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Tag: Marathon

  • North Korea Opens Marathon To Foreign Amateurs For The First Time

    The streets of North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, were filled with foreign runners on Sunday. The Pyongyang marathon, held annually, welcomed amateur runners from all over the world for the first time.

    The marathon, known as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, has been around for 27 years. Last Sunday, thousands of North Koreans lined the streets to watch the event and occasionally gave high fives to the runners passing by. According to the event managers from the International Association of Athletics Federations, they decided to open the race to foreigners to make it a grander occasion in celebration of the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung’s, birthday on April 15.

    The only rule that foreign runners had to follow was that they should not wear attention-grabbing or political clothing during the race. They were also banned from carrying Japanese or U.S. flags.

    The majority of North Korea is still off-limits to foreigners, but Pyongyang is more accessible with its plazas, monuments, and avenues.

    North Korea has been boosting its tourism. Group tours typically consist of visiting major attractions and watching performance art. North Korea’s tourism agencies said that they were surprised to see the large number of foreigners who wanted to participate in the marathon. However, they also said that most of them just wanted to see Pyongyang, rather than race.

    In this year’s race, there were runners from 27 countries all over the world. A total of 225 of the runners were amateurs. The race was also made easier to accommodate the amateur runners.

    The winner for the men’s event was Pak Chol, a North Korean who completed the race in 2:12:26, while North Korean twins Kim Hye Song and Kim Hye Gong finished the women’s event first and second with a time of 2:27:04.

    “I really wanted to do this race because of the location,” Jen Skym, a Briton who resides in Hong Kong said. Another runner from Nova Scotia, Jacob Young, said “I go to international races every year, but this one just strikes me as the most unique.”

    North Korea opens marathon to foreigners for the first time.

    Image via YouTube

  • LA Marathon: Amane Gobena of Ethiopia Wins

    Amane Gobena, 31, won the L.A. Marathon that was held last Sunday. Gobena clocked in at 2:27:37 and received the $25,000 prize for the women’s race. She also finished 41 seconds ahead of Gebo Burka, a fellow Ethiopian, which added $50,000 to her winnings for the event’s gender challenge where the women started 17 minutes and 41 seconds ahead of the men.

    The L.A. Marathon was the second marathon that Gobena ran in a span of two months. The first one was in Dubai last January 25, wherein she finished at 6th place. The race in Dubai left Gobena determined to win the L.A. Marathon and the challenge bonus prize.

    In an interview, Gobena said that the $75,000 prize was going towards a house that she is currently building. Burka, on the other hand, got $25,000 and dedicated his first win to his recently born son.

    In the 29-year history of the L.A. Marathon, this is the second time that the Ethiopians garnered a sweep. The first sweep was in 2011 when Buzunesh Deba and Markos Geneti won for the women and men’s race. Gobena also mentioned in an interview that she encouraged other Ethiopians to “come forward” and do their best in the race.

    This year’s L.A. Marathon had over 25,000 contestants who ran the course starting from the Dodger Stadium all the way to Santa Monica. The first ones to leave the starting line were the athletes in wheelchairs, followed by the elite women, and then the men.

    Joshua George won the event for the men’s wheelchair race, clocking in at 1:33:11, and Susannah Sarconi won the women’s race event finishing at 1:54:54. Each of them received $2,500.

    Of the 25,000 runners that participated in the race, around a thousand of them needed medical attention due to the heat that was recorded to be in the 70s by the time the race was finished.

    Ethiopian runners

    http://youtu.be/1U9ERaF0J0k

    Image via Twitter

  • Man Breaks Knitting While Running Record

    For reasons unknown, humans have been undertaking the unnatural practice of running marathons since before the time of Christ, pacing themselves along the modern standard of 26 miles and 385 yards.

    The original marathon was allegedly ran by Pheidippides, a Greek messenger, in 490 BC. According to legend, Pheidippides jogged from the site of the Battle of Marathon, all the way to Athens, to announce that the Persians had been defeated by Greek forces. The messenger ran the entire distance without stopping, barged into the assembly, exclaimed nenikekamen! (we won!) and then collapsed on the floor and died.

    Below is Luc-Olivier Merson’s rendering of the event:

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    Modern marathon victims usually wear pants or shorts. And some knit while running, like University of Central Missouri graphic design professor David Babcock.

    The standing Guinness World Record for knitting whilst completing a marathon was 6 feet, 8 inches back in April, and was completed in 6 hours. Babcock trained to beat this mark, and back on October 19th, he completed the Kansas City marathon in 5 hours 48 minutes – while knitting an approximately 12-foot-long scarf, completely blowing the previous record out of the water.

    Here’s a clip of “jog-knitting,” from a first person vantage:

    Babcock had commented that combining running and knitting makes the former less painful, and both less monotonous. He uses oversized knitting needles, along with a fanny pack full of yarn, to put together scarves and things on the fly, which he drapes over his shoulders. “I have a very smooth gait,” Babcock said.

