The congratulatory calls and toasts are done. The soreness is starting to go away. Some marathoners are even running a little already. The 2008 marathon is history, and a few days have gone by so everyone who ran has had a chance to reflect a little on the experience. I've also had the chance to catch up with a few of my friends who ran on Sunday and am hearing a variety of stories.
The first thing everyone has mentioned is that it was warm. No, maybe it was hot. Whatever term you use, the temperature was less than ideal for running a marathon. Some people deal with that better than others. It was not as bad as last year, when I ran and was sweating at the starting line. It was better than that this year, but still not good.
A couple friends who were in good shape and planning on running well under four hours found themselves finishing in over that. It was disappointing for them, but under the conditions, still a nice accomplishment. Another friend, Tom Negovan from WGN was pleased with his time of just under 4:30. He said he ran well and was happy with the time, which was his p.r. They were all happier than my friend who traveled here from London to run but had to drop out because of an injury. It was a big disappointment for her, but part of the risk involved in running.
My friend who ran 3:16 was actually in position to run under 3:10, but had to stop with a serious cramp in his hamstring at mile 24. While he was waiting for medical attention, it started to go away, and he decided to finish. One of the volunteers at the tent ran all the way in with him. He was extremely grateful and trying to track her down to thank her. That's really going the extra mile!
For the marathon organizers and staff, I believe the race was a great success. They 
cannot control the weather, just try to prepare for it. I believe they did that very well this year, and the changes they made including adding more water stops and an alert system helped a lot. I've heard nothing but compliments for them. And after all the criticism they endured last year, I'm sure they welcome some positive feedback.
Kudos also to my friends at NBC. I watched the tape of their broadcast, and thought they did a nice job. It's a huge challenge to cover a marathon. They were on the air for four hours, and had to appeal to everyone from serious running fans, to casual observers of the marathon spectacle. I thought they did a good job of covering the elite race while it was happening, and doing some of the many human interest and neighborhood stories the rest of the time.
Meantime, I promised to bring you an interview with one of the star athletes I got the chance to talk to during marathon week. On the track, he was probably the biggest star of the Beijing games from this country.
LaShawn Merritt ran the 400 meters in 43.75 seconds to win the Gold medal at the Olympics. 43.75! He became only the ninth runner ever to break 44 seconds in the 400. It was also his personal best, and came during the biggest race of his life. He won the anticipated showdown with Jeremy Wariner, the Olympic Champion in 2004. But, in truth, it wasn't much of a race. He beat Wariner by a huge margin. Then the two teamed up to help bring the U.S. gold in the 4x400 meters. You can see the full interview at this link: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6442157
Check it out, and I'll see you on the roads... as soon as you recover!
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