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In a 26-Mile Slog, a Shortcut Can Be Tempting By ANDREW W. LEHREN Two California women running together in last year’s New York City Marathon needed more than four hours to cover the first 16 miles. Then, suddenly, they seemingly transformed into elite athletes, their finishing times suggesting a world-record pace through the marathon’s toughest section. Turns out, they had taken a shortcut. They ran in only four boroughs, skipping the Bronx and making a beeline for the finish line. They cheated. And they were not alone. Thirty years after Rosie Ruiz infamously combined distance running and subway riding, some...

NEW YORK – Meb Keflezighi became the first U.S. man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982 on Sunday, a victory that capped an outstanding day for American distance running. Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia captured the women's race, with two-time defending champ Paula Radcliffe falling back to fourth then grabbing her left leg in pain after finishing.

NEW YORK — Meb Keflezighi became the first US man in more than two decades to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday, while Derartu Tulu ended Paula Radcliffe's two-year grip on the women's title. Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, earned his first major marathon with a time of 2hr 09min 15sec.

DETROIT — Autopsies were planned Monday a day after three half-marathoners collapsed during the Detroit marathon and died, organizers said.

DETROIT — A half-marathoner and two other runners died during the Detroit marathon on Sunday, organizers said. Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, collapsed at about 9:02 a.m. between the 11- and 12-mile markers, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership. Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, collapsed at 9:17 a.m., near where Langdon went down, and 26-year-old Jon Fenlon of Waterford collapsed at about 9:18 a.m., just after finishing the half-marathon in 1:53:37, Harshbarger said. It was unclear whether Brown and Langdon were participating in the 13.1-mile half marathon or the full race. Harshbarger...

A half-marathoner and two other runners died during the Detroit marathon on Sunday, organizers said. Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, collapsed at about 9:02 a.m. between the 11- and 12-mile markers, said Rich Harshbarger, vice president of consumer marketing for the Detroit Media Partnership.

DETROIT — Race officials say three men died of what is believed to be cardiac arrest during a marathon in Detroit Sunday. Officials told the Detroit Free Press that two of the men collapsed at the finish line, and one man collapsed around the 12-mile mark at a drink station. It was unknown whether the men were running the full or half marathon as part of Sunday's 32nd Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon.

3 Detroit marathon runners die Posted: 02:44 PM ET (CNN) — Three runners died Sunday during the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon in Detroit, Michigan, police told CNN. All three deaths occurred between 9 and 9:20 a.m. ET, Second Deputy Chief John Roach said. A man in his 60s fell and hit his head, Roach said. The cause of the fall was unknown. The man was transported to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two other men, aged 36 and 26, also collapsed during the race and were pronounced dead at the hospital, Roach said. All three collapsed near...

CHICAGO -- If you're looking for somebody to cheer for during Sunday's marathon, Steve Baskis is your man. The 23-year-old Iraq veteran lost his sight last year when a roadside bomb exploded next to the vehicle he was driving. One of his best friends, Victor Cota, was just a few feet away from him at the time and lost his life. Instead of falling apart, though, Baskis did exactly the opposite. He needed an outlet for competitiveness and he wanted to show people that life doesn't end just because you lose your vision. After numerous surgeries to repair his injuries,...

Borrowing and using a catheter during a race should not cause even a wee bit of trouble, meaning that the 81-year-old age-division winner in Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon avoids disqualification, officials said this morning. After a one-day review, race organizers said that Jerry Johncock did not break the rules regarding in-race assistance when he left the course and borrowed a spectator's catheter. He had it inserted into his bladder by official medical personnel near Mile 21 on East River Road in St. Paul, allowing him to urinate and be on his way. Johncock, of Gun Lake in southwestern Minnesota, said...

