finish line in Central Park in 3:58:22, Combs raised his arms in triumph. He took a few more steps, then leaned over to catch his breath. Bags of ice were placed on his neck.

Combs — known on the course simply as No. 30,792 — kept a respectable pace of an eight- to nine-minute miles for much of the race. He ran in sunglasses, his hair in a closely cropped mohawk and a breathing strip across his nose. He was accompanied by police officers and at least one of his employees.

"I feel great. I feel strong," Combs told NBC Sports during the race's first hour. "We're right on pace. I'm not going to go out too hard. I'm going to finish strong."

He was troubled by cramps that caused him to walk a few steps. He said he drew support from a TV reporter covering the race who ran with him, as well as from cheering children in Harlem.

"I definitely wanted to stop," he said. "This is definitely a life-changing experience for me because I did not stop."

Ironman, Diddy? Bet you can raise more moolah. But PLEASE train adequately.

hln

Posted by hln at November 2, 2003 03:13 PM | General News | TrackBack