Image courtesy of Jamie Squire/Getty
As 2008 winds down, I'm taking some time to look back and relive some of the best running moments of the year. Stay tuned for a number of articles on the subject. Today, I present to you my five favorite men's running moments of 2008, in no particular order. They may not be the best, but I think they're pretty cool.
1. Haile Gebrselassie setting the men's marathon world record. On September 28th, the Ethiopian set a blazing fast world record of 2 hours, 3 minutes and 59 seconds at the Berlin Marathon. He broke his own world record set the previous year at the same event by 27 seconds. If that doesn't blow your mind, after the race Haile said he could do it faster.
2. Usain Bolt lighting Beijing on fire. The 22-year old from Jamaica was virtually unknown throughout the world before the 2008 Summer Olympics. Well, that changed by the end of August. With abundant confidence, the Lightning Bolt, as he calls himself, set 3 new world records and won 3 gold medals in his Olympic debut. I can't wait to see what he does next.
3. The emergence of Ryan Hall. When Ryan Hall dominated the Olympic Marathon trials in New York City last year, I knew the face of American marathoning had changed. This fresh-faced guy from California made distance running exciting and hopeful again. Hall made his marathon debut in London 2007. He had the fastest debut by an American, finishing seventh in 2:08:24. When Hall returned to London this year, he finished fifth in 2:06:17, making him the second fastest American of all time. In fact, the top six men broke 2:07, the first time that has ever happened at the same marathon on the same day. A few months later, he finished 10th in the Olympic Marathon in Beijing. Hall is set to run the Boston Marathon in April 2009, and I know I'm not the only one waiting excitedly to see what happens.
4. Sammy Wanjiru wins the Olympic Men's Marathon. The Olympic marathon is one of the most highly anticipated events of the Summer Games. And this year's was no different. Race day conditions were unspeakable with soaring temperatures and energy-zapping humidity. Not to mention the pollution. They were no match for Wanjiru. The 21-year old runner not only won the race but he set an Olympic marathon record in the process, running a scorching race in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 32 seconds. Even more exciting for Wanjiru is bringing home the first Olympic gold medal in the marathon for his native country, Kenya.
5. Larry Macon sets Guinness World Record for running 105 marathons in one year. Not only did Larry set the World Record, he shattered it. The previous record was 99 marathons in a year. This wasn't just some fluke occurrence. Larry's run 413 marathons in the last 5 years. Go Larry!
I can't wait for 2009!
Happy running!
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