Athletic Report

116th Boston Marathon winners

What a gutsy race!

The 116^th running of the Boston Marathon was a gutsy race in many ways. Let’s take for example, the winners, just for starters.

The winner of the women’s race was Sharon Cherop of Kenya. She won with a time of 2:31:50, which is an impressive time, but not as impressive as how she did it. Approximately 600 meters out she laid down a well-timed, devastating kick to beat fellow Kenyan Jemima Jelagat Sumgong by two seconds. Let’s put that into perspective; two runners run 26.2 miles and they are separated by only two seconds. To further add to the astonishment; the winner hammers down a sprint of a standard high school track plus half of another one after running 25+ miles to win.

Not to be outdone, Wesley Korir (also of Kenya) won the men’s race with a 2:12:40. Not a real impressive time to win with, but the win itself was quite impressive. First of all, the runners were battling 80+ degree temperatures. Secondly, Korir took the lead twice to win. Korir went to work on possibly the toughest part of the Boston Marathon course. He chased down Levy Matebo to take the lead in the hills. He gave up the lead, then took it back again in the final mile to win the race and his country’s berth in the Olympic Marathon this summer.

Personal victories in the marathon are quite common. Personal victories against human competition and high temperatures to win a prestigious race such as Boston are rare. The wins on Monday were spectacular on both fronts.

116th Boston Marathon

Which elite runners are running Boston in 2012?

The 116^th running of the Boston Marathon on April 16^th will feature a slimmed down field of American elite runners due to upcoming Summer Olympics. Many top American runners are training to put forth their best effort in either the marathon or other track events at this year’s Olympics.

The only American elites to compete in Boston this year are Nick Arciniaga who came in eighth place at the American Olympic Trials with a time of 2:11:56, and Jason Hartman, who ran 32^nd at the Trials with a time of 2:16:44.

The male and female winners of last year’s race will return in 2012 to defend their titles. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya will defend for the men while Caroline Kilel, also of Kenya, will defend for the women. It’s worth noting that Mutai set course records in both New York and Boston last year, the only person to ever set course records on both courses in the same year.

Mutai will be running against some stiff competition this year. Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, who won the 2010 Boston Marathon will set a quick pace. Gebre Gebremariam won New York in 2010; Wilson Chebet won both Rotterdam and Amsterdam in 2011. Wesley Korir and Bernard Kipyego came in 2^nd and 3^rd in Chicago, respectively. The men’s field won’t be short on pace pushers.

Caroline Kilel won’t have an easy run either for the women. Sharon Cherop and Caroline Rotich, both fellow Kenyans, came in 3^rd and 4^th last year in Boston. The winner of last year’s New York City Marathon, Firehiwot Dado and her runner-up, Buzunesh Deba, will make the women’s race competitive.

If you watch Boston to see a fast time, this year’s race will be a good one to watch. The weather will have a little something to do with it as well.

116th Boston Marathon

Some interesting facts about the Boston Marathon

When you think of a marathon, you likely think of two events: the Olympic Marathon and the Boston Marathon. The Boston Marathon will be run for the 116^th time on April 16, 2012. Monday, April 16 is Patriots' Day locally in Boston. Patriots' Day has been a recognized holiday since 1969 and the marathon has taken place on that holiday since then. Patriots’ Day is the third Monday in April. The race starts at 9:00 a.m. with various waves beginning until 10:40 a.m.

A little known fact about Patriots’ Day is that it is observed both in Maine and Massachusetts. Maine was actually once part of Massachusetts. In Maine, the holiday is known as Patriot’s Day. In Massachusetts, it is known as Patriots’ Day. Note the placement of the apostrophe.

Here are some Boston Marathon trivia facts:

The marathon holds the world record for the world’s largest marathon with 36,748 starters back in 1996 with the 100^th running of the race. Of those 36,748 starters, 35,868 runners finished.
Four Olympic marathon champions have won the Boston Marathon. The last to do this was Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia who won the 1997 Boston Marathon in 2:26:23
The Boston Marathon is the first marathon to have a sponsored wheelchair division. Look at marathons now and most of them have a wheelchair division.
The Boston Marathon is the second largest one-day sporting event. It is second only to the Super Bowl in terms of media coverage on the site.

