Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Marathon Runs

Ever wondered how marathon sportspeople hang onto their bodily waste for so long? They don't:
Eagan runner and race organizer Mary Anderson said she once ran the New York City marathon, where the runners start at the dual level Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Some of the runners on the lower level at first thought it was raining. They were being hit by a shower, a golden one. "The men were shooting all over the bridge," Anderson said. "The women were just squatting down."

Swedish cross country skiing star Gunde Svan tells a story about gastrointestinal distress he suffered in the middle of the race, when "that happened which should not happen. In the beginning, it was still good and warm in my trousers, but then it got cold, and I simply began to freeze," according to Svan. But he didn't stop and he won the race.
Pelvic floor strength is clearly an underrated athletic asset.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Such old news. You really should get out more if you find this worthy of comment. The sporting body is a wondrous machine and functions far better (and less self consciously) than the slobs were see plodding around our suburbs.

Armagnac Esq said...

I SHOULD get out more, indeed!

I'm a blogger, that's obvious!!!

BwcaBrownie said...

The thoughtless people on the upper level of the bridge aside, anyone who has survived military training knows that one happily relaxes the restraining sphincter about half way through a 10K run in the rain.