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There's a lot of news swirling around Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska governor Sarah Palin. We're not here to talk about that (fear not, political trash talkers, our forumites are all over it). Nor will we discuss the fact that tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota, she'll make history by becoming the first-ever female Republican veep nominee when she formally accepts the nomination of her party. Rather, we're here to inform you that, according to a forthcoming profile in The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Palin is a runner. Not just a "oh, I go jogging once in a while" kind...

Just was looking for what the TV fare would be on the Fourth, and noticed that USA Networks will be airing an 8 episode NCIS marathon on the Holiday. Starting at 3 pm EDT, it appears from what i've read, that the shows span a few episodes before "Caitlin" gets killed, to a few episodes after. Covering "Ziva" joining the team as well.

Heads up for NCIS fans: this Friday, June 27, 2008, USANetworks will be airing a 10 episode Marathon of NCIS starting at 1 pm EDT, of shows *with* Ziva, and starting with an episode where Gibbs is retired. IOW, not the same episodes from the last marathon...*all* new for *me*! ;)

LONDON: Ryan Hall came of age at last year's London Marathon, and he's back to prove he has what it takes to break up the race's African domination. Hall ran the fastest time for an American making his first appearance in a 26.2-mile race last year when he finished seventh in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 24 seconds, dropping back only in a sprint finish. "It's one thing to believe you can run fast, but it's another thing to actually go out there and do it," the 25-year-old Hall said Wednesday. "Last year I proved I can do it through 23...

TCM Host Robert Osborne: Actor Was ‘Genuine Movie Star’ By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/7/2008 2:44:00 PM Turner Classic Movies slated a 15-hour marathon April 11-12 (2:30 p.m.-5:30 a.m. April 12) to salute the late Charlton Heston. Heston, who died over the weekend at age 84, was an Oscar-winning actor whose imposing frame and voice made him the film industry's choice for a number of classic roles. TCM's lineup includes an interview and lesser-known films -- The Buccaneer, Major Dundee, The Hawaiians (such tributes are circumscribed by the films to which a channel has rights) -- bracketing his...

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years. This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A suicide bomber attacked the opening ceremony of a marathon outside Sri Lanka's capital Sunday, killing a government minister and 11 other people, authorities said. Dozens were wounded. Officials blamed the bombing, the second this year resulting in the death of a senior government official, on Tamil Tiger rebels. Minister of Highways and Road Development Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was opening the race at Weliweriya town, 12 miles outside Colombo. He died in a hospital of injuries sustained in the blast, said government spokesman Lakshman Hulugalla, blaming Tamil rebels. Eleven others were killed—including former Olympic marathoner K.A....

LONDON (Reuters) - Already Britain's oldest employee, 101-year-old Buster Martin now aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner by completing the London Marathon and celebrating with a pint of beer and a cigarette. Sprightly and bearded, he completed a half marathon at the weekend in five hours 13 minutes. The former Army physical training instructor works three days a week for a London plumbing firm and says he has trained for the April 13th race in his spare time. "I've said I'll attempt it," he told Reuters by telephone from his workplace at Pimlico Plumbers. "I haven't said I'll...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Top distance runner Ryan Shay died during the U.S. men's Olympic marathon trials Saturday after collapsing about 51/2 miles into the race. He was 28. New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg said Shay was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital and was pronounced dead at 8:46 a.m. "It cuts a knife through everybody's hearts," Wittenberg said. Wittenberg said Shay received immediate medical attention. "There were several layers of medical response," she said. "It was very quick." Shay of Flagstaff, Ariz., hit the ground near the Central Park boathouse, a popular Manhattan tourist spot, during the 26.2-mile...

The MARINE CORPS marathon is tommorrow! Is it possible for any FREEPERS to get out there and support those guys & gals who are running in it & maybe post photos of it later?

MEXICO CITY - After a humiliating defeat in Mexico's presidential election last year, Roberto Madrazo appeared to be back on top: He'd won the men's age-55 category in the Sept. 30 Berlin marathon with a surprising time of 2:41:12. But Madrazo couldn't leave his reputation for shady dealings in the dust. Race officials said Monday they disqualified him for apparently taking a short cut — an electronic tracking chip indicates he skipped two checkpoints in the race and would have needed superhuman speed to achieve his win. According to the chip, Madrazo took only 21 minutes to cover the 15...