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela's garrulous President Hugo Chavez on Thursday began a marathon four-day edition of his trademark television show to mark 10 years since the influential and widely watched program first hit the airwaves. Chavez is a tireless talker who uses frequent television appearances to make policy announcements, berate opponents and even sing during rambling speeches often delivered in the florid vernacular of working class Venezuelans. Normally transmitted on Sundays from a different corner of the South American oil exporting nation each week, 'Alo Presidente' is the boisterous socialist's favorite forum, with the program once running to eight hours....

A soldier injured in a rocket attack in Iraq finally completed the London Marathon today – in 13 days, two hours and 50 minutes. Major Phil Packer has been walking the course on crutches, two miles at a time, every day since the race started on April 26. The 36-year-old was told he would not walk again after the blast in Basra last February. But he has proved doctors wrong after working with staff at Headley Court, the MoD’s rehabilitation centre in Surrey. Crossing the finishing line in The Mall, Major Packer was greeted by well-wishers and awarded his medal...

BOSTON, April 24, 2009 – Two Special Forces soldiers who are close friends have much in common. Both were wounded in combat -- one in Iraq, the other Afghanistan. Both are recipients of the Silver Star Medal for their actions in combat. Both are single-leg amputees. And both were official finishers of the 113th Boston Marathon on April 20. Special Forces soldiers Army Staff Sgt. John Walding and Army Maj. Kent Solheim, both wounded warriors, start the 113th Boston Marathon together, April 20, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Curt Squires  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army...

A field of 26,386 runners left Hopkinton for the Boston Marathon on Monday, with some top American contenders hoping to earn the first U.S. victory in the race in decades. Temperatures in the 40s with a light headwind greeted the competitors at the start of the 113th edition of the race.

UPDATED to include Dane Patterson's apology. A followup to my Thursday story about the fabricated account of "Biggest Loser" eliminee Dane Patterson running a marathon, when in fact he only ran 23 miles: The producers of "The Biggest Loser" are taking full responsibility for the misrepresentation. Here's the apology put out late Thursday night by Reveille, the company behind "TBL": "As the Executive Producers of 'The Biggest Loser' we would like to make an official apology and set the record straight with regards to the claim in last night's episode that Dane completed a marathon in Arizona. "After seeing on...

DUBLIN (AFP) — An Irish long-distance runner has completed a gruelling seven marathons on seven continents in less than six days, a charity chief said Thursday. Richard Donovan, 42, from Galway in the west of Ireland, began his challenge in numbing sub-zero temperatures in Antarctica on January 31 and finished in Sydney just five days, nine hours and eight minutes later.

Paula Radcliffe defended her title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday to become the second woman to win the race three times. Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil won the men’s race for the second time in three years, passing Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco with about a mile to go. Unlike Radcliffe’s tight victories in 2004 and ‘07, the world record holder from Great Britain pulled away from Ludmila Petrova in the 22nd mile to win comfortably in two hours, 23 minutes, 56 seconds. “The last two times it’s been a really close finish at the end,” Radcliffe...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2008 – As they have for the past 32 years, nearly 20,000 runners gathered at the Marine Corps War Memorial here to tackle the 26.2 miles of the 33rd Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 26. Some of the 18,281 participants in the 33rd Marine Corps Marathon cross the starting line Oct. 26, 2008. The marathon, which began in Arlington, Va., will have ripple effects around the world, as many runners participated to raise funds for troop-support groups. Photo courtesy of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Among the runners were many...

There were over 20,000 competitors in Sunday's Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. And 24-year-old Arien O'Connell, a fifth-grade teacher from New York City, ran the fastest time of any of the women. But she didn't win. It doesn't get much simpler than a footrace. All it takes is a starting line, a finish line and a clock. You fire the gun and the first person to the end of the course is the winner. However, as the marathon officials said to O'Connell - not so fast. While O'Connell had the greatest run of her life and covered the course...

Just a heads up for those interested, and have the time: USANetwork is running a NCIS marathon all day today, until 7 pm EDT. To clarify, the last episode *ends* at 7pm.

