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ELITE runner Ian Sharman set a Guinness World Record Sunday by running the 33rd Napa Valley Marathon in a Spider-Man costume.

It is the the fastest marathon time every recorded in a superhero costume according to Sharman’s Facebook page.

Sharman stated as well on his Facebook page, “‎2:40 in the rain in Napa for a new pointless, but fun, Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a superhero. Won’t wear the Spidey costume again since I almost suffocated.”

Sharman set a U.S. record last month for the fastest 100 mile time when he ran a 12:44:33 at the Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Trail Race (story).

Arkansas homegirl Leah Thorvilson, who has been winning every race she has been entering of late, won the 2011 Little Rock Marathon, as the first woman across the finish line on Sunday, with a time of 2:45:51.

Leah will be competing at the Olympic Trials.

The overall and male winner was elite marathoner Mark Chepses with a finishing time of 2:24:07.

Congrats to both Leah and Mark on their impressive wins today!

View More Little Rock Marathon Results

More results will be posted later on today.

[images: Twitter @lrmarathon]

The Los Angeles Marathon on Tuesday unveiled the finisher’s medal on Facebook for the 26th running of the L.A. Marathon which takes place on March 20, 2011.

The design is unique and a good bit different from the 25th anniversary medal last year.

10 Best Things from the Los Angeles Marathon

The best part of the medal is the background of it which is a collage of words made up of all of the highlights and cities the 26.2  mile race travels through.

Related Los Angeles Marathon Links

10 Best Things About the Los Angeles Marathon

Markos Geneti Wins 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in Debut (Results)

Flea Runs Los Angeles Marathon in 3:53:00 (pic)

List of 2011 Los Angeles Marathon Elite Runners

2011 L.A. Marathon Finisher’s Medal

View More Photos of Finisher’s Medals from Various Races

Apolo Ohno, the most decorated Winter Olympian of all-time, has decided to run the New York City Marathon this fall.

The marathon will be the latest challenge to Ohno who is in intense athletic shape but is not used to endurance competing for longer than a couple of minutes at a time. Most of his speed skating races last anywhere from 40 seconds to just over a couple of minutes.

Subway’s mega-spokesman Jared Fogle (the guy that lost 9 billion pounds and is forever their spokesman) persuaded Ohno into accepting his challenge. Jared asked several other Subway endorsers, but Ohno was the only celeb to say “yes!”

Apolo realizes it will be difficult and much different than the races on ice that he is accustomed to.

“I’m not going to jump out of the starting gates like I’m doing the 500 (meters),” he said. “People will say, ‘Apolo’s looking amazing … now he’s going to the port-a-potty. What’s going on?’ So I do have to change my mentality. I’m going to have to break it up in segments.”

Ohno is a fierce competitor having not only won eight Olympic medals but also the Dancing With the Stars title back in 2007 (with dancing professional Julianne Hough).  So expect Apolo to train hard, run even harder than most expect, and surprise many onlookers and fans at the NYC Marathon.

Ohno has yet to decide if he will compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Elite marathon runner Josh Cox shares three of his best tips in this video for finishing your first marathon or half marathon.

Cox won the 2010 Las Vegas Marathon with a time of 2:25:06.

10K in Knoxville 2010

Most of you may know I am taking a mini-break from running while healing from Plantar Fasciitis in my right foot. I’m almost there, kids ;-). I have been running a little here and there, but I’ve consistently been listening to my foot while running these past few months. I also listen to my foot the days following a run, because it speaks to me and tells me how it’s feeling.

Taking a break from running has helped me look inward with regard to my running. Looking back at 2010, running seemed like such an outward event. I am still every bit the runner I was last year, but probably haven’t even run 20 miles this year. Funny, I’m not too bothered by that.

I firmly believe that listening to your body is the key that will determine the life of your running career (or hobby, or whatever it is). If you don’t take heed and really listen, you may be forced to take a short, or long, or indefinite break from the sport, hobby and passion that you love. I can’t say there was anything in particular that could have led me to believe I would develop Plantar, but I also can’t say I was listening very closely to any issues that may have been developing as they happened.

