I’ve mentioned recently that I needed to get some new clothing…

Well, I added one important item to my wardrobe.

(Apologies for the bad camera phone picture, but I’m sure the quality of the item I photographed far outstrips the quality of the image.)

I’ll be over here in the corner, battening down the hatches, trying to prepare my home for the onslaught of women looking to sleep with me after seeing this picture. Sorry, girls, I’m taken.

As an aside, when I take a bad picture of myself with a camera phone in a mirror, damn it, I make it worth taking, don’t I?

Not for nothin’, people, but King’s X are one HELL of a band.

Drop me a line and let me know. If it’s something that intrigues me, I’ll add it to my wishlist. I’ve already got George Tabb’s books Playing Right Field: A Jew Grows in Greenwich and Surfing Armageddon: Fishnets, Fascists, and Body Fluids in Florida, as well as my friend Heather Angelika Dooley’s latest book, Don’t Rub Salt In The Heartbreak on my list, but I’m always up for adding more if there’s content made by my readers that the world needs to know about, and folks, I don’t even have an affiliate program here (my site’s URL and once in a while, its content violates Amazon’s TOS if I’m not mistaken). I just wanna see the word get spread about my people, y0. Oh, and while you’re on Amazon, you can buy my music*, too. That’d be awesome of you, and believe it or not, Amazon’s whole new MP3 download setup works like a charm. Just saw it work for the first time recently.

(* I’ve got it for sale elsewhere, too. Check the sidebar for details.)

Wilford Brimley makes me die a little inside every time I see him. And not in the good way.

OK, everyone can shut the fuck up and mind their own business now. =)

Earlier this week, I received a donation of one dollar from a reader. (Thanks, Greg!) Now, it probably doesn’t seem like much, and when you send in a dollar, PayPal takes about 33 cents of it because I have a business account, sadly, but that still leaves me about 67 cents of that dollar, which isn’t far from what I get when you buy a single song of mine from iTunes or Amazon (see new links on the sidebar!). If you buy an ad on this site for one day, advertising literally anything your heart desires, that also costs a dollar, and I think I get about 85 to 90 cents of that dollar (though it’s been a while).

My point in mentioning these numbers is this: I get hundreds of visitors a day these days. If 10 of those visitors a day donated a buck (and we’ve all got around a buck or two’s worth of spare PayPal change laying around that we can’t put to a lot of practical use) when they visited, bought some music from me (see sidebar for how!), purchased an ad (advertise your band, your blog, your mom’s whorehouse, anything!) or even clicked all my text ads, this site and my life would both be doing a lot better than they are. I’m actually doing great on a lot of the other problem areas in my life at the moment (to give y’all a brief update), but money’s still tight. Every little bit helps, folks, and thanks again, Greg, for your dollar and your support of and interest in what I do.

This isn’t just about me, though. Lots of other creators are in the same boat as I am, and they have donation links, text ads, merch and so forth. Especially with the holidays approaching, try and kick some support their way as well. I added a bunch of links to the “Our Bitches.” section of our sidebar, and I heartily recommend checking out and supporting those folks, or the other folks you know who have sites. Even if you just kick ‘em a buck.

…here’s The Nerd Handbook, written by Rands, who some of you may know as “that alien guy from Jerkcity. No HGLUAHGLUAHGLUAH here (for better or worse), just a damn good piece on human understanding.

Great article on Bob Scheetz, the guy who runs the card counter at one of my regular haunts. I haven’t managed to lure him into the depraved depths of the Sanchez League yet, though.

a phonebook full of accidents
a girl to drive your car
a suit to wear on mondays
and a coat a magazine
a heavy rain a holiday
a painting of the wall
a knife a fork and memories
a light to see it all
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
dominoes a pack of cards
a picture of the queen
a dress to wear on sundays
and a handle for the door
a letter that i sent for you
a note you left for me
a wave a pack of cigarettes
a pocket full of beads
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you on
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you on
the sound of people getting drunk
a ceiling and a sky
a bank that’s full of promises
a telephone that lies
a visit from your doctor
he crawls in through the door
a mirror you can look in
so that you know where you are
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
now i’m left with all of this
a room full of your trash

-Psychedelic Furs

This actually came on tonight while I was looking for this, to move it to a safe deposit box:

As I was looking for it, I saw a whole lot of weird stuff that I always forget I have. Letters from people I forgot existed. Letters from friends I’ve lost touch with. Letters from lovers I’ve fallen out with, expressing love that’s just so alien to me now, but still so affecting. Even some correspondence with people who I do still talk to, amazingly, showing such a simpler side of our lives, due to the age of it. Birthday cards from an aunt and uncle who aren’t around anymore. (The aunt’s last words to me, after getting my name wrong momentarily at a party in 1994, were “Don’t ever get old.”) Newspaper articles about people who ended their lives too soon. Stuff like that. And then that song came on in the middle of it.

