Lance Armstrong, NYC Marathon 2007 - 2:46:43 (fresh)
Chris McCormack, Ford Ironman Hawaii 2007 - 2:42:02 (following 3.8/180)
um, last time I checked Lance wasn’t a world champion marathoner…there does happen to be that other 112 mile thingamajig that they do in Kona. I heard he’s pretty good on 2 wheels…
The last time I checked, Chris McCormack wasn’t a world class marathon runner. It’s not about who can run the fastest stand-alone marthon, its about who can put together a good marathon after 3.8km of swimming and 180km of cycling.
The point you seemed to miss was that Lance can only put together a 2:47 marathon when fresh in cooler conditions.
I agree. It is. It’s certainly more sensational. If you subscribe to Ted Nugent’s theory that there is no such thing as bad publicity, there’s no question- and certainly not all (or even most) of Armstrong’s publicity is colored. Armstrong’s sensation attracts attention to the sport and thusly, his cancer philanthopy- an unimpeachable motive. He does keep the sport on the radar, that’s for sure.
Talk good about Lance, talk bad about Lance, either way you are still talking about him!! FWIW, I have been a fan of the ATOC since 2006, it is a tremendous event that brings a lot of attention (positive) to a state that gets all of the wrong attention usually. This year I was spectating at the prologue, Downtown Sacramento was packed, I have grown up here and in all of my years have never seen so many people out to support anything in Sacramento!
I had a list of the starting order and was asked no less that 30 times by random folks, “when is Lance coming”, and other questions like “what kind of bike is that?”, “Who’s winning?”,etc. A lot of first time spectators with no cycling interest, other that Lance. Don’t get me wrong, We met folks that had driven in from Nevada, the Bay Area, and the Central Valley that were cycling fans and we waxed on about the Giro de San Francisco, and the Davis Double, the Wildflower, etc. My point is that thousands of people showed up to cheer on the riders, why? A lot of coverage about the event and Lance. Why is this good? Well, the usual “exposure is good for the sport”, and “better sponsorship opportunities”, but the most important was the economic impact of having 136 riders, their support, the race crew, and the media in town for a few days filling up hotel rooms and eating. Not to mention that every single little eatery in the downtown area was hopping. We even saw some of the team support staff in a local sporting goods store buying up Yakima racks. These races are a business, pure and simple. They generate income for a great many people, and I hope that the owners of the race make a profit, and soon. I want to see the race every year, I love the buzz it creates and the positive impact that it has on California.
I tend to agree about levi. He’s strong, but man, watching him race is like watching paint dry. However, yesterday was a different story. I thought his racing was perfect and his attack was great to watch. (At least when the picture was clear)
Sunday in Santa Rosa, Katy and I met a guy and his little daughter (like 6 or so) who had flown in from Connecticut for the race and to see Lance. The little girl had Livestrong hat/buttons on and a button that said “Cancer Survivor”.