Most don't know that I am a marathon nut. I love it and hope to run someday(yes I am insane). It is no big secret that the US women hasn't won a marathon metal since Joan Benoit went gold in 1984, until now. I would like to congratulate Denna Kastor for her bronze metal. Most would not think that special..It is. Kenya dominates both men's and women's distance running, so for us to do so well is a delight. I have no idea what happened to Paula Radcliff, the British world record holder..She self destructed at mile 23. Not to say she wimped out, this was the original route of the marathon (as close as they could get). The first person to run it dropped dead at the end, Pheidippides. This modern course is listed in Runners World as one of the toughest in the world. Mizuki Noguchi of Japan won the gold (she came in 2nd at the world championships last year), and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won the silver (last years world champion and winner of Boston a few times). There was a time where it was thought women could not physically run the distance, and we didn't have a women's marathon till 1984. I applaud all the women who had the nerve, talent, and skill to participate. GO GIRLS!!!
Sunday, August 22, 2004
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I watched this marathon ... I too would love to run a marathon, and have started training in fits and starts. I'm now in the middle of a fit. The most I've been able to manage has been 8 miles, though once I reach the point where I can handle that, I fall into some mental state where I could likely handle any distance beyond it. It's been a while since I've been there, though, and I'm having trouble getting back.
I felt sorry for Paula Radcliff when she stopped ... I can't imagine what she would have been feeling at that point, to go 23 miles and die 15 minutes from the end. I can't imagine stopping at that point ... I can't imagine remembering that for the rest of your life, being nagged by those three miles. But then, the route is something beyond my comprehension, with an altitude change, I believe, of some 600 feet, on a 100 degree day. I don't understand how she didn't stop earlier.
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