Sunday, November 05, 2006

Lance Armstrong Surprises All

As you may or may not know, Mr. Seven-time-Tour-de-France-Winner Lance Armstrong ran the ING New York City Marathon today. Many predicted that he would easily break 2 hours and 30 minutes in the 26.2 mile race. These expectations are based on a few factors: he is a tremendous athlete in general; he is a former cross country runner and triathlete (read: he can run, not just bike); and he has a VO2 max that is nearly off the charts. Many sports doctors think the latter is the most important factor in the success of endurance athletes.

Despite the hype, Lance placed 869th in today's race. He completed the marathon in just under 3 hours (2:59:36 was his offical time). What a surprise! Although three hours is an impressive time for most people, it seems considerably slow for an athlete of Armstrong's caliber. I'm sorry to say it.

But you're still an inspiration, Lance. Keep livin' strong.

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