Monday, March 21, 2011

Its a marathon!

So this weekend the one and only, Rich is competing in a marathon and raising money for the Hemophilia Foundation. Please help him out and donate to this cause: http://www.crowdrise.com/RichPezzillo


  • A marathon is 26.2 miles long, the length wasn't standardized until 1921
  • Marathons are one of the original olympic events starting in 1896
  • The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger
  •  The winner of the first Olympic Marathon, on April 10, 1896 (a male-only race), was Spiridon "Spiros" Louis, a Greek water-carrier. He won at the Olympics in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds.
  • The women's marathon was introduced at the 1984 Summer Olympics (Los Angeles, USA) and was won by Joan Benoit of the United States with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 52 seconds
  • ollowing the 1908 Olympics, the first five amateur marathons in New York City were held on days that held special meanings to ethnic communities: Thanksgiving Day, the day after Christmas, New Year's Day, Washington's Birthday, and Lincoln's Birthday
  • By 2009, an estimated 467,000 runners completed a marathon within the United States
  • In 2006, the editors of Runner's World selected a "World's Top 10 Marathons",[40] in which the Amsterdam, Honolulu,Paris, Rotterdam, and Stockholm marathons were featured along with the five mentioned above. Other notable large marathons include United States Marine Corps Marathon, Los Angeles, and Rome. 
  • Typically, the fastest times are set over relatively flat courses near sea level, during good weather conditions and with the assistance of pacesetters.
Men
TimeAthleteCountryDatePlace
2h03:59Haile Gebrselassie Ethiopia28 September 2008Berlin
2h04:27Duncan Kibet Kenya5 April 2009Rotterdam
2h04:27James Kwambai Kenya5 April 2009Rotterdam
2h04:48Patrick Makau Kenya11 April 2010Rotterdam
2h04:55Paul Tergat Kenya28 September 2003Berlin
2h04:55Geoffrey Mutai Kenya11 April 2010Rotterdam
2h04:56Sammy Korir Kenya28 September 2003Berlin
2h04:57Wilson Kipsang Kenya31 October 2010Frankfurt
2h05:04Abel Kirui Kenya5 April 2009Rotterdam
2h05:10Samuel Wanjiru Kenya26 April 2009London
Women
TimeAthleteCountryDatePlace
2h15:25Paula Radcliffe Great Britain13 April 2003London
2h18:47Catherine Ndereba Kenya7 October 2001Chicago
2h19:12Mizuki Noguchi Japan25 September 2005Berlin
2h19:19Irina Mikitenko Germany28 September 2008Berlin
2h19:36Deena Kastor United States23 April 2006London
2h19:39Sun Yingjie China19 October 2003Beijing
2h19:41Yoko Shibui Japan26 September 2004Berlin
2h19:46Naoko Takahashi Japan30 September 2001Berlin
2h19:51Zhou Chunxiu China12 March 2006Seoul
2h20:25Liliya Shobukhova Russia10 October 2010Chicago

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