Ouch

Click on this, its quick and really shows why you have to run thru the line...

http://web.wcsn.com/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?w=mms%3A//a1272.v22145.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/1272/22145/v0001/wcsn.download.akamai.com/22145/2007/open/uci/100707_chicago_marathon_womensfinish_350.wmv&type=v_free&_mp=1

Or ride thru the line as I think I remember Zabel standing up on a sprint that he "won" and loosing. I always would wonder watching tri's on tv how the leaders KNOW that they have the race won as they are high fiving everyone down the finish line.

The video was from the Chicago Marathon yesterday. Ghastly hot, and reportedly short on cups, water and gatoraide: 88 degrees by 10 am. Ouch. 1 person died, hundreds went to the hospital and the slow folks found that the race was cancelled for them and they were directed back to the start. Wise move on the organizers part.

We got together a bunch of people to go out to Vegas years ago to do the marathon. What they used to do was collect you at about 5 am, drive you out 26 + miles into the desert, and drop you off to wait for an hour or so with no tents or anything. It gets really cold at night in the desert and really hot in the day. It gets really hot, really quick. To make matters worse, water in Vegas tastes nasty, so most people started the race pretty dehyrated. I know I did. The start was 26 degrees, and by the finish line, it was close to 90. It took me 3 iv bags, one of which had to be heated before I could speak coherantly again. I did finish though, 3:42, but dont have any recollection of the last 6 miles.... Most of the water stops there didn't have water, either. Hot weather, marathons, dehydration... all bad.

Cliff ran Pittsburg the year they ran the marathon trials there. I was taking a break from 'thons, and was just going to run ab0ut 17 miles of it. yikes, this was the year that only one guy went to the Olympics as only Rod Dehaven could go with no one getting a qualifying time. It was about 80 at the start, and got into the 90's. The citizens race started an hour after the trials qualifiers, so I started with Cliff and ran about 5 miles with him, then cut out and headed for mile 20. I helped with the water stop there and I dont think I've ever seen anyone look as bad as those guys in the elite field. Joe Lemay looked like Gumby, 6'4" of rubber flapping in the breeze. Dave Morris was so confused that he couldn't open a bottle of water. It was scary.

After those guys passed, I ran to the 18 mile mark to wait for Cliff. I picked him up and ran ahead and hit every aid station and would bring him ice to put in his singlet and shorts. People were dropping like flies everywhere, and the home owners along the course were putting out sprinklers. How people didn't die in that race I'll never know. Cliff, the old dog, ran within 10 minutes of his normal time, I think a 3:40.

Biking is much better. I rode to Ashland yesterday morning with the wind at my back. I was averaging about 25 mph on 623 out, and paid for it big time on the way back. Wind at your back out, wind in your face back. To make it worse it was a hot wind. I'm cooked today. I'm not in the hospital though, and tonight will be better.

Stay cool.