There's a lot of news swirling around Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska governor Sarah Palin. We're not here to talk about that (fear not, political trash talkers, our forumites are all over it). Nor will we discuss the fact that tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota, she'll make history by becoming the first-ever female Republican veep nominee when she formally accepts the nomination of her party. Rather, we're here to inform you that, according to a forthcoming profile in The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Palin is a runner. Not just a "oh, I go jogging once in a while" kind...

Just was looking for what the TV fare would be on the Fourth, and noticed that USA Networks will be airing an 8 episode NCIS marathon on the Holiday. Starting at 3 pm EDT, it appears from what i've read, that the shows span a few episodes before "Caitlin" gets killed, to a few episodes after. Covering "Ziva" joining the team as well.

Heads up for NCIS fans: this Friday, June 27, 2008, USANetworks will be airing a 10 episode Marathon of NCIS starting at 1 pm EDT, of shows *with* Ziva, and starting with an episode where Gibbs is retired. IOW, not the same episodes from the last marathon...*all* new for *me*! ;)

LONDON: Ryan Hall came of age at last year's London Marathon, and he's back to prove he has what it takes to break up the race's African domination. Hall ran the fastest time for an American making his first appearance in a 26.2-mile race last year when he finished seventh in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 24 seconds, dropping back only in a sprint finish. "It's one thing to believe you can run fast, but it's another thing to actually go out there and do it," the 25-year-old Hall said Wednesday. "Last year I proved I can do it through 23...

TCM Host Robert Osborne: Actor Was ‘Genuine Movie Star’ By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/7/2008 2:44:00 PM Turner Classic Movies slated a 15-hour marathon April 11-12 (2:30 p.m.-5:30 a.m. April 12) to salute the late Charlton Heston. Heston, who died over the weekend at age 84, was an Oscar-winning actor whose imposing frame and voice made him the film industry's choice for a number of classic roles. TCM's lineup includes an interview and lesser-known films -- The Buccaneer, Major Dundee, The Hawaiians (such tributes are circumscribed by the films to which a channel has rights) -- bracketing his...

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A suicide bomber attacked the opening ceremony of a marathon outside Sri Lanka's capital Sunday, killing a government minister and 11 other people, authorities said. Dozens were wounded. Officials blamed the bombing, the second this year resulting in the death of a senior government official, on Tamil Tiger rebels. Minister of Highways and Road Development Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was opening the race at Weliweriya town, 12 miles outside Colombo. He died in a hospital of injuries sustained in the blast, said government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalla, blaming Tamil rebels. Eleven others were killed—including former Olympic marathoner K.A....

LONDON (Reuters) - Already Britain's oldest employee, 101-year-old Buster Martin now aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner by completing the London Marathon and celebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette. Sprightly and bearded, he completed a half marathon at the weekend in five hours 13 minutes. The former Army physical training instructor works three days a week for a London plumbing firm and says he has trained for the April 13th race in his spare time. "I've said I'll attempt it," he told Reuters by telephone from his workplace at Pimlico Plumbers. "I haven't said I'll...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Top distance runner Ryan Shay died during the U.S. men's Olympic marathon trials Saturday after collapsing about 51/2 miles into the race. He was 28. New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg said Shay was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital and was pronounced dead at 8:46 a.m. "It cuts a knife through everybody's hearts," Wittenberg said. Wittenberg said Shay received immediate medical attention. "There were several layers of medical response," she said. "It was very quick." Shay of Flagstaff, Ariz., hit the ground near the Central Park boathouse, a popular Manhattan tourist spot, during the 26.2-mile...

The MARINE CORPS marathon is tommorrow! Is it possible for any FREEPERS to get out there and support those guys & gals who are running in it & maybe post photos of it later?

MEXICO CITY - After a humiliating defeat in Mexico's presidential election last year, Roberto Madrazo appeared to be back on top: He'd won the men's age-55 category in the Sept. 30 Berlin marathon with a surprising time of 2:41:12. But Madrazo couldn't leave his reputation for shady dealings in the dust. Race officials said Monday they disqualified him for apparently taking a short cut — an electronic tracking chip indicates he skipped two checkpoints in the race and would have needed superhuman speed to achieve his win. According to the chip, Madrazo took only 21 minutes to cover the 15...

