Trindon Holliday, Yep, He's Still Scary Fast

I've pointed out just how crazy fast LSU's Trindon Holliday is before. Last night, we got another quick reminder that Holliday is still quick.

Walter Dix cruised into the finals Wednesday night in his bid for a third and final NCAA 100-meter title.

The 5-foot-9 Florida State cannonball won his first heat, even though he swiveled his head to watch the opposition in the final 50 meters.

He ran a 10.45 semi to finish second in the heat to LSU's Trindon Holliday's 10.34 and advance to Friday's finals.

Yeah, the guy who was the focus of the article, and is damn fast in his own right, finished second in the heat to Trindon Holliday. Holliday and Dix have battled before in the 100m, and last June Dix ran a 9.92 to Holliday's 10.06 in the NCAA Track and Field Championships. It's going to be interesting to see how these two perform in the finals on Friday.

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Running Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

I used to run a lot when I was younger. Throughout my later years of high school and into college I probably averaged 40-50 miles of running per week. However, I eventually got burnt out, and that average dropped down close to 0. I was still being active, but I wasn't logging the miles or running competitvely like I had before. Well, this past Christmas I received the Nike+ system, and it's motivated me to get out and start running again. I've also decided to start preparing myself to run a 5K hopefully in March or April. It's been a long time, but it all seems so familiar.

So this week's "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" post is dedicated to Chris Legh. He's the triathlete who collapsed and almost died during the Hawaii Ironman event. However, he was able to overcome his obstacles with training and knowledge, and won the 2004 Ironman Cour D'Alene. Hopefully, I'll be able to "snap the tape" in whatever races I decide to enter.



Happy Friday!

Dawn Hamlin Update

About two weeks ago, I posted about Dawn Hamlin's plan to run seven marathons, on seven different continents in seven weeks. At that time I wasn't aware of any way to track her progress. Well, thanks to the power of the Internet, I received an e-mail today with a link to a website. It's not functional just yet, but the e-mailer said that it should be up and running "in the next day". The address is:

http://marathondawn.com

It also motivated me to check out how Dawn has fared so far. As of now, I was only able to find her results for the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.

pos/pos(ac)/#/name, forename/ac/club/finish gun/finish mat
119/(23)/177/Hamlin, Dawn (USA)/WMC//04:44:23/04:44:02

It looks like she's gotten off to a good start, and hopefully her site will keep us up to date with her progress.

And You Thought Cutting The Grass And Washing Your Car In The Same Day Was An Accomplishment

You know how some days you feel like you really accomplished something? Maybe you cleaned out your attic, and the refrigerator in the same afternoon. I know, such physical work could leave one disabled.

Well, what if you planned to run seven marathons, on seven different different continents, in seven weeks? You would probably call shenanigans, stating that not even the great Pheidippides himself could accomplish such a feat. But that's exactly what Dawn Hamlin is hoping to accomplish.

Dawn Hamlin figured she had reached her physical limits last year when she completed the Kilimanjaro Marathon and climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in the same week.

But if her latest adventure proves successful, that outrageous feat will seem like little more than a warm-up.

Hamlin, a 27-year-old Ormond Beach marketing professional, departed for Dubai on Monday to begin a challenge sure to make extreme sports enthusiasts salivate and sports medicine physicians cringe.

Her goal: To complete seven marathons. On seven continents. In a span of about seven weeks.

Wow, just attempting to run those races in that timespan is impressive. And it's not like she's running them in the easiest of climates either.

Her schedule starts Friday with the Dubai Marathon. It also includes 26.2-mile races in Morocco, Orlando, New Zealand, Spain, Trinidad & Tobago and Antarctica, an icy finale to her ambitious quest.

So, what does she get besides respect should she complete her quest? How about a world record?

And if you're wondering whether her feat would represent some sort of record, it would indeed. Though 175 people worldwide have run marathons on all seven continents, no woman has accomplished it in less than 100 days.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the shortest time span is 113 days, set by American Ginny Turner between Nov. 5, 2006, and Feb. 26, 2007.

Hamlin's journey kicks off this Friday, and I'm still trying to track down any type of website that will keep us updated on her progress. Hopefully she completes her journey, and inspires some of our lazy American brethern to get out and get active. Remember, twelve ounce curls and changing the channel aren't exactly tests of physical endurance.

Nike Plus

While switching over to my new layout I decided to add a Nike+ widget to the sidebar under the subscription options. At some point I would like to try and organize some type of challenge for those that participate in the blogosphere.

If you're unfamiliar with the Nike+ system you can check it out here. Basically it's a way for you to track your distance, pace and calories burned through your iPod. It's sort of an online version of a running log. I like it because I don't have to map out courses anymore, and I can just get out and run.