…

Anyway, I found the letter. It took me a while, because I thought it was in a smaller Still need to figure out where I put the printout of the first email I got from Jon Dupree of Earth Eighteen (Jon, it’s been forever; give me a buzz sometime), but I think I know where that is. It’s funny, that in a room that has some things that other people would think of as “valuable”, these are the things I don’t want to lose. Went through a lot of the collectables, and frankly and eye-openingly, a lot of it either isn’t worth using the storage space on, is too big for the box, or it’s just not the kind of thing that I want to protect but not display.

There are no words to do justice to the awesomeness of these figures. A deranged, bazooka-toting serial killer and a damned soul with a flaming skull for a head and a mace on a chain…FOR KIDS! Aren’t they the cutest things you’ve ever seen?

Or, rather, my part of the Goudey Trade-away has.

Nolan Ryan. Sweet.

Also: the 2007 Upper Deck Goudey set is the best set Upper Deck’s ever made.

While not one of the “big” erections like a Presidential one, it’s still important to vote, or people will take away your right to achieve an erection.

Where I am, we had a mayoral election which consisted of a douchebag, a flake, and a business-as-usual incumbent who’s talking about greenlighting a data center. I think y’all can figure out who I went with, even if it went against my usual rule, which is “vote against incumbents unless they’re great, to slow the momentum of political buffoonery on all sides”. Unless someone’s truly awful or worse, mediocre, the rule does seem to be less important on a local level.

We also had 4 state public questions, the best of which, I voted in a manner that could be viewed either as horribly insensitive or as a way to make government live with the error of their ways.

Here’s Public Question #4, for those interested:

“CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CONCERNING THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR CERTAIN PERSONS
Shall the amendment of Article II, Section I, paragraph 6 of the Constitution, agreed to by the Legislature, revising the current constitutional language concerning denial of the right to vote by deleting the phrase “idiot or insane person” and providing instead that a “person who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting” shall not enjoy the right of suffrage, be adopted?

There will be an Interpretive Statement underneath that will read:
Approval of this amendment concerning the denial of the right to vote would delete the phrase “idiot or insane person” and replace that phrase with “person who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting” in describing those persons who shall be denied the right to vote. The phrase “idiot or insane person” is outdated, vague, offensive to many, and may be subject to misinterpretation. This constitutional amendment acknowledges that individuals with cognitive or emotional disabilities may otherwise be capable of making decisions in the voting booth and that their right of self-determination should be respected and protected in this regard. The amendment only denies the right of suffrage to those individuals determined by a court, on a case-by-case basis, to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting.”

For my money, if this ridiculous, archaic, bigoted language has lasted on the books for this long, defying pretty much all reason, sensitivity and common sense, then I think the state should have to keep it for a little while longer, kinda like a scarlet letter, especially now that attention’s been drawn to the fact that it’s there in the first fucking place. Of course, I’m probably the only person in the entire state who voted “no” on this, but hey, sometimes you gotta root for the bad guy.

On that note, I’ll leave you all to your voting! Vote however you like! Cast a meaningless vote for insensitivity, like I did! But please, people, VOTE.

Official site here, to bring interested parties up to date on elite runners, etc. quicker than I can, and to hook you guys up if you feel like spending $5 for the netcast, but we know that most of you read this for my ridiculous commentary.

