Armstrong Runs Marathon

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong made an impressive New York City marathon debut Sunday, accomplishing his goal of finishing in less than 3 hours and thrilling fans who seemed much more enthused at seeing Armstrong than watching a Brazilian man and a Latvian woman win titles earlier on a crisp autumn afternoon, according to the Associated Press. He finished in 2 hours, 59 minutes and 36 seconds. "I think I bit off more than I could chew, I thought the marathon would be easier," Armstrong said. "My shins started to hurt in the second half, especially the right one. I could barely walk up here, because the calves are completely knotted up." He called the race "the hardest physical thing I have ever done" — even more grueling than his worst days on the Tour. "I never felt a point where I hit the wall, it was really a gradual progression of fatigue and soreness."

It is amazing how much one single man can accomplish in his life. Despite a grueling battle with cancer, Armstrong managed to overcome his sickness and win a record straight seven Tour de France championships from 1999-2005. Armstrong is an inspiration to all of those out there battling cancer and other illnesses. I was surprised to hear that he thought that running the marathon was harder then riding in the Tour de France. I would think that after all the training he has done for cycling, that it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for him, but it is now clear to me that running in a marathon must be more grueling of a task than riding up and down a mountain on a bike. I think that Armstrong may start running in more marathons to give himself a new challenge in life. Armstrong is an inspiration to all of us hard workers who live everyday to its fullest. He doesn't sit around and complain, he makes things happen.