(This article was originally published in the October 2002 issue of Runner’s World Magazine.) Daily summer life begins early in Las Vegas. Just after dawn, construction workers fill industrial size jugs at convenience store water vending machines, and sprinkler systems gushing like high-pressure fire hoses flood city parks. Shadows quickly move across the backdrop of [...]
Running Features
Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run: The Best Free Show In Sport
What a concept. There’s no admission, no parking charges, no assigned seating and no parimutuel betting. But for anyone who wishes to watch fine athletics at intimately close range, the Western States 100 offers offers an arena that begins at Squaw Valley and progresses to Auburn. And it’s as compelling as any horse race, baseball [...]
Finnish Four-Time Gold Medalist Lasse Viren: Still Prideful (And Running) After All These Years
More than 30 years after he won the first of his four Olympic gold medals, Lasse Viren remains an integral part of Finnish lore. One of his native country’s 200 members of parliament, Viren, 57, lives with his wife and two of his three sons in Myrskala, a country city with a population of 2,000 [...]
Running A Marathon: Embrace The Challenge Of 26.2 Miles
(This article originally appeared in the October, 2006 issue of the Holland Herald, the inflight magazine of KLM Airlines.) Completing a marathon may seem ike a daunting task. Many who’ve accepted the challenge have been abruptly deposited on the side of course questioning their sanity and pondering a new sport. But the accomplishment of putting [...]