To give you a quick rundown of who’s in this year and who I like:

Elite Men: Marilson Gomes dos Santos, last year’s winner, returns in a “get the fuck out of town” attempt to defend his crown. Those of you who read last year’s coverage will remember that, while it was a gutsy performance (the dude fought off the legendary Paul Tergat and Stephen Kiogora down the stretch), it was a total “get the fuck out of town” win. If this guy repeats, he achieves instant god status, but I don’t see it happening. Among the rest of the field (which is missing some notables like Tergat and Meb Keflezighi, who ran the Olympic Trials yesterday if I’m not mistaken), some of my favorites would have to be Kiogora and perennial contenders Martin Lel(the 2003 winner), Hendrick Ramaala (the 2004 winner) and Rodgers Rop (who won both Boston and NYC in 2002; that was a long time ago in long-distance terms), but his winning time in Hamburg this year, 2:07:32, was a personal best…). I’d call Olympic gold medalist Stefano Baldini a wild card. Great resume, but he’s never done this course before. Not having seen the starting line yet, it’s tough to pick who looks good, but my early gut instincts lean toward Lel and Kiogora.

On the womens’ side, lots of intrigue. Jelena “I’ll kick your ass as soon as look at you” Prokopcuka is attempting to not only defend her crown, but become the only other woman besides Grete Waitz (who we hope is doing well in her battle against the big C) to win 3 consecutive NYC Marathons AND win the World Marathon Majors womens’ title (the mens’ title is already decided, with Robert Cheruiyot taking the title ahead of New York). She’s got 2 very tough people to beat if she wants to get there, though, as World Marathon Majors frontrunner Gete Wami, Catherine Ndereba (who has an amazing resume, but has never sealed the deal in New York), and world record holder Paula Radcliffe will be gunning for her. I still give the edge to Prokopcuka, as she’s damn tough and she owns this course, but it won’t be easy.

Over in the wheelchairs, Kurt Fearnley, who turned in an unforgettably gutsy performance last year, recovering from some awful road rash he got in Brooklyn to not only win but set a course record, has to be looked at as the favorite, though he’ll be up against the other 3 best mens’ wheelers in the world, Ernst Van Dyk, Krige Schabort and
Saul Mendoza (all of whom who’ve won New York) as well as Masazumi Soejima, who took Boston this year. On the womens’ side, defending champ Amanda McGrory (who won in her debut) faces off against course recordholder Edith Hunkeler, Sandra Roy and Wakako Tsuchida.

And among the masses, there’s this guy again and a record 39,000 other people. =)

I got a late start this morning, as you may be able to tell, so here is the delayed start to the wheelchair race:
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

Women start in 15 minutes, thanks for joining us for year 7!

9:30 AM: Kurt Fearnley owns 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, just as he did last year. Women starting in 7 minutes.

9:35 AM: Oh fuck, they’ve got a Baldwin doing the intro to the coverage. It’s Alec, “a lifetime New Yorker” (except when he wanted to move to France), doing it. Ugh. Someone send in the Canadian Air Force. At least he didn’t call anyone a pig.

9:37 AM: Elite women at the gate. Radcliffe looks a little lean, Wami looks TOUGH, and Jelena looks like Jelena.

Time for the first one of the day:

RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
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NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9:42 AM: 5 Borough Challenge starting in 10 minutes, and Radcliffe, Prokopcuka and Wami lead the pack by a ways as they’re about 2/3 across the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

9:48 AM: Radcliffe’s not pacing herself at all. I think it’s a mistake. Gete Wami 2nd, Ndereba 3rd and Prokopcuka 4th as they’re leaving the bridge. Fearnley absolutely KILLING the competition in the wheelchair race, unsurprisingly.

9:54 AM: What’s up with these guys who play harmonica for people all morning at the goddamned starting line? God, that irks me. ;) 5 Borough Challenge starting soon. Same 1-4 in the womens’ race. Someone in the wheelchair race is totally checking out the womens’ asses. That SWINE.

9:55: 5 Borough Challenge has begun!

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NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10:05: OK, the elite men and the masses are at the starting line. I’m going to give a slight edge to Lel after seeing them all lined up. Tevin Campbell’s singing the anthem. When did that little shit turn 40?

Here we go, folks, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…

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NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10:19 AM: womens’ race is down to Radcliffe and Wami at the moment as they’re heading into Billyburg, both of them running rabbits’ paces, possibly a world record pace at the moment. Baldini seemed to be the guy that the men’s pack are respecting on the bridge, but Rop and Ramaala are taking the lead coming off.

10:21 AM: Women’s wheelers have Edith Hunkeler (coming back from a rough injury) on yet another course record pace. She’s got company, though, 2 other racers in sight.