CHICAGO -- In a race run in scorching heat that left one man dead, Kenya's Patrick Ivuti won the Chicago Marathon by a fraction of a second Sunday. At least 49 runners were taken to hospitals and another 250 were treated at the site.

Double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie has broken the world marathon record at the 34th Berlin Marathon.The 34-year-old Ethiopian athlete clocked two hours four minutes and 26 seconds to smash Kenya's Paul Tergat previous mark of 2hrs 4.55secs which was set at the same course four years ago...

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats refused to flinch Tuesday as the chamber moved toward a rare, all-night session of debate on legislation to bring troops home this fall. They called for sleeping cots to be rolled into a room off the Senate floor and told members to prepare for repeated votes throughout the evening. Senators even left open the possibility of dispatching the sergeant at arms to summon colleagues from their homes to the floor if lawmakers ignored the debate. The threat was reminiscent of a 1988 debate on campaign finance reform in which Capitol police carried Oregon Republican Sen. Robert...

ATLANTA, July 4 — At 6 a.m. his time, as the sun spread over the pancake-flat desert around him, William G. Halicks, a Navy captain stationed in Hillah, Iraq, measured the temperature at 95 degrees. It was hot, certainly, but with only a light breeze, the chances of having a throat-choking dust storm seemed low. For Captain Halicks, that meant it was a fine day for a foot race. He was runner No. 1 in the 2007 Peachtree Road Race, which organizers call the largest 10K run in the world, and which for most runners takes place in Atlanta. Participants...

Talk about detours ... Atlanta will not be the only location holding a Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces will participate in the race from five military camps in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Holding the race overseas provides the ideal opportunity for military members whose duties prevent them from running the race in Atlanta. Col. Tom MacKenzie first heard of the overseas Peachtree Road Race in 2004, when it was first held in Iraq. As a former Peachtree runner stationed in Afghanistan, he wanted to know what he could do to start...

'Slow motion' marathon runner Greg Billingham has finished the London Marathon one week after the event started. Thirty-nine-year-old Billingham decided to "run" the 42-kilometre event at an ultra-slow pace of 4.8 kilometres every 10 hours, to raise money for the charity Children with Leukaemia. He said he ran in slow motion because people who become ill often find their lives slowed down. Billingham, who had never run a marathon before, hopes to have raised between 30,000 and 40,000 pounds for the charity. "At first people look at you strangely... People weren't too sure whether it was a joke," he said....

LONDON - Running in the most competitive men's marathon field ever, Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.), made his marathon debut in style, finishing seventh at the Flora London Marathon in a time of 2:08:24. Hall's time was the fastest debut marathon for an American man by 1:16. In a field that included multiple Olympic medalists and the current World Record holder, Hall not only ran with the leaders for more than 23 miles but was brave enough to take a turn at the lead before World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib (MAR) made a bid to break away. As the...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2007 – While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race. An Army soldier crosses the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Tallil Air Base, Iraq, April 16, 2007. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. So-called “satellite” races are nothing new to servicemembers deployed overseas. These running events, which are held on forward operating bases, are designed to coincide with massive stateside races like the Marine Corps Marathon and the...

The First Boston Marathon After experiencing the spirit and majesty of the Olympic Marathon, B.A.A. member and inaugural US Olympic Team Manager John Graham was inspired to organize and conduct a marathon in the Boston area. With the assistance of Boston businessman Herbert H. Holton, various routes were considered, before a measured distance of 24.5 miles from the Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf's Mill in Ashland was eventually selected. On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York, emerged from a 15-member starting field and captured the first B.A.A. Marathon in 2:55:10, and, in the process, forever secured...

