Sawe had led Tuwei by ten seconds at that point, but then saw his lead evaporate as the two men had to stand and wait for nearly a minute before the train passed. Sawe still won, but not before having to endure an intense sprint to the finish.

So who screwed up here? Blame the Iowa Interstate Railroad, who had been e-mailed all of the details of the marathon by the race organizers and who had said their trains wouldn’t be a problem for the marathon.

The giant train clearly says otherwise. But hey, at least all of the hobos on board helped boost the spectator count.

Des Moines Marathon: Train turns men’s race into all-out sprint [Des Moines Register]

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Ah, July. That wonderful time of year when the brave and the stupid run down the narrow streets of Pamplona, Spain just ahead of, behind, or under the feet of several bulls.

The annual Running of the Bulls kicked off yesterday, and as you can see, the bulls got the better of a few of the competitors. Nobody was seriously hurt or gored this time, but there are still a few more days to go.

Either It’s The Running Of The Bulls Again, Or Robert Pattinson Is Filming In Spain [Best Week Ever]

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As is usual with these stories, they get posted and we all move on, unless more news comes out and the sporting world revisits the story. It turns out there is indeed a follow-up to post about Kyle Perry, AKA “Mop Guy”.

When news of this altercation first came out, police accounts had Perry taking away a man’s mop and attacking him with it. Subsequently, it was found that the runner was actually just defending himself from the man who was attacking him and he was exonerated.

Following the incident, Perry set out to become known for something else other than mops. In a recent interview with the Deseret News, Perry said, “After that mop thing it all started turning around.”

“I decided I wanted people to remember me for what I accomplished, not for something I didn’t do,” he added.

“My goal was to not be mediocre,” he said. “No more slacking off in practice, no more just getting by. I set really lofty goals, some would call unrealistic.”

In the end, these goals weren’t unrealistic at all. The NCAA track championships were held recently, and Kyle Perry, who was running in just his 7th steeplechase race ever, blew away the field to become your 2009 National Steeplechase Champion.

Congratulations to Kyle, and here’s to him being remembered for positive things as he continues his running career.

Mop guy is now a national champ [Deseret News]
Kyle Perry Steeple 2009 NCAA Track and Field Champs [Flotrack]

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Each May, thousands of runners participate in the Bay To Breakers race that appropriately enough goes from the San Francisco Bay to the Breakers of the Pacific Ocean.

And each May, thousands more follow the runners, in costumes and completely without costumes (translation: naked), many of them intoxicated. People go as far to build floats, which they then fill with alcohol. The lazier just put kegs in shopping carts.

The world-renowned event has gone on for almost a century, and was included on Jim Caple’s list of 101 things sports fans should do before they die (#84).

4. Bay to Breakers (May, San Francisco). There are many public runs across the world, but none matches this nearly century-old 12K through one of the world’s most beautiful cities for sheer spectacle. As many as 80,000 runners compete in all manner of costume — and sometimes, no clothes at all. This is San Francisco, after all.

But that tradition will be no more after a decision by the event sponsor ING, the San Francisco Police Department, and the local residents who don’t want to deal with people urinating outside their doors one day a year. On other days, however, that is perfectly fine.

Two main changes will take place for this year’s Bay To Breakers:

• Zero tolerance policy on alcohol. Anyone openly drinking alcohol or displaying public drunkenness will be subject to fines and prosecution.
• All wheeled objects and floats are prohibited. Inappropriate equipment on the streets is dangerous and can prevent runners and walkers from completing the race in a timely manner.

“We’re still focused on the fun, vitality and unique culture of the race — we’re just removing the alcohol and the hazards. We feel that these changes will enhance the race experience for all involved,” said Angela Fang, the race’s general manager.

Translation: We’ve taken the fun out of the race for 95% of the participants.

Sadly, this event has been ruined by a few people who can’t wait in line for a port-a-potty, or can’t walk 10 feet over to a trash can. On the other side, the event has been ruined by a few people who can’t deal with people having some fun, and event organizers who want to hold a big event but won’t pony up for the expense of providing adequate facilities.

One must wonder though if the SFPD, who turn a blind eye to pretty much anything else, will really enforce this zero tolerance on alcohol given how many thousands of people fill the streets to run and watch. Whatever the result, this May 17th will not see the same event as previous years since people will at least be looking over their shoulders.

Last year was my first May in the city and first time attending Bay To Breakers, and I had looked forward to going again this year & actually doing the route instead of just having a good time and taking the above photos. Bay To Breakers is one of the things that makes San Francisco San Francisco, and it’s sad to see these changes.

The end to Bay to Breakers as we know it [SFGate]

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When planning an event, it’s important to take into consideration anything that might go wrong, and then do whatever you can to prepare should the worst happen.

The organizers of the First Monster Duathlon, which will take place around Loch Ness in Scotland on September 2nd, have taken risk planning/publicity stunts to a whole new level.

They have taken out a £1 million (almost $2 million) insurance policy against a Loch Ness Monster attack. Should any competitor be eaten by Nessie, the insurance will be paid out.

According to Jon Woodman at Royal and Sun Alliance, who are providing the insurance: “This is one of our more unusual requests but it certainly gave our team something to get their teeth into.”

Participants will be running and cycling around Loch Ness, presumably also keeping an eye on the water at the same time. While the odds of an attack are quite slim, you never can be too careful.

Source: (Yahoo)

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