Another early morning wake up, this time for the women’s marathon. We were at able to sleep in a little longer than yesterday, so that helps. I ride my bike to the venue, pick up a radio, and then head to my post at the 4 km mark. Pretty soon I’m getting chilly and then I realize why: because I’m standing in the shade on a perfectly clear day when the sun is starting to come up. I shouldn’t be making rookie mistakes like that, but I missed coffee again this morning.
Message boards are blowing up over the false start yesterday, just the worst rule in track and field. If the people in charge are looking to shrink the sport, they’re doing a good job.
Someone throws an elbow or intentionally injures another competitor, throw them out. If somebody twitches on a reflex, give them a time penalty and let them compete. Usain Bolt was thrown out of the out of the world championships a decade ago for the same thing and scores of people went home upset and disappointed that they couldn’t see him compete.
Today, marathon volunteers are yelling at spectators who dare cross the race path. ‘It’s not safe!’ There’s probably a 2 mile spread from leader to the back of the pack, and there are huge gaps where no runners are coming. We are also in a public park. Oy vey!
Last lap, Ethiopia and Kenya are in the breakaway; back in the distance, I see an American. I assume it’s US Record Holder Kiera D’Amato, but I’m wrong….it’s Sara Hall who’s around 49 years old and still killing it. All three Americans in the top 10 with 10 K to go
The Ethiopian table was the buzz of the site: the guy on the right was dancing, screaming, hollering as his runner worked all others to death.
The American squad of Emma, Sara, and Kiera finished nicely for the best team performance of the event! 7th, 5th, 8th. Nicely done. Kiera didn’t know until two weeks ago that she’d be running, when Molly had to back out with an injury. Kiera was training low mileage for a 10k race when she got the call…she had enough time a few long runs, just enough for a top 10 finish at Worlds!
Alex, I’ll take ‘One of These Things Is Not Like the Other’ for $200. What do you see in this picture of the American shot put sweep?
If you look closely, Joe Kovacs on the left is wearing gear that seems a bit snug. Here’s why…
Last night, hurdler Grant Holloway was coming off the victory stand when the shot putters were ready to get their medals. Unfortunately, silver medalist Joe did not have his required uniform available, and he was frantically looking for a substitute. Grant heard Joe scrambling and donated his own warm-up suit to wear. Problem is, Grant Holloway is 6’2” and 190, while Joe is 6’ and 295. And even though Hayward Field is sacred ground, one size certainly does not fit all! One of my fellow officials, Lauren, witnessed the hysterical sight of several volunteers and athletes straining to get a relatively small outfit on to a relatively large man in a short amount of time. But true to form, they succeeded, even if Joe looked like a bit of a stuffed sausage. See video here: This may well be my favorite story of this whole championship!
Back in the day at the Naval Academy, we one day (actually, many days) had a formal parade after classes. You may have seen this uniform: stiff collar, two rows of buttons, a real pain in the ass…
This was the year of NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson; poor guy always had media commitments and was running late that day. Me and 4 others helped Big Dave with a NASCAR pit stop to get him dressed in a hurry….well, when we finished, I realized my sword was dragging the ground, and his looked like a paring knife. “Hey Dave, I think we switched.”
Just like Grant and Joe, but different….
Great guy and fellow umpire James: we first roomed together at Pac-12 Championships in Seattle many years back. I will visit him at some point when his Las Vegas climate becomes a bit more user-friendly.
While I have a closetful of Nike gear (and so does the local shelter after my donations), Asics is a step above in fit, style, comfort….and WAY above adidas! Yikes, the latter gear from 2014 Junior Worlds and 2016 Indoor Worlds is low in all categories except usefulness as bicycle rags.
And there’s this beauty….during the men’s steeplechase final, this camera guy decides to find a better angle for shots of the adjacent women’s triple jump. I do believe he needs a more reasonable definition of the word ‘adjacent.’
Homie is very lucky that retired hurdler David Oliver wasn’t in that race, or there would be a cameraman-shaped grease spot on the Mondo.
I might have paid good money to see that.
Just sayin’
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