    Knitting experts Cindy Craig of Kansas City and Traci Bunkers of Lawrence, along with Jim Josten, president of an accredited instrument and gauge calibration service, will verify to Guinness the authenticity of Babcock’s achievement.

    Knitting as a trend has been enjoying a revival of late. According to the Craft Yarn Council of America, the number of female knitters in the United States aged 25–35 increased 150% between 2002 and 2004. The council estimates that there are roughly 50 million knitters across the globe.

    Varied knitter intrigue via Twitter:

    Image via YouTube.

  • Pamela Anderson is Running for Haiti

    Pamela Anderson is Running for Haiti

    Pamela Anderson announced Sunday, via Twitter, that she would be running in the 2013 ING New York City Marathon.

    Why has Anderson taken the sudden interest in the marathon? She is wanting, and is hoping, to raise money to support one of the poorest countries in the world: Haiti.

    “Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Just a one-hour flight from Miami. How are we not more involved?” she says. “Desperate need for things we take for granted – clean water, safe school structures, medical facilities, emergency rooms, reforestation possibilities – conservation, education…the opportunities are endless.”

    “I’m running the New York Marathon this year and raising funds for the J/P Haitian Relief Organization. (Can you believe it?),” Anderson writes on her fundraising page. “Together, I hope we can raise at least $500,000 and make a huge impact in this magical country…keep checking my page and Facebook and Twitter to find out about all sorts of contests I’ll be running from now until November-I will give updates on my training too.” So far, she has raised $8,469 for the cause.

    When Anderson begins talking about Haiti, you can immediately sense her passion for the country.

    “To spend time in Haiti is to fall in love with Haiti,” she says. “The magic of this country … The people … The humility … Pride. Musicians, athletes and Artists. It has been heartbreaking to witness the poverty among people in what should be a very rich country.”

    She continues, “I was in Haiti shortly after the earthquake to help with local farms and food distribution in tent camps. I visited J/P HRO when it was in its beginning stages. I brought cold beer through rubble-covered streets to volunteers who were working long days surrounded by dust and death. I have known Sean [Penn] a long time … I love him dearly. I think many people shine in Haiti. They Jumped. Took Action. Made the decision to help … What if we ALL had the nerve? I think deep down we all do … It feels good to help. And it heals us too.”

    The marathon will take place in New York City on November 3.

    Image via Twitter

  • Pamela Anderson Pledges To Help Haiti In Marathon

    Pamela Anderson gave her career a superboost by running on a beach, and now she’s going to put her skills to use for a good cause: Haiti.

    Anderson says she hopes to raise at least $500,000 for the cause by running in the ING New York City Marathon on November 3. Haiti has been in need of so much since a massive earthquake struck in 2010, and Anderson says she can’t believe more people haven’t gotten involved.

    “Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere. Just a one-hour flight from Miami. How are we not more involved? Desperate need for things we take for granted – clean water, safe school structures, medical facilities, emergency rooms, reforestation possibilities – conservation, education. Organic products allowed into Free trade market (mangoes, coffee, vanilla, vegetables). The opportunities are endless,” she said.

    The actress is a longtime friend of Sean Penn’s and says she jumped at the chance to help in Haiti right after the quake that destroyed so much.

    “I was in Haiti shortly after the earthquake to help with local farms and food distribution in tent camps. I visited J/P HRO when it was in its beginning stages. I brought cold beer through rubble-covered streets to volunteers who were working long days surrounded by dust and death…I think many people shine in Haiti. They Jumped. Took Action. Made the decision to help. It feels good to help. And it heals us too.”

    Image: CrowdRise/Team J/P HRO

  • Haile Gebrselassie Gives Advice to Farah Before Race

    Haile Gebrselassie, the 40 year old former Olympic champion and 26 time world record holder, had some words of advice to Mo Farah, current champion of the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races at both the Olympics and World Championships, before their race in Great North Run on Sunday: “Mo, why do you have to move to the marathon so early? You’ve got a long career.” Gebrselassie went on to say that he “…would like to advise him to stay a little bit longer on the track. Very few athletes are successful in this business from track to road. It looks like it is (too soon for him) but I don’t know maybe I make a mistake.”

    Why would Gebrselassie be telling Farah to not attempt to achieve greatness in another distance? It appears as though Gebrselassie is giving advice based on his own experiences. In 2002, Gebrselassie switched to the marathon from track-racing, and he believes that the switch came much too early. Instead of switching to marathon running, Gebrselassie would rather see Farah stay at his current distances and attempt to break even more world records.

