News Bits
Running related news in small, bite size pieces.
First off, to follow up his 5th place finish in the final of the Olympic 800 meters, Nick Symmonds ran a 5:19 beer-mile this week. This is apparently a new American Record.
If you are not sure what a beer mile is, you can watch the video. It makes my stomach lurch just to watch.
Less than two weeks after Killian Jornet set a new record for running the Owen-Spalding route across the Grand Tetons, Andy Anderson knocked another 59-seconds off it, running distance in 2:53:02.
People are quick to note that Anderson did it while staying on the trail and not using any short cuts, something Jornet was criticized for doing.
The NYC Marathon will no longer be hauling your sweats to the finish line. Citing crowding and chaos at the finish area, the marathon will instead provide each runner with a NYC Finish Line Poncho. Not everyone is pleased with this development. I sure hope the weather is decent.
Lance Armstrong says “Uncle” to the USADA. But what, exactly does this mean? It doesn’t look like the legal battle is anywhere near over. I know. It’s not running, but Armstrong is doing as much running as riding these days. He won the Steamboat Springs Trail Marathon earlier this month.
And finally, is anti-bacterial soap the reason American running is struggling? Our enthusiasm for anti-bacterial soap (as opposed to regular old soap) has puzzled me, as a science nerd, for quite some time as there really isn’t much evidence for it being better than ordinary soap and it may lead to tougher bacteria. New research indicates that at least one popular chemical used in these soaps (Triclosan) may have a negative impact on muscular contractions–in concentrations found in the modern environment.