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Runners' goal: Marathons in every state

Running can become addictive.

For many, it might mean jogging three or four times per week.

For others, doing an occasional road race or even a marathon might satisfy their cravings for hitting the roads.

However, for three Van Wert running enthusiasts, doing something out of the "ordinary" is what fuels their passion for running.

And sometimes doing something "way out of the ordinary" is what is needed.

On June 20, Ed Jacob, Kyle Minnich and Brendon Moody all completed the Mayor's Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska.

Yes, Alaska.

Moody finished third overall in an impressive time of 2 hours, 39.54 seconds. Minnich placed 10th in 2:55.48, while Jacob finished in 3:51.41, good for 163rd out of 913 finishers.

Many of you might be wondering right now, why would you want to travel all the way to Alaska to run a 26.2-mile race through the wilderness (where bears live, by the way) and across gravel roads.

That's where the addiction part comes in to play.

Jacob, the oldest of the group at 51, started out years ago with the goal of wanting to join an elite group of marathoners across the nation who have completed at least one marathon in each of the 50 states.

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Report from Krispy Kreme Challenge: When eating on the run isn't fun

Here's a funny article I read today that was written by someone who did the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

If you see me, do not offer me a doughnut. I mean it.

I'm OK if I never again smell that honey-glazed scent that wafts out of the Krispy Kreme store anytime in the near future.

And I'm absolutely OK if I never catch the scent, sight or sound of partially digested Krispy Kreme doughnuts tossed out on Hillsborough Street, rejected by some determined runner's system.

N&O reporter Sarah Ovaska shows her empty box of doughnuts. She ate 10.

Yesterday, I took part in what must be one of the most ridiculous and bizarre challenges out there -- run four miles, eating a dozen doughnuts in the middle.

I've run four miles, so I thought, "I can do this."

And I like to eat.

But I soon realized that the real hole in my training was the doughnuts.

I'd never eaten a dozen doughnuts at a single sitting.

But I do like a good challenge every now and then, and what better to do than match myself up against a bunch of college-aged students to prove to myself that I've still got it.

Well, I wish I could tell you that this tale had a happy ending.

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Denver Marathon to become "Rock 'N' Roll" race

The company that owns the growing list of "Rock 'n' Roll" marathons around the country has acquired the Denver Marathon with plans to transform it into the Denver Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in 2010.

The Competitor Group, which owns the San Diego Rock 'N' Roll Marathon, the Phoenix Rock 'N' Roll Marathon and the Country Music Marathon in Nashville among others, believes Denver is a natural fit.

"We studied the Denver market and that had a lot of appeal for us as a growth opportunity," said Peter Englehart, president and chief executive of the Competitor Group. "Timing-wise it worked well with our schedule of rolling out some additional national events."

Anton Villatoro, executive director of the Denver Marathon, will remain with the race and join the Competitor Group as a vice president. The Competitor Group also acquired the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon.

"Rock 'N' Roll" marathons have 40-70 bands along the route to keep runners inspired and entertained. Englehart said it was too late to introduce the music component for this year's race, which will be run Oct. 18, but he expects it to be implemented next year.

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Josh Cox chases marathon title, 50K record

Josh Cox is a highly credentialed runner, although that's not necessarily a good thing.

He admits that being the youngest qualifier for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, then finishing 10th later that year at the Chicago Marathon has been a "monkey on my back for a long time." The main reason: He hasn't improved on the 2 hours, 13 minutes, 55 seconds he ran in only his third marathon.

The monkey got heavier with each ensuing crack at 26.2 miles, including at the 2004 and '08 Olympic Trials. Plus there was the additional burden of his father's struggle with cancer. Donald Cox died in July 2006 after reconciling with Josh, who lost close to two years of serious training to spend time with his father before and in the aftermath of his death.

Cox was forced to ask himself: Does running really matter?

"It does because it's a gift that's been entrusted to me," he concluded. "My dad said to be faithful with your gift that God's given you. I know I have a better race in me."

The 33-year-old hopes that race comes Sunday in what will be a two-pronged challenge.

Cox will try to win the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon, which likely will require bettering his long-held personal record. Then he'll run an additional five miles on Arizona State's track, trying to better the unofficial 50K world record (2:43:38) that has stood since 1988.

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Check out a training video of Josh

Small world of winners at Disney Marathon

Forget anything you believe about the World Showcase just being inside Epcot Center. On Sunday morning, the World Showcase took a 26.2-mile jaunt through all four of Disney's theme parks before kicking up its tired feet for a celebration just outside Epcot.

They billed it as the 16th annual Walt Disney World Marathon, but by the end, it was a showcase for the world as Adriano Bastos won for the fifth consecutive year and sixth time overall to put an exclamation point on Brazil's traditional stranglehold on the event. Not to be outdone, Japan can hail Lisa Mizutani, a 23-year-old medical student who won the women's title on what allegedly was a casual stop en route to Miami to visit her aunt and uncle.

''It was a miracle,'' said Mizutani, who finished in

2 hours, 46 minutes, 27 seconds. ``I didn't believe my eyes when I came in.''

Just the opposite was true when Bastos, 30, finished in 2:20:38. If you want to know how Brazil can now claim 11 men's or women's Disney marathon champions, you had better be all ears. Preferably, Mickey ears, because that's what Bastos has tattooed all over his arms and legs, having added a new tattoo with each successive win.

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The economic impact of a marathon

Ever wondered how much money is generated by a marathon?  Here's an article I found from KHOU.com that explains what kind of money is made from the Chevron Houston Marathon. 

Chevron Marathon brings big bucks into Houston

"In two days, we'll do a couple weeks worth of sales so it's big for us," said Daniel Braden, Fleet Feet Running Store.

Two by two, for the Fleet Feet Running Store, the sales add up fast – especially when there are 18,000 runners like there will be in the Chevron Houston Marathon.

"Everything is added up and by the end of the six months of training, the economic impact to the City of Houston is close to $30 million," said Steve Karpas, Chevron Houston Marathon Managing Director.

That includes the t-shirts and the medals -- and all the stuff the runners will buy -- before they hit the road at dawn on January 18th.

"We are definitely recession proof. We have 18,000 people signed up for our marathon and our half marathon which we filled five months ago," said Karpas.

But the real money comes from the people who come from out of town. Of the 18,000 race participants, nearly 13,000 thousand of them don't live in Houston. And when they come to Houston they spend money. They stay in hotels and they go to restaurants.

A study, commissioned by the marathon five years ago, found the average in-town runner spends $98 on race weekend. But an out-of-towner spends $152.

Since then the number of runners has grown by two thirds, making the 26.2 miles the money trail.

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2008 Was Record Year For Fast Marathons

This story is from RunnersWeb.com

By almost any measure, 2008 was the greatest year for the number of fast marathons times run throughout the world, according to statistics compiled by the Association of Road Running Statisticians and published in the latest edition of the Analytical Distance Runner.

In 2008 there were 1342 sub-2:20 statistically valid performances by men, up 11% from 2007, the previous record year. Truly elite performances also exploded, with 257 sub-2:12 marks, 169 sub-2:11, 106 sub-2:10, and 66 sub-2:09. Each of those totals were records.

At the very highest end of the sport, sub-2:08 performances grew to 36, up 33% from the previous record in 2003, while there were 16 sub-2:07's, and seven sub-2:06's. All of these totals set records.

The story was similar on the women' side, except at the very top end. There were 1353 performances below 2:50, up 16% from the previous record of 1164 set in 2006. Truly elite performances (sub-2:32) hit 199, up 21% from the previous record, and sub-2:30 marks hit 136, also a record.

Performances, however, at the very highest end of marathon running for women did not break new ground There were 32 sub-2:26's (the annual record is 38 set in 2003), just ten sub-2:24's (record is 20, 2003), and just two sub-2:22's (record is 9, 2006). Only one woman, Irina Mikitenko of Germany, broke 2:20 (2:19:19), a mark she accomplished at Berlin.

The men's fastest time, of course, was Haile Gebrselassie's new world record of 2:03:59 also set at Berlin.

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This is one race I'll never run.....even if you pay me

It is called the Marathon of the Sands.  It is a 6 day, 150 mile run across the incredibly hot southern Moroccan Sahara.  After finishing the race, a British runner's feet were so blistered that he had to have a skin grafts. 

To learn more about this suicidal run, click here

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Video: Krispy Kreme Challenge: 2 miles, 12 doughnuts, 2 miles

I wish I lived closer.  I would love to try this race.  It takes place on February 7th, 2009.  All proceeds go to charity.

For those of you interested, here's the website:  http://www.krispykremechallenge.com

Here's how it works:

-- Run 2 miles

-- Eat a dozen doughnuts

-- Run 2 more miles

All must be done in an hour. 

Here's last year's promotional video:

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Runnin’ down a dream

Sweat will flow from two local people for a good cause this spring.

Experienced marathon runners Joe Troy and Wendy Taylor have decided to take off into history by participating in the Boston Marathon.

“Boston is like the holy grail of marathons,” said 60-year-old Troy of Culpeper. This will be the first time he will run in the well-known event. Neither is a stranger to the road races, however. The April 20, 2009 run will be Troy’s eighth and Taylor’s fourth. Troy’s runs include Toronto, Paris, and Disneyworld. Taylor participated in the Marine Corps Marathon.

“We have to endure four months of extensive training to be able to run the 26.2 miles,” Troy said, adding that they’ve already begun a rigorous training regimen.

Begun in 1897, the Boston Marathon is one of the world’s best-known marathons and is the world’s oldest, according the race’s Web site. About 20,000 people participate each year. Although cash prizes are awarded, most, like Troy and Taylor, run for charity or just for the satisfaction of running the race.

The duo met at their workplace in Culpeper — Swift — and the idea to run in Boston started out on a whim, according to Taylor.

“This all started with Joe,” said the 42-year-old Taylor, of Fredericksburg. “I think we were joking around and Joe had this idea that we were going to run Boston,” she said with a laugh.

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