Many runners dream of someday running the esteemed Boston Marathon. For those of us that can’t qualify, keeping tabs of the race on race day is the next best option. Good luck runners, and congratulations for being out there!

Olympic half marathon

Should the half marathon be an Olympic event

The half marathon is challenging distance running event. Unlike a full 26.2 mile marathon, the half marathon is not yet an Olympic event, but maybe it should be. Here are a few reasons why it would be a great Olympic event:

Attract more competition: The full marathon requires more recovery time for competitors limiting the number of elite runners. Marathoners are very limited in regards to how many marathons they can do each year. The half marathon can be run by 5k & 10k runners as well as marathoners, thereby expanding the field.
More exciting for the spectators: Let’s face it most people have a limited attention span. Marathons take over 2 hours to be run. Spectators, particularly those watching from home, will find it difficult to watch the entire race. A half marathon typically is run in just over an hour, making it a more viewer friendly event. This will expand the viewer audience and make more people interested in the sport of running.
A more exciting race, particularly for the spectator: The marathon is often referred to as a twenty mile warm up with a 6.2 mile race immediately after. Runners are jockeying for position in a half marathon nearly from the start. Runners typically race for the finish from the time the gun fires making for an exciting race.

The marathon is a classic endurance sporting event. The half marathon offers a challenge for the runner and a more viewer friendly sport for those watching in person and on TV. TV viewership will attract sponsors. Sponsors spend more money to advertise. More money is provided to the Olympics thus making the Olympics a better sporting event overall.

Fisher leaves and L.A. Goes with Him

In the middle of this past week the Los Angeles Lakers decided to trade Derek Fisher. There had been rumored talks of a trade since the point guard was getting older, as a result slower. However, no one really believed it since this was Fisher that the Lakers were rumored to have been in talks of trading. Seeing Lamar Odom go just like that without any warning was sad. However, trading Derek Fisher is a whole different story. Aside from being one of the best point guards to have played in the NBA, Fisher is stand-up guy.

When the 5-time NBA champ discussed his daughter’s rare illness as part of the reason why he came back to the Lakers in 2007, my heart broke for him. When he made that game winning shot against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2004 NBA playoffs all of L.A. cheered with him. There aren’t many Derek Fishers in the world and there surely aren’t many Derek Fishers in the sport of basketball. He is one of the few guys that you can't help but love, understand, appreciate and retain an immeasurable amount of respect for.

Therefore, when it was announced that Fisher would be traded from the Lakers a part of Los Angeles was traded with him. That trade also reaffirmed the realization that this is a business. No matter how nice you are, how good you once were, or how many championships you have one once your time is up, then your time is up. Personally the Lakers should have allowed the man to do it his way. The move lets everyone know that if they were willing to let Derek Fisher go like that there is little doubt that they will have a problem doing the same thing to (gasp) Kobe Bryant!

Reliving Jordan’s ‘Flu Game’

‘The Flu Game’ is where Jordan overcame all of the physical odds to do what many people thought he could not do.

Good players win games, but great players win championships. Gatorade makes this message clear in their latest commercial that highlights one of the best games Michael Jordan has ever played, and the one of the best performances ever seen. Jordan's performance, in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Championship, quickly became known as 'The Flu Game'. Jordan's 'Flu game' is one of the many reasons why he is one of the greatest players to ever have played the sport of basketball, and arguably the greatest player the sport has ever seen.

Cut to Tuesday morning before Game 5, and Jordan barely has the strength to sit up. The Bulls’ trainers reportedly tell Jordan that he won’t be able to play in the game. Driven, but weak Jordan finds his way to the court for tipoff. What happened next after that ball was tossed into the air, is why very few athletes will ever be considered the greatest at what they do.

‘The Flu Game’ is where Jordan overcame all of the physical odds to do what many people thought he could not do. Surely he thought it was possible. Gatorade’s commercial showcases all of the things needed to be an athlete, and highlights all of the things needed to be great. Athletes of all sports battle flu games. Some may use that game as a reason for their poor performance, and others seek it as an opportunity to show who they really are as an athlete.