CHICAGO -- In a race run in scorching heat that left one man dead, Kenya's Patrick Ivuti won the Chicago Marathon by a fraction of a second Sunday. At least 49 runners were taken to hospitals and another 250 were treated at the site.

Double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie has broken the world marathon record at the 34th Berlin Marathon.The 34-year-old Ethiopian athlete clocked two hours four minutes and 26 seconds to smash Kenya's Paul Tergat previous mark of 2hrs 4.55secs which was set at the same course four years ago...

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats refused to flinch Tuesday as the chamber moved toward a rare, all-night session of debate on legislation to bring troops home this fall. They called for sleeping cots to be rolled into a room off the Senate floor and told members to prepare for repeated votes throughout the evening. Senators even left open the possibility of dispatching the sergeant at arms to summon colleagues from their homes to the floor if lawmakers ignored the debate. The threat was reminiscent of a 1988 debate on campaign finance reform in which Capitol police carried Oregon Republican Sen. Robert...

ATLANTA, July 4 — At 6 a.m. his time, as the sun spread over the pancake-flat desert around him, William G. Halicks, a Navy captain stationed in Hillah, Iraq, measured the temperature at 95 degrees. It was hot, certainly, but with only a light breeze, the chances of having a throat-choking dust storm seemed low. For Captain Halicks, that meant it was a fine day for a foot race. He was runner No. 1 in the 2007 Peachtree Road Race, which organizers call the largest 10K run in the world, and which for most runners takes place in Atlanta. Participants...

Talk about detours ... Atlanta will not be the only location holding a Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July. Members of the U.S. Armed Forces will participate in the race from five military camps in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Holding the race overseas provides the ideal opportunity for military members whose duties prevent them from running the race in Atlanta. Col. Tom MacKenzie first heard of the overseas Peachtree Road Race in 2004, when it was first held in Iraq. As a former Peachtree runner stationed in Afghanistan, he wanted to know what he could do to start...

'Slow motion' marathon runner Greg Billingham has finished the London Marathon one week after the event started. Thirty-nine-year-old Billingham decided to "run" the 42-kilometre event at an ultra-slow pace of 4.8 kilometres every 10 hours, to raise money for the charity Children with Leukaemia. He said he ran in slow motion because people who become ill often find their lives slowed down. Billingham, who had never run a marathon before, hopes to have raised between 30,000 and 40,000 pounds for the charity. "At first people look at you strangely... People weren't too sure whether it was a joke," he said....

LONDON - Running in the most competitive men's marathon field ever, Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.), made his marathon debut in style, finishing seventh at the Flora London Marathon in a time of 2:08:24. Hall's time was the fastest debut marathon for an American man by 1:16. In a field that included multiple Olympic medalists and the current World Record holder, Hall not only ran with the leaders for more than 23 miles but was brave enough to take a turn at the lead before World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib (MAR) made a bid to break away. As the...

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2007 – While thousands of runners braved the remnants of a late spring storm to run the Boston Marathon, servicemembers deployed overseas, and one in space, joined in to participate in the prestigious race. An Army soldier crosses the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Tallil Air Base, Iraq, April 16, 2007. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. So-called “satellite” races are nothing new to servicemembers deployed overseas. These running events, which are held on forward operating bases, are designed to coincide with massive stateside races like the Marine Corps Marathon and the...

The First Boston Marathon After experiencing the spirit and majesty of the Olympic Marathon, B.A.A. member and inaugural US Olympic Team Manager John Graham was inspired to organize and conduct a marathon in the Boston area. With the assistance of Boston businessman Herbert H. Holton, various routes were considered, before a measured distance of 24.5 miles from the Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf's Mill in Ashland was eventually selected. On April 19, 1897, John J. McDermott of New York, emerged from a 15-member starting field and captured the first B.A.A. Marathon in 2:55:10, and, in the process, forever secured...

Texas marathon run in Baghdad   Wednesday, 21 February 2007 Story and photo by Spc. Stephen P. Kretsinger Sr.BAGHDAD — Hundreds of residents of the International Zone ran more than 26 miles this weekend, and it wasn’t to avoid incoming small arms fire.Almost 300 people ran in the AT&T Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon as well as the Baghdad Bombs and Bullets 5 miler in Baghdad Saturday. The event was open to anyone in the IZ that wanted to participate. People from several countries registered for the marathon.The event was organized by Capt. Hank Domeracki, chief of operations and liaison,Civil...

Bahrain athlete loses citizenship 6 January 2007 A Bahraini athlete who ran and won a marathon in Israel has been stripped of his citizenship. Authorities said Mushir Salem Jawher, who was born in Kenya but moved to Bahrain in 2003, had violated the laws of the country. Israeli media said Mr Jawher was the first athlete from an Arab country to compete in an Israeli marathon. Bahrain has no official ties with the Jewish state but Mr Jawher said he was "very proud" to have taken part. ''Shock and regret' Following the race on Thursday, Israel's Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted...

Fittingly, McClung will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. But she should be further honored: Perhaps in years to come, the stateside Marine Corps Marathon – which she so loved – might become the Major Megan McClung Memorial Marine Corps Marathon.

11/6/2006 - NEW YORK (AFPN) -- Watching nearly 40,000 runners cross the finish line of the New York City Marathon Nov. 5 makes it easy to see that each one has a story -- and the telling doesn't end at the finish line. While most runners push themselves to exhaustion through the 26.2 miles of urban roads, Monica Szymanski takes on the marathon to re-energize her life. "I'm still in shock being able to accomplish it," Szymanski said. "I have good days and bad days. Today was more of a phenomenal day." The annual race comes at the time when...

A touching story about a father and his son. Twenty years ago Rick Hoyt ran a 5k while pushing his disabled son in a wheelchair. After the race his son told him that while racing he did not feel disabled. They have since competed in over a hundred triathlons and marathons together.

Rep. Schmidt's Marathon Ad Questioned By MATT LEINGANG ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt is fast, capable of running a marathon in 3 hours, 19 minutes, 6 seconds. At least that's what a photo on the Ohio congresswoman's Web site shows. No way, says a rival who contends that the picture from the 1993 Columbus Marathon is doctored and complained to state election officials. A four-member commission panel ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence to look into the complaint. State law prohibits candidates from publishing false statements designed to promote their election. The photo shows...

LONDON (Reuters) - Seven times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will make his marathon debut in the New York City race on November 5, New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg said on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Armstrong, 34, set his record winning streak after he had been diagnosed with cancer and given less than a 50 percent chance of survival. "I was thrilled to learn late last night of Lance's decision to run the New York City marathon," Wittenberg said in a statement. "A bit like winning the lottery after you thought you had lost. "Lance epitomizes both the American...

Capital movements due to fears over a possible US-Iran war, financial speculation or market meltdown are driving crude prices upward. Milan (AsiaNews) – Capital movements on commodity exchanges, not low supply are pushing oil prices upward. Brent crude has reached US$ 74 a barrel because of lowered refinery use and a backup in crude inventories that has left many a super tanker waiting to unload. Oil storage has become a problem since facilities are full in the Persian Gulf, Europe, the Americas and even Asia. Even Israel, which built huge embargo-busting oil depots to allow the country to survive every...

BOSTON - Robert Cheruiyot set a course record in the Boston Marathon on Monday as he and women's winner Rita Jeptoo pulled off a Kenyan sweep. It was an outstanding day for the Americans, too. U.S. runners Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell and Alan Culpepper came in third, fourth and fifth, 23 years after the last American winner, Greg Meyer. Americans took five of the top 10 spots. But Cheruiyot, the 2003 champion, pulled away for the best showing in Boston. His time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 14 seconds was a second better than the winning time fellow Kenyan Cosmas...

VIDEO of an Irish dancing protestor. What he is protesting, I have NO idea. Michael Flately has no need to worry about this step dancing JERK (see comment #1).

The weather was perfect, the field enthusiastic, the times respectable, but Los Angeles' annual street party masquerading as street race was marred Sunday by the deaths of two runners and the collapse of an elderly man who was hospitalized in critical condition. Two retired law enforcement officers died after collapsing on the route. Det. Raul Reyna, 53, suffered a heart attack at mile 24 near Olympic Boulevard and Westmoreland Avenue, two miles short of the finish line. He died at Good Samaritan Hospital. The 28-year Los Angeles Police Department veteran had worked on the use of force investigation team at...

Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia is first across the finish line of the 21st Los Angeles Marathon.

A recent AP article discusses the accomplishments of Craig Holcomb of Streetsboro, OH, formerly chief financial officer at a company called Little Tikes. Holcomb quit his job, sold his home and ran 48 marathons, plus two ultra-marathons, in each of the 50 states. All in one year. Curiously, the AP article left out Holcomb's marital status. Craig has a website that documented his achievement. I noticed in addition to running two ultramarathons, he actually ran three. Craig ran in Chicago's starcrossed and presumably now defunct Lakeshore Marathon: That Memorial Day race inadvertently--but stupidly--added an extra mile to the official marathon...

Marathon to Expand Garyville, La.-Based Refinery in $2.2 Billion Project HOUSTON (AP) -- Marathon Oil Corp., an energy concern, said it expand its Garyville, La.-based refinery production capacity in project estimated at $2.2 billion. The expansion would boost production by 180,000 barrels per day, or bpd, to 425,000 bpd from 245,000 bpd.

Tonight's Sci-Fi Listing: 7/6 - Firefly 8/7 - Stargate Sg1 marathon.. Basically a marathon showing past episodes of Sg1.. Last weeks episode was good. So far I'm impressed the way BB is handling his role.

Nine years ago, we published a story about Sister Patricia Rayburn of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bend, who at midlife had taken up long-distance running. She was 52 years old then, and running marathons — 26.2-mile tests of physical endurance and mental toughness. Even she admitted it was a bit unconventional for a woman of her calling. At the time she was featured in The Bulletin, she had just completed her second Portland Marathon. We called her St. Francis Church's "Nun on the Run." Sister Patricia went on to run two more marathons, the last in 1999:...

Four weeks ago I ran in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon; I thoroughly enjoyed the city and the race. Of course, when I told people my intention to run Cleveland, they asked "Why Cleveland." The short answer was that some friends of mine invited me to join them, and secondly, I wanted to run a spring marathon. So Cleveland it was. Cleveland has a bad reputation, perhaps a very bad one, but it's greatly undeserved. And I'm not the only one who possesses these thoughts. On the very day I left for Cleveland, May 20, this article by Michael Gollust...

Hate to label it "vanity" because it appears anything but. http://www.jeffiscool.com/films12/TeamHoyt.wmv I wanted to share this with FReepers. I figure that if you don't cry from it's inspiration it's because you've seen the video before. The film is of Lt Col (Ret) Dick Hoyt, Air National Guard and his son, Rick.

Little Rock - "Quit Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork" In the words Governor Huckabee, that's the key to becoming healthy and the name of his new book. The book is not a guide on how to lose weight, it's advice on how to get healthy and for the Governor, it's the beginning of a new adventure. Friends of the Governor gathered at the mansion to celebrate the upcoming release of his new book. (Governor Mike Huckabee) "I think it does have an appeal. People say what? Quit digging your grave with a knife and fork? But really...

Global Warming Tax   Duke Energy, a leading U.S. electricity and gas utility, announced this week its support for a global warming tax () — essentially a consumption tax on consumers of gasoline, oil, natural gas and coal. The tax is intended to reduce energy use and resulting emissions of greenhouse gases. Duke calls it a “carbon tax,” but we might call it the “Greenpeace tax” in honor of the various radical environmental groups, like Greenpeace (), pushing global warming hysteria and supporting such a tax. But we could also call it the “corporate appeasement tax” in honor of businesses...

LITTLE ROCK - Nearly two years after he embarked on a diet and fitness regimen that left him 110 pounds lighter and diabetes free, Gov. Mike Huckabee finished the Little Rock Marathon Sunday ahead of his new running mate — Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa. The crowd cheered as Huckabee turned the corner toward the finish line and started the last stretch of the 26.2 mile race. Huckabee finished in just over 4 1/2 hours and hugged his two sons and daughter. "What do you say? Is that not cool?" the Republican governor said, holding up his medal afterward before...