    Despite Gebrselassie’s advice, Farah seems adamant to do the exact opposite. Currently, Farah is scheduled to compete in his first marathon at the London Marathon next year. One of Farah’s first steps toward participating in the London Marathon next year was to participate in the Great North Run yesterday in Newcastle, England. The marathon saw its most star-studded line-up in its 32 year history: Mo Farah, current Olympic and world champion; Haile Gebrselassie, former Olympic champion and overall bad-ass long-distance runner; and Kenenisa Bekele, the forerunner of the world’s greatest running nation, Ethiopia.

    The race on Sunday help up to its expectations. While Jos Hermens, manager of both Gebrselassie and Bekele, stated that he would have to put his money on Farah if he was betting on Sunday’s race, it was his own competitor, Bekele, that came out on top. The world’s best 3 runners ran together for the first 19 km of the race, but once the competitors reached an uphill portion of the route, Bekele pushed himself out front. In the last 400 meters, Farah started to chase down Bekele, but the Ethiopian had built a big enough lead to hold off the current Olympic champion by one second. Haile Gebrselassie finished third.

    Although Farah made a good case for switching to the marathon in the future, he still did not feel completely satisfied with his result: “I’m disappointed but I was second to a great athlete. I thought I could come back. It came to the last 200m, right to the line. It was a great race and a great finish.” Farah should feel no shame in placing second to Bekele. The two men are the only ones in racing history to hold both the 5k and 10k meter titles at the Olympics and World Championships at the same time, and Bekele has been described as having “the most amazing natural talent ever in athletics”.

    Image via YouTube

  • Boston Bomber Photographer Lashes Out Against Rolling Stone

    Like many people, the Boston Police staff photographer who was on the scene for the capture of the alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a bit put off by Rolling Stone’s latest attempt at relevancy.

    The magazine’s cover story, titled “The Bomber: How a Popular, Promising Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell into Radical Islam and Became a Monster” is led by a cover photo of Tsarnaev that pretty obviously makes him out to be some sort of rock god (wild hair, intense stare, just a little too much “I’m-on-the-cover-of-Rolling-Stone-so-it-doesn’t-matter-who-I-might-have-killed-or-why” attitude).

    In response, Sergeant Sean Murphy, tactical photographer on site for the apprehension of Tsarnaev, has released a series of photos that show the accused killer in a less flattering light. Included among the released photos is one that has a sniper’s laser bead on Tsarnaev’s forehead as he emerges from his hiding place.

    Sgt. Murphy, describing why he released the new photos, had the following statement:

    I believe that the image that was portrayed by Rolling Stone magazine was an insult to any person who has every worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch, and the family members who have ever lost a loved one serving in the line of duty. The truth is that glamorizing the face of terror is not just insulting to the family members of those killed in the line of duty, it also could be an incentive to those who may be unstable to do something to get their face on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. […] To have this cover dropped into Boston was hurtful to [the memory of the departed and to] their families. I know from first-hand conversations that Rolling Stone cover has kept many of them up—again. It’s irritated the wounds that will never heal—again. There is nothing glamorous in bringing more pain to a grieving family. […] An image like this on the cover of Rolling Stone, we see it instantly as being wrong. What Rolling Stone did was wrong. This guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

    After the release of the magazine cover, which has come under fire from many sectors, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino dropped Rolling Stone publisherJann Wenner a line accusing the magazine of offering Tsarnaev “celebrity treatment” and calling the cover “ill-conceived, at best” by supporting the “terrible message that destruction gains fame for killers and their ’causes.’”

    The letter accused the publication of bald-faced marketing that prioritizes glam over justice. “The survivors of the Boston attacks deserve Rolling Stone cover stories,” Menino wrote, “though I no longer feel that Rolling Stone deserves them.”

    In somewhat related news, Shel Silverstein, the poet responsible for making the “cover of the Rolling Stone” the brass ring of hipness, is similarly ticked off.

  • Marathons: Runners and Injuries [Infographic]

    When I first started seeing those 26.2 stickers on the backs of cars, I thought drivers were trying to brag about their gas mileage, and I judged them for it. No lie. I actually thought this. It wasn’t until I started getting into not-really-competitive-but-technically-so running myself that I figured out what it meant.

    People have run for fitness and sport for a long time, but competitive, semi-competitive, and recreational road running have been gaining in popularity since the 1970s. This is largely due to increased availability of 5ks, half-marathons, “fun” runs, and “run/walks,” which have made racing more accessible and encouraged people to compete at whatever levels they feel comfortable. Running’s not just for the über fit or the seriously competitive anymore. Even the marathon — the be all, end all of most runners’ ambitions — is increasingly becoming a hobby and goal for the masses.

    According to this infographic from KT Tape, more than half a millin Americans finished a marathon last year. That explains all those stickers. But as more people train for marathons, the types of injuries (and even major causes of injury, like overtraining) have remained pretty constant. Here’s a rundown of who’s running marathons today, and what they need to watch out for while they train.

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