Marathon A-listers... such amateurs!

I was reading this article a few minutes ago and it got me thinking, why do we think it's such a big deal when A-listers run the NYC marathon? Well, I should actually rephrase that, because I don't think many New Yorkers actually care, but why does everyone else get hyped up about it. Yes, it's so very nice of them to run for charity and to also spend 4-hours surrounded by "normal" people, but really, why all the hype? What makes them different than the other thousands of runners out there shedding sweat and tears to raise money or just achieve a personal goal?


Although I must say that I found Actor Ryan Reynolds' post marathon comment quite humerous. After crossing the finish line, he told the Daily News, "I am going to allow three to four hours for my scary marathon face to go away and then I am going to eat my body weight in raw dough"

Huh! That's a heck of a lot of dough!! But let's get serious, only an amateur would care about their "scary marathon face". The rest of us just embrace it and go get drunk to numb the pain and to forget about how silly we look walking down the street. :)

But I am feelin' him on the dough comment. Personally, I dream of Philly soft pretzels after finishing a marathon. yum!!!!!!

"So you wanna be an Olympian?" - Follow up

It's been three months (almost) since I last blogged about Kathryn Bertine, the ESPN writer who is on a cut throat quest for a 2008 Olympic berth. In Kathryn Bertine's current installment, chapter 12, she goes on a mission in both China and Venezuela to fight for a few highly coveted Olympic points. She continues to have her fair share of ups and downs , but still has not lost her determination to represent St. Kitts and Nevis as an Olympic athlete this summer in Beijing.

If you're interested in writing to Kathryn, rumor has it that she's very good at responding to e-mail. Here's where you can send your thoughts, questions or motivational tidbits: ESPNOlympian@aol.com

"So You Wanna Be An Olympian?" - Thoughts?

The picture posted above is from the latest installment of ESPN's e-ticket coverage of "Olympic Hopeful", Kathryn Bertine. Kathryn Bertine a former ice skater, professional triathlete and author was approached by ESPN and asked to give two years of her life to pursing her dream of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. The latest article is the ninth installment focusing on Kathryn's self reported progress since the story began in August 2006. As the first article back in August '06 states,

"For the next two years, Bertine will chronicle her Olympic quest for E-ticket. While finding a spot on the 2008 U.S. team is the ultimate goal, Bertine will take every opportunity along the way to stop and smell the sweat socks ... and to share the smell, taste, sound and feel of the experience with you. You'll meet coaches, teammates, competitors, good guys, bad guys, people who will make you laugh, make you cry, make you cover your eyes in horror. You'll find out what the day-to-day life of an elite athlete is like, get a feel for the kind of sacrifices necessary, see for yourself what kind of politics is involved. "

It's an interesting and controversial story of a "regular" athlete turned "elite" cyclist (in 18mths) who wants to get to the Beijing Olympics at any cost, meaning, in any sport (although she's chosen cycling), and as a representative of any country. Yes, any country!! In this latest installment, Kathryn, after failing to make the U.S. Olympic Team is now searching for "athletic adoption" and seems to have secured hopeful interest by St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. ...And she's now off to attempt to receive dual citizenship there.

I'm not certain if anyone out there has been following this story, but I have a hunch that a few of you have. I think Kathryn's progress over the past (almost) two years is interesting and she's had quite a few fascinating revelations and memorable experiences along the way. I particularly like this quote from Kathryn in this latest (9th) article, " But I now understand that the purpose of human existence is to ask questions, no matter how outlandish, and seek answers, no matter how much the odds are against you. Ask, ask, ask. And when you can't find the answers to life, check your spam box. Hope hides in the strangest of places."

Although I admire her dedication and resilience, I'm not sure what I think about this whole project. And to be honest, I'm jumping into this a bit late and I haven't had a chance to read the entire story. But I'd love to hear some thoughts on this story and Kathryn's overall "progress" at this point. Do you think this is a good idea? What are the pro's and con's if she does end up competing for St. Kitts and Nevis in the 2008 Olympics? What will this prove if anything if she makes it to the Olympics?

Thoughts?

I originally planned to post a video I had found on a quick and easy pre-run active stretching routine, but the site I was pulling the video from was having technical difficulties. I'll try again tomorrow.

So instead, I'm posting this video about 13 year old Mackenzie Riford who recently finished a 50mile ultra marathon. I had some strong reactions to this video, but I'm interested to know what you think.

Little Makenzie is so cute and seems like she has such a bright spirit, but how will this strain effect her body at such a young age? I have strong feelings about young kids not running marathons until a certain age, so this story of a 13 year old completing an ultramarathon really struck a cord? I'm not surprised at all that she could finish it, but what does allowing her to do this at such a young age really doing for her psyche and physical development? Everyone seems so excited in this video, but isn't the major role of being a parent to keep your child from harmful situations. It is a major accomplishment but I do believe there is something to be said for building yourself up to a certain level and taking your time. She has her entire life ahead of her and plenty of time to do marathons and ultras. That's just my 2cents. What's yours?