A new book reveals Iraqi insurgents were paid to take out U.S. Army Capt. David Rozelle in June, 2003. In Back in Action Rozelle details the conversations he had with friendly Iraqis alerting him to the sinister plot. "Captain, there are men in town who are planning missions in our mosques, under the command of clerics here and from Ar Ramadi." Rozelle, at the time, was the de facto sheriff of the region, which included a Ba'ath Party headquarters called Hit (pronounced "heat."). "These men I do not know," continued his trusted Iraqi translator, "but they are dangerous. Some are...

http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/415877|top|07-19-2004::15:07|reuters.html Man Sought for Photographing Texas City Refineries Email this story Jul 19, 2:57 PM (ET) HOUSTON (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials said on Monday they are looking for a man seen taking pictures of two refineries in Texas City, Texas. Texas City, located on the Texas Gulf coast about 30 miles south of Houston, has three refineries including the largest U.S. plant operated by BP Plc., which is the third-largest U.S. refinery, processing 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The man, described as white with dark hair, was seen taking pictures outside the refineries, all located on the...

As a general rule, politicians--especially the ones in the heat of a presidential election--talk as much as possible, to as many people as possible. But there are two things that John Edwards, Democratic senator from North Carolina and vice-presidential nominee, doesn't like to talk about at all. Oddly, one of them is running. The 51-year-old Edwards has been running for almost 30 years. He was a runner before he was a presidential candidate, a senator, a big-time trial lawyer, a father, or a husband. He has finished five marathons, one of them, in 1983, in just over three-and-a-half hours. So...

Wrote to BAA, this is what I got back. Dear Mr. S. It was reported (Summer 2004) to the B.A.A. by aides of the John F. Kerry campaign for President of the United States that the Democratic nominee ran the Boston Marathon in the late 1970s [1977, 1978 or 1979 most likely]. He reportedly ran as an unofficial entrant and finished the entire 26.2-mile race (i.e., without an official bib number); as an unofficial participant, his performance (name, place, time) would not appear among the official record or in any results book publication. Beginning with Kerry's role as Massachusetts Lt....

Gov. Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that he's training to compete in the Little Rock Marathon in March. Huckabee said he's planning to run in the marathon in an attempt to draw additional attention to his statewide Healthy Arkansas initiative. During an event at the state Capitol on Tuesday morning, the governor announced that the Healthy Arkansas program will be a sponsor of the marathon. The governor said he especially wants the public to be aware of a fitness program for children known as the Little Rockers Kids' Marathon. "I'm not suggesting that people need to go out and run marathons,"...

Recently, Football Fans for Truth learned that John Kerry claimed a significant achievement: qualifying and running the Boston Marathon. In an ESPN interview, he said, "I ran a marathon back in '80, something like that. Did the Boston Marathon." An ESPN analysis of his athletic achievements mentions that "[he] ran the Boston Marathon in the 1970s". In its November 2004 issue, Runner's World observes that John Kerry "[ran] the Boston Marathon in the '70s". In April 2002, John Kerry was the starter for the Boston Marathon. The Daily Free Press reports that Senator Kerry "lamented the fact that time constraints...

Ireland invite marathon runner, ‘priest’ in more trouble DUBLIN: The Brazilian runner knocked over by an Irish-born priest in the closing stages of the Olympic marathon in Athens was invited to Ireland on Thursday by the country's Sports Minister John O'Donoghue. Vanderlei de Lima was in the lead in the race last Sunday when he was suddenly grabbed and pushed into a group of spectators by former priest Cornelius Horan. The shaken athlete resumed his race but was overtaken by rivals and ended up claiming the bronze medal. O'Donoghue described the incident as a “travesty” and invited de Lima to...

Spectator Assaults Marathon Leader Sun Aug 29, 2004 01:09 PM ET ATHENS (Reuters) - Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil was pushed off the road by a spectator while leading the men's Olympic marathon on Sunday, the final event of the Games. He got away and rejoined the race, holding his leg, with around 15 minutes to run but lost the lead to Italian Stefano Baldini soon after. The spectator, dressed in a kilt with some writing on his back, resembled the Irishman who interrupted the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone last year. Cornelius Horan ran on to the...

The leader of the Olympic Marathon was charged by a spectator and pushed into the crowd. The assailant appeared to be an adult male who wore clasic Greek garb and had a placard or sandwich board covering his upper chest. Vandelei Lima of Brazil was leading the race at about one hour fifty seven minute point when a man ran from the far side of the street and held Lima as he pushed/threw him into the crowd. The assailant was subdued by spectators in the crowd and Lima was able to rejoin the race.