10:30: Rop’s taken the lead in the men’s race, but it’s still kind of a wide pack.

First Lance sighting, and he’s looking good. 6:30 per mile pace. He’s got a dude with green hair with him, in his own words.

Ramaala looking like he’s making a move.

10:35: Radcliffe and Wami are a minute ahead of the pack at the 10 mile mark. I still think Radcliffe is gonna wear herself out, but her form’s good so far. Wami ditched her hat.

Fearnley is in Central Park! He should be done in a few!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not setting a record this year, but Kurt Fearnley wins with a time of 1:33:58! Awesome work!

Radcliffe and Wami now 2 minutes ahead of the pack. Men sticking together, but Ramaala in the lead from the looks of it.

10:53: Ramaala is turning on the jets, and they went from a 5 minute pace to a 4:27 pace like *that*. Pack starting to thin out, Baldini gone, Gomes dos Santos is just slightly back of the pack. Lel is getting credit for setting this pace from the commentators, and I can believe that. They’re not showing a lot of the mens’ race yet, because the Radcliiffe/Wami show is as compelling as it’s been. They’ve just crossed the Pulaski Bridge into Queens, with the 2nd pack consisting of Lidiya Grigoryeva, Prokopcuka and Ndereba in 3-5 on the other side of the bridge.

10:55: Edith Hunkeler is still on course record pace in Central Park! What a comeback!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
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LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COURSE RECORD! CONGRATS TO EDITH HUNKELER FOR THE 3RD TIME! FUCKIN’ A!

11 AM: Radcliffe and Wami are on the 59th St. Bridge, with the chase pack (Prokopcuka now in 3rd) 2:45 behind them. I think you’ll see Prokopcuka and Ndereba turn on the jets on 1st Avenue. Wami’s starting to look like she’s laboring just a touch. It’d be a great time to make a move.

11:05: Ndereba lost about 50 meters on the bridge. Interesting. Wow, the pack in the men’s race has GAINED members at 11 miles. Baldini coming back into it. Women just about to hit 1st Avenue. They’re on. Radcliffe picking up steam on Wami, not surprising. Let’s see what happens to Prokopcuka and Grigoryeva when they get on the straightaway.

11:10: Men are almost out of Brooklyn, I think you’ll see some movement at or around the Pulaski.

11:15: Women still on a course record pace, Radcliffe stretching Wami. Men on the Pulaski, and there you go, Ramaala, Rop and Lel, with Lel just overtaking Ramaala at the center of the bridge. All of these guys are experienced players in this race, and I think it’s theirs to lose.

11:25: Dang. That is a BIG fuckin’ men’s pack. They’re getting close to the 59th St. Bridge. Mile 15, no real change aside from a bit of movement from Baldini (back in the pack) and Gomes dos Santos (establishing himself a bit finally). Women are 20 miles in, heading toward the Bronx. Radcliffe is stretching Wami some more. No friggin’ sign of the chase pack.

11:27: Men are on the bridge. They keep letting Alec Baldwin talk, though. :(

11:33: I dunno, Wami’s still hangin’ here. She’s a pesky one! Radcliffe now looks like she’s laboring a bit. I’ve been expecting this since the beginning, and we’ll see if I called it. Men on 1st Ave. Lel leading now, Ramaala and Rop right with them. I still like Lel here. The rest of pack splitting up. Who’s this sneaking up on the top 3? It’s Abderrahim Goumri from Morocco! What a great name! :D

11:37: Radcliffe’s grimacing, busting ass now, but still not shaking Wami. The commentators make their picks: Al picked Wami and Ramaala, and the other guys (haven’t differentiated their voices, I think they’re both new) went with Paula, with one picking Lel and one going with Goumri.

11:40: Prokopcuka is about 4 minutes back of the other 2. She’s gonna need a miracle to threepeat. Damn, the men did a 4:20 in their last mile! Ramaala and Lel shoulder to shoulder! This race is as good as it gets. James Kwambai from Kenya picking up 5th here, poor dude missed his last marathon due to malaria!

