As cyclists strapped on their cleats to tackle Stage 1 of the Tour de Georgia on Monday, a former winner of that race was lacing up his running shoes to participate in the 2008 Boston Marathon.
Lance Armstrong, running in his third marathon, finished the fabled race in an unofficial time of 2:50:58. The 7-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor was running to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won the race in 2:07:46, just 32 seconds off the course record he set two years ago. It was his fourth victory in Boston. Dire Tune of Ethiopia set the women's mark at 2:25:25.
Finish
Armstrong finished in 496th place out of a field of 25,000 runners, according to results posted at the Boston Marathon website. (His finish rank has changed 2 or 3 times. 496th is accurate as of Tuesday a.m.) He ran at a pace of 6 minutes, 32 seconds per mile. His bib number: 100.
It was his third marathon, having run in two previous New York Marathons. He brought a contingent of 50 LiveStrong runners to the race.
After the race, Armstrong admitted with self-deprecating humor that he never trains as hard for running as he did for cycling. At Boston.com:
“Not to diminish what the marathon means, but it is a hobby and it's something that keeps me fit on a daily basis, keeps me inspired and motivates me to go out and run.
“But you can't compare 45 minutes of training per day [for a marathon] to 6-7 hours of training per day [for the Tour de France]. If you don't follow the best training program, you're going to pay the price.
“So every time I come out here, I swear to myself that I'm going to train harder for the next one and I never do. But one of these days I might listen to myself.”
The last in a series of three hills in the last third of the race, Armstrong said Heartbreak Hill lived up to its name.
Armstrong qualified for the Boston by setting a 2:46 time in last year's New York Marathon. It was nearly a half-hour faster than the 3:15 he needed to qualify.
In addition to winning 7 Tours de France, Armstrong also won the 2004 Tour de Georgia as a member of the US Postal Service team.
Armstrong should be happy with all his marathon finishes. At the New York in 2006 and 2007 he finished in under 3 hours as well.
After finishing his first marathon in 2:59, Armstrong said:
“For the level of condition that I have now, that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done.”
Armstrong might have had fewer distractions in Boston. When he raced in New York City in November the news in the tabloids was all about him being seen with Ashley Olsen.
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