Texas marathon run in Baghdad   Wednesday, 21 February 2007 Story and photo by Spc. Stephen P. Kretsinger Sr.BAGHDAD — Hundreds of residents of the International Zone ran more than 26 miles this weekend, and it wasn’t to avoid incoming small arms fire.Almost 300 people ran in the AT&T Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon as well as the Baghdad Bombs and Bullets 5 miler in Baghdad Saturday. The event was open to anyone in the IZ that wanted to participate. People from several countries registered for the marathon.The event was organized by Capt. Hank Domeracki, chief of operations and liaison,Civil...

Bahrain athlete loses citizenship 6 January 2007 A Bahraini athlete who ran and won a marathon in Israel has been stripped of his citizenship. Authorities said Mushir Salem Jawher, who was born in Kenya but moved to Bahrain in 2003, had violated the laws of the country. Israeli media said Mr Jawher was the first athlete from an Arab country to compete in an Israeli marathon. Bahrain has no official ties with the Jewish state but Mr Jawher said he was "very proud" to have taken part. ''Shock and regret' Following the race on Thursday, Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted...

Fittingly, McClung will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. But she should be further honored: Perhaps in years to come, the stateside Marine Corps Marathon – which she so loved – might become the Major Megan McClung Memorial Marine Corps Marathon.

11/6/2006 - NEW YORK (AFPN) -- Watching nearly 40,000 runners cross the finish line of the New York City Marathon Nov. 5 makes it easy to see that each one has a story -- and the telling doesn't end at the finish line. While most runners push themselves to exhaustion through the 26.2 miles of urban roads, Monica Szymanski takes on the marathon to re-energize her life. "I'm still in shock being able to accomplish it," Szymanski said. "I have good days and bad days. Today was more of a phenomenal day." The annual race comes at the time when...

A touching story about a father and his son. Twenty years ago Rick Hoyt ran a 5k while pushing his disabled son in a wheelchair. After the race his son told him that while racing he did not feel disabled. They have since competed in over a hundred triathlons and marathons together.

Rep. Schmidt's Marathon Ad Questioned By MATT LEINGANG ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt is fast, capable of running a marathon in 3 hours, 19 minutes, 6 seconds. At least that's what a photo on the Ohio congresswoman's Web site shows. No way, says a rival who contends that the picture from the 1993 Columbus Marathon is doctored and complained to state election officials. A four-member commission panel ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence to look into the complaint. State law prohibits candidates from publishing false statements designed to promote their election. The photo shows...

LONDON (Reuters) - Seven times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will make his marathon debut in the New York City race on November 5, New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg said on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Armstrong, 34, set his record winning streak after he had been diagnosed with cancer and given less than a 50 percent chance of survival. "I was thrilled to learn late last night of Lance's decision to run the New York City marathon," Wittenberg said in a statement. "A bit like winning the lottery after you thought you had lost. "Lance epitomizes both the American...

Capital movements due to fears over a possible US-Iran war, financial speculation or market meltdown are driving crude prices upward. Milan (AsiaNews) – Capital movements on commodity exchanges, not low supply are pushing oil prices upward. Brent crude has reached US$ 74 a barrel because of lowered refinery use and a backup in crude inventories that has left many a super tanker waiting to unload. Oil storage has become a problem since facilities are full in the Persian Gulf, Europe, the Americas and even Asia. Even Israel, which built huge embargo-busting oil depots to allow the country to survive every...

BOSTON - Robert Cheruiyot set a course record in the Boston Marathon on Monday as he and women's winner Rita Jeptoo pulled off a Kenyan sweep. It was an outstanding day for the Americans, too. U.S. runners Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell and Alan Culpepper came in third, fourth and fifth, 23 years after the last American winner, Greg Meyer. Americans took five of the top 10 spots. But Cheruiyot, the 2003 champion, pulled away for the best showing in Boston. His time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 14 seconds was a second better than the winning time fellow Kenyan Cosmas...

VIDEO of an Irish dancing protestor. What he is protesting, I have NO idea. Michael Flately has no need to worry about this step dancing JERK (see comment #1).