Celebrities rise to challenge, run marathons for motivation
Eddie Hahn
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Sports
Those who are already at the top of their chosen professions and who choose to challenge themselves on different levels can motivate others to do the same.
Former North Carolina Democratic Senator John Edwards is an example of a group of American political contemporaries who have completed a 26.2 mile footrace. Edwards finished the 1983 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. in 3:30.
Posted nearly two-and-a half decades ago, Edwards' time beats presidential candidate and former governor of Arkansas, Republican Mike Huckabee, who finished the 2005 Little Rock Marathon in 4:39.
President George W. Bush completed the 1993 Houston Marathon in 3:44, and former Vice President Al Gore completed the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:58.
Internationally, Edwards trails Mikulas Dzurinda, the former Prime Minister of Slovakia, who has finished 18 marathons with a personal best of 2:54 at the Malokarpatsky Marathon in his home country.
The advent of digital music technology and the increasing popularity of bands performing at Rock 'n' Roll themed marathons have inspired many of today's marathon generation through music.
At the inaugural PF Chang Rock 'n' Roll marathon in Phoenix in 2003, Mike Malnin of the Goo Goo Dolls stopped to play the drums and entertain fellow runners along the course before finishing in 5:07. His recovery: Performing at the event's post-race concert.
Rapper P. Diddy completed the 2002 New York City Marathon in 4:14, while it took former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth 6:04 to complete the same marathon in 1987.
Several famous athletes have completed a crossover. In fact, professional cyclists have performed so well in the marathon that an inevitable question arises. What kind of time would cyclists post if they had originally chosen to marathon instead?
In 2006, Rolf Aldag, a professional road bike racer, completed the Hamburg Germany Marathon in 2:42.
Seven time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong ran the 2006 New York City Marathon in 2:59. He finished last year's event in 2:46.
People do not normally envision professional football players running long distances but Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinal safety who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, finished the 2000 Avenue of the Giants Marathon in Redcrest, Calif., in 3:48. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann, finished the 1993 New York City Marathon in 4:26.
Race car driving certainly requires mental fortitude, and several drivers have parlayed that strength into the cardiovascular endurance required for marathon running.
Daytona 500 champ Michael Waltrip posted a best time of just under 4 hours at Las Vegas in 2005, while fellow NASCAR/Nextel cup driver Kyle Petty took 4:18 to complete the same event.
Some suggest that famed talk-show host Oprah Winfrey inspired a generation of marathoners when she completed the 1994 Marine Corps event in 4:29.
Fewer people are aware that movie actor William Baldwin ran the New York marathon in 1992 in 3:24:29; or that TV star Freddie Prinze Jr. finished the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon in 5:50.
So why do these celebrities run?
Diddy ran to raise money for charity while Winfrey and Huckabee ran as part of a lifestyle change and to lose weight. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, recently announced he will participate in the 2008 Boston Marathon in April to raise awareness of the disease through his foundation.
It has been argued that the rich and famous have unlimited resources for personal trainers. It is logistically much easier for them to prepare than for those less fortunate.
The truth is whoever completes a marathon, famous or not, crosses the finish line. There is no pinch hitter.
Eddie Hahn can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com
Former North Carolina Democratic Senator John Edwards is an example of a group of American political contemporaries who have completed a 26.2 mile footrace. Edwards finished the 1983 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. in 3:30.
Posted nearly two-and-a half decades ago, Edwards' time beats presidential candidate and former governor of Arkansas, Republican Mike Huckabee, who finished the 2005 Little Rock Marathon in 4:39.
President George W. Bush completed the 1993 Houston Marathon in 3:44, and former Vice President Al Gore completed the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:58.
Internationally, Edwards trails Mikulas Dzurinda, the former Prime Minister of Slovakia, who has finished 18 marathons with a personal best of 2:54 at the Malokarpatsky Marathon in his home country.
The advent of digital music technology and the increasing popularity of bands performing at Rock 'n' Roll themed marathons have inspired many of today's marathon generation through music.
At the inaugural PF Chang Rock 'n' Roll marathon in Phoenix in 2003, Mike Malnin of the Goo Goo Dolls stopped to play the drums and entertain fellow runners along the course before finishing in 5:07. His recovery: Performing at the event's post-race concert.
Rapper P. Diddy completed the 2002 New York City Marathon in 4:14, while it took former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth 6:04 to complete the same marathon in 1987.
Several famous athletes have completed a crossover. In fact, professional cyclists have performed so well in the marathon that an inevitable question arises. What kind of time would cyclists post if they had originally chosen to marathon instead?
In 2006, Rolf Aldag, a professional road bike racer, completed the Hamburg Germany Marathon in 2:42.
Seven time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong ran the 2006 New York City Marathon in 2:59. He finished last year's event in 2:46.
People do not normally envision professional football players running long distances but Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinal safety who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, finished the 2000 Avenue of the Giants Marathon in Redcrest, Calif., in 3:48. Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann, finished the 1993 New York City Marathon in 4:26.
Race car driving certainly requires mental fortitude, and several drivers have parlayed that strength into the cardiovascular endurance required for marathon running.
Daytona 500 champ Michael Waltrip posted a best time of just under 4 hours at Las Vegas in 2005, while fellow NASCAR/Nextel cup driver Kyle Petty took 4:18 to complete the same event.
Some suggest that famed talk-show host Oprah Winfrey inspired a generation of marathoners when she completed the 1994 Marine Corps event in 4:29.
Fewer people are aware that movie actor William Baldwin ran the New York marathon in 1992 in 3:24:29; or that TV star Freddie Prinze Jr. finished the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon in 5:50.
So why do these celebrities run?
Diddy ran to raise money for charity while Winfrey and Huckabee ran as part of a lifestyle change and to lose weight. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, recently announced he will participate in the 2008 Boston Marathon in April to raise awareness of the disease through his foundation.
It has been argued that the rich and famous have unlimited resources for personal trainers. It is logistically much easier for them to prepare than for those less fortunate.
The truth is whoever completes a marathon, famous or not, crosses the finish line. There is no pinch hitter.
Eddie Hahn can be reached at ccclarion@hotmail.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Steve Pre
posted 2/25/08 @ 5:18 PM PST
Nice entertaining story! No idea some of these folks would ever have put on running shoes. Keep up the good work.
On a personal note:I prefer to remember Pat Tillman as a US Ranger, and not by the situation surrounding his death. (Continued…)
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