Tuesday, 11 October 2005
Runners go missing in Chicago
A mystery surrounded the Chicago Marathon this year. The organisers cap the entries at 40,000 but only 33,000 or so started the 26.2 mile course yesterday. A host of reasons such as pregnancy, accident, illness, change of heart and even death can cause people to drop out but 7,000?
It disappointed the organisers and raised questions about future entry rules of the race. London and New York are done by complicated lots and for Boston you have to qualify but the simple email admission to the Chicago Marathon's website maybe encourages too many less dedicated athletes.
Of course it puts me into a sweat even thinking about an email let alone running the ultimate long distance event but the marathon is a great leveller with 84-year old's lining up alongside Olympic Champions.
It was a great day in Chicago yesterday for running and I was down at the start on Columbus Drive at 8am and managed to get to various other places along the route to cheer people on.
Runners from 125 countries and all 50 American States ran through 15 Chicago neighbourhoods to seek huge personal achievements and very humbling it was too.
Of course everyone was a winner but the first man past the finish line (2:07:04) was Kenyan Felix Limo, who I saw sprint past me at the 12-mile mark (above) and the Sumo Wrestler was bloody quick too! American Deena Kastor was the fastest women finishing in 2:21:04.
Meanwhile after the Chicago White Sox swept the current 'world champions' Boston Red Sox 3-0 in the American Baseball League play-off, manager Ozzie Guillen called for the whole of the city to get behind the south-siders. "On our chest, it don't say 'South Side.' It says 'Chicago.'" (more).
I know all about rivalries but this city has not won a baseball 'world' series since 1917. Bring it home Sox.
Game one of the American League Final versus Los Angeles Angels starts in Chicago tomorrow night. The winners of that series will play the National League Champions, either St Louis Cardinals or Houston Astros in the 'world' series. ¶ 00:54
A mystery surrounded the Chicago Marathon this year. The organisers cap the entries at 40,000 but only 33,000 or so started the 26.2 mile course yesterday. A host of reasons such as pregnancy, accident, illness, change of heart and even death can cause people to drop out but 7,000?
It disappointed the organisers and raised questions about future entry rules of the race. London and New York are done by complicated lots and for Boston you have to qualify but the simple email admission to the Chicago Marathon's website maybe encourages too many less dedicated athletes.
Of course it puts me into a sweat even thinking about an email let alone running the ultimate long distance event but the marathon is a great leveller with 84-year old's lining up alongside Olympic Champions.
It was a great day in Chicago yesterday for running and I was down at the start on Columbus Drive at 8am and managed to get to various other places along the route to cheer people on.
Runners from 125 countries and all 50 American States ran through 15 Chicago neighbourhoods to seek huge personal achievements and very humbling it was too.
Of course everyone was a winner but the first man past the finish line (2:07:04) was Kenyan Felix Limo, who I saw sprint past me at the 12-mile mark (above) and the Sumo Wrestler was bloody quick too! American Deena Kastor was the fastest women finishing in 2:21:04.
Meanwhile after the Chicago White Sox swept the current 'world champions' Boston Red Sox 3-0 in the American Baseball League play-off, manager Ozzie Guillen called for the whole of the city to get behind the south-siders. "On our chest, it don't say 'South Side.' It says 'Chicago.'" (more).
I know all about rivalries but this city has not won a baseball 'world' series since 1917. Bring it home Sox.
Game one of the American League Final versus Los Angeles Angels starts in Chicago tomorrow night. The winners of that series will play the National League Champions, either St Louis Cardinals or Houston Astros in the 'world' series. ¶ 00:54
