Living Strong!

Cancer survivor and superman Lance Armstrong ran in the Boston Marathon to raise awareness and funds for the Armstrong Foundation.

This is Lance’s first run at the Boston Marathon. Going into the race, Armstrong told Runner’s World that he expected to finish the 26.2 miles in roughly the 2:40ish time frame.

Bostonians were there to cheer him up Heartbreak Hill. Armstrong completed in 2:50.58, good enough for 496th place. Kudos to Lance Armstrong for finishing strong!

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Catch Him If You Can

Who can catch Robert Cheruiyot? The Kenyan native is the Boston Marathon’s two-time defending men's champion and is running for his fourth overall title on the Boston course. Cheruiyot is the man to beat on Monday. If competitors want to take his crown, they had better bring their best game because he’s not going down without a fierce fight.

You heard it here. Work productivity around the world may suffer on Monday during the running of the 112th Boston Marathon. There is an interesting and growing trend - watching online video while on the job. Because the Boston Marathon is one of the most popular running events around and a lot of people do not have Patriot's Day off from work, we anticipate a large at-work audience to visit WCSN.com on race day.

FREE and LIVE at 9:25 a.m. ET on Monday, April 21 on WCSN.com.

By Jay Hicks, a.ka. Track Evangelist.

Photo courtesy NBC Universal.

Running Icon Joan Benoit Samuelson Still Inspires

It’s been 24 years since the first women’s Olympic marathon champion broke on the world scene in Los Angeles. Joan Benoit Samuelson was a bundle of energy who managed to steal the hearts of Americans and forever change the sport of running for women in this country.

A recent New York Times article accurately calls her “The Matriarch of Marathoning,” because at the ripe age of 50, Joan is running along with one hundred and sixty-two of the top female marathon runners at the women's United States Olympic Marathon Trials this weekend in Boston.

The running legend has no illusions of making the Olympic team, however she managed to qualify, so she’s running. When asked about qualifying she said, “Oh, God, no,” she said. “It’s just me against me. I want to run 2:50 at age 50.” This is the same runner that helped pace former cycling champion Lance Armstrong at the New York Marathon in 2006.

Prior to Joan winning the gold in 1984, women had been deemed to be too weak to run such a distance. I can still remember when she came into the Los Angeles Coliseum alone that day to the roar of the crowd.

The sight of Joan wearing that white hat, turning into the stadium is an iconic Olympic moment.

Joan Benoit Samuelson transcended running at that moment because she inspired and connected with the best in each of us. What is cool is that 24 years later, she is doing the same thing.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

WCSN.com Offers First Ever Global Webcast of Boston Marathon

Our good friends at WCSN.com are making news again.

World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), the premier destination of Olympic and lifestyle sports, announced today it is joining forces with adidas and Marathonguide.com to provide a free, first-ever global webcast of the 112th Boston Marathon. Through this partnership, fans worldwide can logon to WCSN.com to watch the live and on-demand webcast on April 21, beginning at 9:25 a.m. EST.

"We're excited to partner with adidas and Marathonguide.com in offering this free webcast and to help foster worldwide awareness for this major race," said Carlos Silva, president and COO of WCSN. "Now, for the first time global road racing fans will have unprecedented coverage to see the top marathoners square off in one of the world's most prestigious sporting events."

On WCSN.com, running fans can also access Marathon Madness, a special editorial package that features original content, articles from road racing experts, interactive maps, results, highlights and more. Furthermore, WCSN.com will be offering special commentary from running legend and four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers.

"Adidas is proud to join WCSN.com in providing a free internet broadcast of the 112th Boston Marathon," said Spencer Nel, head of global sports marketing for running and track and field at adidas. "As a Boston Marathon sponsor, adidas is especially pleased to help bring the oldest continuing annual marathon in the world to as many viewers as possible in every corner of the world. With its proven track recordWCSN.com is the ideal partner to make that happen."

"Since 2000, Marathonguide.com’s mission has been to promote the sport by providing comprehensive coverage of and information about marathons and distance running. As part of that mission, we are proud to work with WCSN.com and adidas to ensure that the Boston Marathon broadcast will be available at no cost and can be enjoyed by as many marathon enthusiasts as possible," said John Elliott, founder and president of Marathonguide.com.

Deemed one of the world's most prestigious and oldest annual road racing events, the Boston Marathon is the second stop on the World Marathon Majors, a marathon series offering a $1 million prize purse to be split between the leading male and female marathoners in the world.

WCSN.com is the home of the 2008 World Marathon Majors with complete coverage of the London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York City races. Marathon fans around the globe can catch the action on http://www.wcsn.com.com/ where they can be part of the more than 500,000 spectators anticipated to be cheering on the runners as they dash through the streets of rural Hopkinton to the beautiful Boston Back Bay finish line at Copley Square. Fans will also have access to complete live and on-demand video footage plus free access to news, race results, photo galleries, behind-the-scenes features and more.

About World Championship Sports Network (WCSN)World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on-demand coverage of world class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in-depth access to sports news and information year round.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Run Like Hell: Anthony Famiglietti is the Man!

If you don’t have Anthony “Fam” Famiglietti’s dvd, Run Like Hell, then you should order a copy today because you’re sorely missing out. This dvd gets your heart pumping.

“Fam” is a pro steeplechaser, but what's interesting about the distance runner is that he lives and trains in New York City. How wild is that? The ’04 Olympian is track’s renaissance man with the skills of a musician, visual artist, and filmmaker.

Now, he can add shoe designer to the list. Famigilietti recently discussed on a FinalSprint.com running podcast that he designed Belligerence, a new Adidas cross country spike coming out in time for fall running. Fam’s tattoo is even stamped on the bottom of the spike plate.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist