I Won The Lottery!

What - Jim won the lottery!? What - there is a new widget on his blog for the 2009 New York Marathon!? What's going on here?????

I'll tell you what's going on - I found out today that I was selected by lottery to run in the 2009 New York City Marathon! Not that I wouldn't have wanted to win the Mega Lotto but this is the next best thing, plus the odds are much greater! I have been trying for a couple of years to get in and 2009 was my lucky year! I am so excited! There are approximately 100,000 applicants each year vying for 38,000 spots..... and this year - I'll be there!

I found the following history about the Marathon on the official website and thought I would share it - it's very interesting. I'm sure I'll have a blast! I really need to start training - I've not been training for awhile - only maintenance runs - amazing how quickly weight creeps on when you are not training! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

History of the ING New York City Marathon
Around the world, the word "marathon" evokes images of New York City. Before the New York race began, marathons were modest events run by a few athletes and followed by a few fans interested in the limits of human endurance. New York Road Runners and marathon co-founder Fred Lebow changed that. Today many marathons are huge media events that take over entire cities around the globe. None is as prominent as the ING New York City Marathon, but all city marathons are modeled on it. Modern marathoning owes its start -- and its world-class status -- to New York.

The first New York City Marathon, though, was a humble affair. In 1970, 127 runners paid the $1 entry fee to NYRR to participate in a 26.2-mile race that looped several times within Central Park. Fifty-five runners crossed the finish line.

When Lebow redrew the course through all five New York boroughs six years later, not everyone could appreciate his vision. But 2,090 runners lined up at the start for the chance to run from Staten Island through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx to Manhattan. The expanded course attracted two-time Olympic marathon medalist Frank Shorter, along with reporters and television cameras. Thousands of spectators lined the streets and cheered the runners. By reconfiguring the course, Lebow had drawn the city together and attracted recognition around the world.

The New York City Marathon's unique mix of athletics, neighborhood spirit, and international media attention soon attracted the world's best runners to the annual fall race. By the late 1970s, the running boom was exploding and New York was at the center. More than 9,000 people participated in 1978 when Norwegian Grete Waitz set a women's marathon world record, finishing in 2:32:30.

Several men's and women's records fell in the early years, but the New York race was soon about more than speed. When international sanctions against South African athletes were lifted in 1992, Willie Mtolo chose to run New York. He bested the field and garnered media coverage around the world. When Tegla Loroupe broke the tape at the Central Park finish in 1994, her win proved that African women were on par with the African men in their ability to run the 26.2-mile distance. She did it in New York, and the world took notice. Soon Kenyan women were invited to other major distance races.

In 2000, NYRR added an official wheelchair division to the marathon. Now the ING New York City Marathon has grown to become one of the most competitive wheelchair marathons anywhere in the world, with more than 200 wheelchair and handcycle athletes. In addition, a wide variety of ambulatory athletes with disabilities participate.

While the marathon has always been a focus of community spirit, with more than two million New Yorkers lining the streets to support the runners, that aspect of the race was most apparent in November 2001. Less than two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the New York City Marathon became a race of hope and renewal for participants, spectators, and all New Yorkers, and patriotism ran high as the marathon hosted the men's and women's USA Marathon Championships.

New York has continued to lead in race management. In 2002, NYRR created a separate start for the professional women as a way to highlight the most competitive women's field in race history. In 2003, ING became the title sponsor of the race and joined with NYRR to fund grassroots running and fitness programs among the city's youth through the ING Run for Something Better program.

NYRR hosted the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials � Men�s Marathon in Central Park on the day before the ING New York City Marathon 2007. In 2008, the marathon was successfully staged with three wave starts in order to reduce congestion at the start, along the course, and at the finish. The 2009 race will be the marathon�s 40th running and will include special celebrations of this important milestone. NYRR will host the 2009 USA Men�s Marathon Championship in conjunction with the race.

Forty years after its start, the ING New York City Marathon continues to grow in size and to be the leader among marathons around the world.

There you have it - a bit of history - I am glad I will be part of the 40th anniversary run! Wish me luck!

Have a good one -

Jim