The clip may be described with the same positive words used to describe success. Talented and skillful are both words that would look nice next to Michael Jordan’s name, but it is all a lot deeper than that. Gatorade ends the clip by telling the audience it takes a lot more to win a game with the words, “Win From Within.” As an athlete at any level of any sport the wins start when you are honestly ready to make them happen.

U.S. Mens Team Takes on Italy

The U.S. Men's soccer team took on Italy this past week, and left the popular soccer team stunned. The U.S. won the match against Italy in a 1-0 battle. Some people may ask "who cares?" It turns out that many people do, since the United States has never beaten the powerhouse team in the 78 years that the United states has been playing the sport. Even though the match was a friendly match it was a long waited celebration. Much of the U.S. defense should be credited for holding off Italy and securing the team's win.

Clint Dempsey #10 of the United States scored the winning goal of the match, and made sure to enjoy the moment. You would think that the team had just won the world cup against Brazil or Spain. The United States is known for being one of the top competitors, but there are a number of teams that surpass them. A team like Italy represents the best of the best therefore, defeating one of the elites is a huge morale boost for the U.S. team.

It seemed like from the get go the United States was on the defensive and Italy was ready to take shots at the goal. Towards the end of the half the United States manage to get a groove going. By the beginning of the second half with the help of Johnson and Altidore, Dempsey was able to get a nice shot at the goal, and put the U.S. on the right track to making history.

Wins like this do not come around very often for the U.S. team, and hopeful they can use this as a way to propel themselves into further victories.

The Terrell Owens Saga Continues

At one point in time Terrell Owens, also known as T.O. was one of the most talented players in the NFL. Owens believed that he was so talented that he could say whatever he wanted to players and coaches without any repercussions. The wide receiver’s downfall notably started with the Philadelphia Eagles. Owens made a number of controversial remarks about the Eagles, and Donovan McNabb when he was still signed with the team. I guess Terrell never understood the saying ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.’ The six-time pro bowl player was also involved in a number of incidents. One of which involves spitting on cornerback, DeAngelo Hall.

Owens seemed to lead an interesting life, one that was full of drama. With this said VH1 gave Terrell Owens his own reality show titled, The T.O. show. According to VH1, the show was a hit since they brought it back for another season. In all honesty the show confirmed aspects about T.O. that everyone knew about, but weren’t sure. The man comes off as cocky, condescending, rude, apathetic and uninterested in anything that has nothing to do with him.

Fast forward a few years later and Owens is begging for NFL teams to sign him. With no luck there, Owens has signed on to play in an indoor football league with the Allen Wranglers. Owens himself announced the news via twitter and a video. All of what T.O. seems to be going through sounds a lot like karma. Even the best of the best are forced to come down to earth at one point in their life. Hopefully this experience will leave T.O. feeling humbled.

Rose and the Bulls Take Milwaukee Along For a Ride

Derrick Rose is showing once again why he should be named MVP of the league, for the second year in a row. Rose is a star in his own right, but on many occasions he can easily be underrated. Having one of the best seasons last season, Rose is carrying that energy into this NBA season.

Rose had a season high for 34 points against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah each also added a load of points to much of the team’s success, with 20 points and 15 points respectively. Even though Jennings led the Milwaukee team with 25 points, there was no stopping the Bulls in their 107-100 victory over the Bucs. Collectively the Bulls seem to be one of the strongest teams in the NBA, as of now.

Rose and the rest of the Chicago Bulls look as if they are playoff ready. Something that the Bulls miss each year in the playoffs is longevity, consistency and execution. Throughout the season the team racks up wins like it is nobody’s business, but when it comes down to the clutch their execution always comes short. Last NBA season the Bulls had the best record in the league, but failed to come home with a ring. Maybe it is because there were bigger and better teams, who knows? This year it looks as though the playing field has been leveled a lot more. Chicago fans are no doubt looking for an NBA final that includes the Chicago Bulls on the roster.