11:45: Radcliffe and Wami heading south to Columbus Circle, Mile 23, at 2:03 or so. Wami almost exactly where she’s been for the past, oh, 20 miles or so. Lel looking good, Kwambai passes Ramaala and takes 3rd. Radcliffe starting to turn it on again…this is actually the most distance I’ve seen her put between them. Wami is starting to turn it back on. Course record pace, within a second or so. Radcliffe doing the work, and whuppin’ ass now at mile 24. Eh, Wami’s getting half a mil regardless of whether she wins or not, if I were her I’d say “fuck it”. ;)

11:55: Women in Central Park now! 2:10-ish. Wami is back on Radcliffe’s ass! Radcliffe trying to break Wami on the inclines! Mile 25, and the geniuses at NBC cut away to a recap of 3 years ago. :P They’re back, and Radcliffe still hanging on. Radcliffe looking rough there, but still ahead. Wami looks comfortable right now. Downhill surge by Radcliffe. Wami RIGHT on Radcliffe still. Radcliffe kicking again, but they’re off the record pace. Radcliffe trying to pull away AGAIN…it might be working now…Wami’s on her way back…Wami’s RIGHT on her again…and again with the sprint by Radcliffe…SO evenly matched, these two…they’re on the last incline…Radcliffe puts another gap of 3-5 meters out there…Wami RIGHT back…this is brutal…they’re still neck and neck…mile 26! Still half a mile to go…Radcliffe pouring it on! Finally, Wami takes the lead! Radcliffe back! Wami’s burst to the lead may have cost her the race! Radcliffe is HAULING ASS now. Radcliffe’s got it!

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Paula Radcliffe is our winner with a time of 2:23:07!!!!!! Wami finishes 2:23:32! Congrats to both! Prokopcuka in 3rd.

Back to the men! Lel leading still, Goumri in 2nd, and Ramaala laboring in 3rd. Rest of the pack is gone. 1:54 in, mile 24 happening right now. According to the commentators, Ramaala’s “toast”, so it’s a 2 man race now, Lel and Goumri…

Prokopcuka is crossing the line at 2:26:13, 3rd place for her, good show, but she was against 2 women on a mission.

Back to the men again…this is a rematch of the London Marathon, and Lel took that one. I’m still going with Lel. He’s damn good.

12:10: Lel and Goumri still neck and neck. These guys are arch-enemies, like Batman and the Joker, the Yankees and the Red Sox, and Ann Coulter and reality…

Very nice work by both guys here, still neck and neck as they hit the 2 hour mark, just about 10 minutes left in the race…Ramaala still in 3rd, with Kwambai at 4th and Gomes dos Santos representing in 5th. No idea how far back the chase pack are at this point, but the television people are ignoring them, so it can’t be good for them.

12:15: Mile 25…Lel’s still in there, and the commentators sense a burst by Goumri, but he just looks like he’s laboring. However, it’s kinda like shades of Gomes dos Santos last year, who looked like he was DYING down the home stretch but still made it happen.

Top American woman, Elva Dryer, finishes in 6th.

12:16: Lel still just slightly ahead of Goumri on mile 26, pulling ahead a bit, around Columbus Circle.

Lance Armstrong passed 18 miles in under 2 hours! Good man!

Here they are in the park, Lel, Goumri, Lel opening up a can! Let’s see if Goumri can answer! Forget about it! This race mirrors Radcliffe/Wami so closely! Lel has pwned Goumri! Goumri’s fucked! Lel running! Goumri thinking “aw, fuck, not again”

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Martin Lel takes it at 2:09:04! Goumri takes 2nd, here comes Ramaala. Lel and Goumri arm and arm with their flags! Congrats to all y’all!

12:25: And now, the rest of us. ;)

12:37: Interview with Paula “Get your own Wami, biaatch” Radcliffe on now. Absolutely radiant.

Official Womens’ Results:

Radcliffe: 2:23:09

Wami: 2:23:32

Prokopcuka: 2:26:13

Grigoryeva: 2:28:37

Ndereba: 2:29:08

Lel’s being interviewed now. Not quite as radiant as Radcliffe, but God bless ‘em.

12:43: Handing out the medals now…man, Bruce Beck kinda blows. Time for President Bloomberg (watch for it in 2012) to pass out the goodies. All the ladies look great post-race. Very cool.

Here’s a nice shot of the masses. RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!

Lance’s goal was 2:50. He’s on a 2:44 pace right now. That sick fuckin’ asshole.

12:50: Time for the medals for the men. Here he is, folks. Martin muthafuckin’ Lel!