Let me know if any of you out there also have the system, and if you want to set up a challenge through the Nike+ site.

You Must Pay For Those Chips My Good Man!

The last thing you want to do when engaging in an argument with a "sandwich engineer" is to throw your freshly completed sandwich at them. They just spent their valuable(well, as valuable as $6.79/hr can be) time contructing that fine piece of sustenance, and having it hurled back towards them is the ultimate insult. Obviously, former Gators linebacker Jon Demps was never taught this lesson.

Sophomore defensive end Jermaine Cunningham and Jon Demps, a former Gator teammate, were arrested Wednesday morning on misdemeanor charges stemming from an incident in and around a West University Avenue deli, according to Alachua County law enforcement documents.

Cunningham and Demps, a linebacker who played for Florida in 2005, were charged with misdemeanor battery after getting into an argument with a clerk at Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shop. Acording to the report, Cunningham threw empty soda cups and Demps threw a sandwich at the clerk when informed they needed to pay for a bag of chips.

Tossing empty cups and a sandwich? In a fine establishment like Jimmy John's no less! For shame!

However, that might not be the best part of the story. It seems that a third man had accompanied them to the sub shop, and when asked to stop he hauled ass. And he probably did it very fast because the man in question has run the second fastest 200 meters of all time.

Both men were arrested by Gainesville Police on campus at 2:49 a.m., about 30 minutes after the incident. When police approached the men, Xavier Carter, who was walking with them, began running away and continued despite police requests to stop. Police later apprehended Carter, who sprinted and played football at LSU after starring at Palm Bay High School in Brevard County, at 3:10 a.m. and charged him with resisting arrest without violence.

Carter had come to Gainesville last week to start training with UF track and field coach Mike Holloway, according to an entry on Carter's Web site, www.xaviercarter.net. Carter, who has run the second-fastest 200 meters of all time (19.63 seconds), is a 2008 Olympic hopeful.

That's right, you can most likely outrun Gainesville's finest, but you can't outrun their radios. Though, it appears that he was able to elude police for almost an hour. That type of practice will surely come in handy should Carter make the Olympics, and have to flee the Chinese police on foot.

Cross Country Runner Dies From...Drowning?

It appears that a high school cross country runner from South Florida died due to drowning. Officials speculate that Corey McKenzie felt overheated during his race, and waded into a lake near the course where he became entangled in some plants and drowned.

McKenzie, 15, was pulled out of a shallow lake at Vista View Park in Davie on Tuesday, almost 17 hours after his race ended. Broward Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua Perper said McKenzie, a sophomore, likely suffered from heat exposure, or even heat stroke, and accidentally drowned after he went into the lake to cool himself and got tangled with plants in the water.

This is the first time that I've ever heard of a runner drowning while attempting to cool themselves off during a race. It is definitely a tragic event, but now the FHSAA wants to mandate more course monitors, the use of bicycles or golf carts to track the runners, and has thought about possibly moving the season to October. Though, some of the cross country coaches from the area don't think that those type of measures are necessary.

Coach Roy Chernock, of John I. Leonard in Greenacres, said there is no need for mandates.

"We are professionals," Chernock said. "We don't need for them to give us rules if we can handle what we are doing. ... To push for more rules would be a disservice to our sport."

I ran cross country in high school, and never felt so overheated or dehydrated that I felt the need to seek out a lake or pond to take a dip in. It is unfortunate that McKenzie passed away while trying to cool himself off, but I don't think a bunch of new rules should be put in place as sort of a kneejerk response. Setting up one or two water stations along the 3.1 mile course should be enough to help with any type of dehydration issues, and it should keep the runners from having to seek out an alternative water source.

When Your Exercise Routine Turns Into A Terrorism Scare

For the most part, I hope that people keep an eye open for "suspicious activity"(as long as I'm not the suspect!), but sometimes I can't help but think that people get carried away. Like when they think that someone is planning a terrorist attack in the parking lot of an IKEA.

Two people who sprinkled flour in a parking lot to mark a trail for their offbeat running club inadvertently caused a bioterrorism scare and now face a felony charge.

The sprinkled powder forced hundreds to evacuate an IKEA furniture store Thursday.

New Haven ophthalmologist Daniel Salchow, 36, and his sister, Dorothee, 31, who is visiting from Hamburg, Germany, were both charged with first-degree breach of peace, a felony.

The siblings set off the scare while organizing a run for a local chapter of the Hash House Harriers, a worldwide group that bills itself as a "drinking club with a running problem."

A "drinking club with a running problem"? They should have the charges against them dropped just because of that awesome slogan. I've participated in club runs like this, and they have to be marked so that you don't end up getting lost. Though, I guess the people of New Haven, CT(an obvious target rich environment for terrorists) have trouble differentiating between an arrow marking a direction, and anthrax released into the environment.

Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said the city plans to seek restitution from the Salchows, who are due in court Sept. 14.

"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know," she said. "It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious. We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."

Yeah, you also never know just how boneheaded some people can be, and what lengths they'll take things to. Seriously, they want these people to pay restitution? It's not like they made a fake 911 call or something similar. It was just a case of a citizen(most likely an elderly busybody that freaks out about everything) making an incorrect assumption, and calling the police. I'm not sure what "resources" went into figuring out that Al Qaeda wasn't attacking the IKEA store, but to charge these two participants with felonies and demand that they pay resitution is ridiculous.

And exactly what would be worse than a terrorist attack at an IKEA? Finding a piece of glass in your IKEA marinated herring? Oh.

A Footrace Even Homer Simpson Would Enjoy

Usually when you think about beer and sports, you probably think about enjoying a few of those tasty beverages while at a stadium watching your favorite team. Or maybe you picture yourself housing a few cold ones while cheering from the comfort of your couch. You might even try to pass yourself off as an "athlete" to others by recounting your feats while participating in some "beer league" softball games. However, what if you combined the suds with a real athletic endeavor like running two miles?

Well, that's exactly what organizers of the "Beer Belly Two" in Suamico, Wisconsin have been doing for the past 19 years. Yesterday, they put on the 19th annual race complete with the traditional in-race beer stops, and if a former sheriff is any indication it was probably a good time.

Former Brown County Sheriff Tom Hinz:
"I have participated several times in the Beer Belly Two and know it to be a family oriented activity and very helpful to various important local charitable organizations. I heartily endorse it."

I hope all those runners had rides home, sheriff.

One thing that did surprise me was that the race took place on a Sunday morning at 10:30AM. First, here in Florida I can't buy beer on Sunday before noon, but these people can engage in an event that sort of promotes public intoxication. Interesting. Second, why not a Friday or Saturday afternoon? Though, I guess that since the Packers aren't playing right now people in Wisconsin have to find other avenues of entertainment on Sunday.

I did find it somewhat funny that at least one of the participants had to use the race as an excuse to get his wife to let him drink some beers.

"This way the wife allows me to have a couple of beers because you're doing something," he said. "A little exercise, you kill two birds with one stone."

Wow, hey buddy did you find your testicles while you were out on that race course? I don't know what's worse, the fact that his wife won't let him drink beers, or that he thinks that running and drinking is a good form of exercise.

At least I know that Homer Simpson would enjoy this race, no matter what his wife said.

"Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose. It's how drunk you get."

Treadmills, The Bane Of Dean Karnazes' Existence

Beginning on Thursday at midnight, and lasting for 24 hours, ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes attempted to break the world treadmill record of 153.76 miles. He fell short, running only 131 miles which is equal to five marathons. It was Karnazes' second attempt at breaking a world treadmill record, and the second time that he's failed to do so.

Back on April 30, 2004 he competed against ultramarathoner Christopher Bergland inside a Kiehl's store as they both attempted to break the record at that time of 153.6 miles set by Edit Berces of Hungary. Bergland beat Karnazes by setting the current record(Erwin Valdebenito of Chile supposedly broke it this past April with 153.9 miles, but that's unconfirmed), while Karnazes stopped at 147.96 miles.

Now, three years later, he's tried to beat Bergland again, and has failed to do so. Though, his accomplishments are still impressive given that he ran when he was younger, gave up running for 15 years, then started again after celebrating his 30th birthday at a bar. Think about all those beers and Jagerbombs you consumed on your last birthday, then imagine running 30 miles after that.

"According to a profile in Wired Magazine, Karnazes traces his current passion for running to the night of his 30th birthday, when, while celebrating at a bar with friends, he found himself "being hit on by an attractive woman who was not his wife." Karnazes felt ill, slipped out the back door, walked to his house, changed into running clothes , and started running. After 30 miles of running he was near Santa Cruz where he realized that there were "untapped reservoirs within him." He described this moment as being akin to a religious conversion."

Although, it's probably a good thing that Bergland is an American, or else Karnazes might call the State Department on him. For all of the great running feats that Karnazes has accomplished, he was involved in a very odd incident in 2002. This followed the running of the South Pole Marathon where Irishman Richard Donovan had been proclaimed the winner.

"Karnazes was dissatisfied with the outcome and had a falling out with Donovan. Karnazes contacted the Department of State to report that Donovan was “a non-U.S. resident acting aggressively and potentially with malicious intent toward a U.S. citizen.”

The State Department? Doesn't Karnazes know that in this day and age a call like that could have landed Donovan in a cell at Gitmo? Geez, he should have just challenged him to a race, as long as it wasn't on a treadmill.