The injury itself is really not too big of a deal, and as long as I keep up my massages, stretches and icing, I should be back on track to run the Palmetto Half Marathon on April 16^th (one of the best half marathons I’ve ever run … hummm, I think I say that about almost every half marathon I’ve ran, ha, ha, ha)! Seriously, the Palmetto Half is an amazing event.

I truly believe this break from running will make me an even stronger runner when I get back to it. I already know it has made me a smarter runner because now I know how to listen better and what to listen for, and I won’t think twice about taking a week of if I feel I need to. If my body tells me that is what it needs.

It’s not about “racking up the mileage” for me anymore, or seeing how many races I can squeeze into one month, or how many half marathons I can run in a single year. It’s about being a smart runner, a runner who listens, so that I can be a runner for as long as there is breath within me. Or until my legs just give out at 90-something years old ;-).

In the mean time, I have been spending hours at the gym focusing on building muscle and gaining strength. Fitness is a huge part of my life, so if I can’t run I will find something else fitness-related to keep me healthy and active until I return to the pavement. And even then, I think strength-training will be much more a part of my fitness regime than just running alone.

The first robot marathon is set to take place in Osaka, Japan, on February 24th.  The race will feature no humans, simply mechanical robots that will cover 26.22 miles.

The robots will have to “run” around the 328ft course 422 times to complete the marathon.

It will take them an estimated four days to finish.

Robot Robovie-PC said in Japanese: “Stretch to prevent injuries and aim to run the whole marathon.”

If the robots fall over they have to get back up on their own.  However, if their batteries get low or die than are allowed to be changed by a human.

No word yet on when the Vibram-Robot, Naresh Kumar, will arrive in town for the race.

Check out the video below to see the robots putting down some practice laps:

With the new Boston Marathon Qualifying Times released yesterday these robotic tadpoles would be systematically challenged to qualify.

The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) announced on Wednesday that they are lowering the time to qualify for the Boston Marathon by 5 minutes for both genders of all age classifications.

The change is in response to the 2011 Boston Marathon filling up in just over 8 hours.

There will also be no 0:59 second leeway on the times. (Example: A 3:05:59 will no longer qualify you. You have to actually be under 3:05.)

The New Boston Marathon Qualifying Times

The updated qualifying times will go into effect for the 2013 marathon.

Fair or unfair?

I now, only, have to run a 3:05 to qualify. Happy up!

Here is a look at The 10 Best Marathons in Tennessee. The list is up for debate and based on some personal preferences and experiences. Feel free to drop a comment below with your thoughts on any of the marathons listed below or any that might have been omitted.

1. Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon (race website)- If you have never run a marathon then don’t dare attempt this one as your cherry-thon.  It is by far the best in Tennessee and the most beautiful, but it is extremely challenging with nearly 10,000 feet of ascents and the same amount of descents in the beautiful Harpeth Hills near Nashville.  The best race swag you will ever receive at any race (this side of a belt buckle) is at the Monkey.  Race participants in 2010 received a long sleeve personalized tech shirt, a tie-dyed Monkey t-shirt, and a beautiful wooden Monkey finisher’s medal.  And yet the post-race food buffet was even better than the race and swag combined. But this race fills up fast, like really fast, like 32 minutes fast.
2. St. Jude Marathon (race website)- The most meaningful marathon you can run in Tennessee and perhaps the United States. All of the proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital that treats children with cancer regardless of ability to pay.  The race is in early December and the weather is usually cold but good running weather.  It starts right outside of Auto Zone Park and finishes inside the stadium, after rounding the outfield warning track.  During the 26.2 miles you hit almost every major Memphis landmark including the Pyramid, Fedex Forum, Sun Studios, the Memphis Zoo, along with running through the St. Jude campus early in the race with several of the patients outside cheering you on. They will inspire you to run further and faster.  The race is a must-do for any Tennessean and highly recommended for out-of-staters as well.
3. Andrew Jackson Marathon (race website) – My hometown marathon so naturally it scores a bit higher with me than it probably would with others. The course is beautiful and rolling. Approximately 20 of the miles are out in the country, with the rest of the race in peaceful suburban neighborhoods with almost no traffic. It starts and finishes at Union University.  The field is usually small (less than 100), which I have come to enjoy, and most that run it have run it before at some point.  The AJM also includes a half marathon and 5K as well on race day. The finisher’s medal was actually a paper weight but aren’t all medals once they make it home?
4. Rock Creek Scenic City Trail Marathon (race website)- The only trail marathon to make this list. It is truly a great and peaceful run out in the woods of Chattanooga.  If you love the outdoors and endurance running then you won’t want to miss this beautiful trail run from the Rock Creek people.
5. Blister in the Sun Marathon (race website) – The toughest marathon in Tennessee due to three things: 1. heat, 2. repetition, and 3. hills.  The Blister lives up to it’s name as it takes place in early August which is a no-no for most Tennesseans to even run out to their car to grab their Marlboros.  Race day temps at the inaugural blister reached a blistering 89 degrees. The course at Cane Creek park in Cookeville consisted of 5 loops through a park before ascending a hellacious hill up and around Cane Creek elementary school.  The field in 2010 consisted of just 14 freaks, all with resumes that would easily have condemned the Bush administration if it had forced terrorists to attempt their feats.  Blister and Flying Monkey are by far the two toughest marathons in Tennessee.  The RD is a sub-3 hour freak so good luck beating him on his home course.
6. Southern Plunge Marathon (race website) – The inaugural Plunge in 2010 was surprising in how many things they did extremely well right off of the bat.  The Race Director put together an impressive logo that was then placed on top-notch Zorrel tech shirts and finisher’s medals.  The course was tougher than expected.  I had been told there was a small hill at mile 2. Well that was correct. It was the smallest hill that day.  The course had several climbs and the second half was rather taxing to most of the runners.  There is a rumor already circulating that the course will be changed for the second edition of the Plunge in 2011.
7. Knoxville Marathon (race website) – The best part of this marathon, especially for Tennessee Volunteer fans, is that you get to run the last 50 yard to the finish inside of Neyland Stadium.  The first half of the course is hilly, but it levels out a bit towards the end.  Nearly 700 people raced it last year.  The race t-shirt and medal were sub-par but that is nitpicking a bit.  There are better options to run a marathon in Tennessee, but if you are nearby Knoxville when this one is held you should check it out.
8. Country Music Marathon (race website) – One of the biggest half marathons in the United States, as well as one of the most overrated marathons in America. It’s a Rock N’ Roll series event which means it will be very large and populated. Usually there is around 26,000 runners for the half and just 4-5,000 for the full.  The best part of this race is the first half, even with the thick stack of people, where you run down Broadway and up Music Row.  After the 26,000 half marathoners divert off for the half finish the course gets extremely boring, hilly at points, and runs through the most industrial parts of Music City.  If you want to run in extreme weather this might be the right marathon for you.  In 2009, the marathon had temperatures in the mid 80’s and last year 75% of marathoners got diverted to a shortened finish (around 22 miles) due to tornadoes in the area.
9. Endorphin Marathon (race website) – One of the younger marathons on this list. It is located in Jackson, Tennessee and takes place around Labor Day each year.  The course is relatively flat and easy.  The field has grown each year and the swag is pretty impressive from what I’ve seen of it.  There is also a half marathon, 10K and 5K that takes place the same morning.  With a little bit more promotion and exposure this hidden gem of a marathon could become much larger and even rival Andrew Jackson.
10. Rutledge Marathon (race website) – If you have ever wanted to finish a marathon on a working-farm then this is the race for you.  The race is rather small but the race director does a very good job of making everyone feel welcomed and appreciated for coming out.  Rutledge is in east Tennessee so the course is one rolling hill after another, but the hills are minor and help keep the legs fresh throughout the race.

Here is a photo of the 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon medal from the 26.2 mile race that took place on January 9, 2011.

2011 Walt Disney World Marathon Results