12:55: Lance Armstrong is on his last half mile, still lookin’ badass. Gonna be sub-2:47. Damn. 2:46:42! That’s a nice improvement, 30 seconds a mile over last year. Insane. Good on ‘em.

1 PM: OK, now we’re down to the regular folks and the 5 Borough Challenge if I’m not mistaken (no sign of any of those folks, very odd). This is my favorite part of the race, when we get to hear the stories of the regular folks, whenever these damn folks can the recaps! Shades of Boston 2 years ago.

1:13: Hey, Chris Reeve’s half-brother’s out there, running for his foundation. Nice to see.

1:20: Mayor’s Cup winner (police vs. firefighters) winner is a rookie firefighter, looks fresh as a daisy. They’re at the marathon finish line now, hitting up the regular folks. Everyone at the line is just plain stunned. Wow, Tucker Anderson, out on the course, 32 NYC Marathons in a row, hasn’t missed a day running since 1992. Amazing.

1:25: Finally, they remember that there’s a 5 Borough Challenge in progress. Re-introing the folks, let’s see how they’re holding up. Ha, the Bronx guy is like “The Bronx is definitely the best borough to run through!”, and I’m like “You’re damn right.” No wonder he’s winning. The Manhattan runner is 67 years old! Damn.

1:33: Awesome technology, with the GPS in the tags, they have real-time finish line crossing data on the left hand side of the screen periodically. They should do that throughout the race, I think. Maybe in the HD, holy shit that’s a big screen TV era, we’ll see what happens. Jelena Prokopcuka is talking to Al Trautwig right now, and she ran the entire marathon on a bad leg. She finished 3rd on a bad leg! That’s one hell of an athlete. She’ll win again soon, maybe as soon as next year.

1:39: Some more great stories: a guy from Munich who ran the race in lederhosen! A guy from England who lost 138 pounds, winning the “UK’s Biggest Loser” contest, and then he decided to start running marathons! He was up to 400, and he’s actually down to 235 now! That’s like losing a person! Of course, Len Berman, bastion of sensitivity, was like “I would’ve liked to see him run it at 400!” Nice job, dick.

1:45: Awww, mother/son combo! And the Bronx wins the 5 Borough Challenge! Someone tell him that no one’s chasing him, so he’ll stop running. ;)

1:53: Talking to all the 5 Borough Challenge participants. Man, the Brooklyn girl had an asthma attack during the race. That’s gotta be scary. They all finished, though, even the 67 year old Manhattanite who ended up in the med tent for a bit from cramps. They gave her some Tums and she was fine. This was her 70th marathon. I can’t even imagine, still not in any kind of shape to start seriously training for my first. Good job, folks.

2:10 PM: Recap of the bittersweet Olympic mens’ qualifying marathon, held in New York yesterday, being played now. 28 year old Ryan Shay collapsed at around the 5th mile and died, sadly. Been a bad year, between this and Chicago, for marathon-related deaths. Overall, the sport’s still very safe and they’ve got great people looking after the runners, but stuff like this does happen sometimes and is a damn shame. Folks, keep your doctor notified on any plans to do anything serious like a marathon (and get a second or third opinion if you, like Ryan Shay, have a pre-existing medical condition that could affect you), and don’t push yourselves too hard. This is, first and foremost, supposed to keep you healthy and be fun. Kind of an awkward segue, but as for results, Ryan Hall won the race, and he, Dathan Ritzenhein and Brian Sell are headed to Bejing in ‘08.

Holy crap! This one guy has run 63 marathons in 63 days! Madness! Good for him, he did it for charity.

2:25 PM: OK, NBC is wrapping up, so I’ll do the same. The story of this year’s marathon was a return to glory by past champions, in some cases (like Radcliffe, Hunkeler and Lel, all coming back from injuries and in Radcliffe’s case, also returning from childbirth!) defying some pretty incredible odds. Every major winner this time has done this before, and it was nice to see them add another major to their respective resumes through perserverance, ability and utter professionalism. Then, you have a gentleman like the one they closed the coverage with, who’s run 25 marathons since getting a heart transplant, and is moving onto trying to do a marathon in each of the 50 states from here, and it puts the “triumphing over adversity” in even greater perspective. I’ll see you all at next year’s New York Marathon, and perhaps I’ll do Boston again this year if I’m feeling charitable. ;) Thanks for reading!