Live on the Web, it's the Chicago Marathon

I love the Internet. I mean I really, really love the Internet. For a fan of sports that television doesn’t really have the time or patience for, the Internet is the greatest invention since fire.

OK, maybe the wheel.

Actually, the Internet has changed the mainstream sports, too. If a team or a league, etc. doesn’t have a top-flight web site it isn’t fulfilling its obligation to its fans. Even better than that, the Internet has changed the entire dynamic of sports (and news). Television and newspapers are nothing more than a delivery method – nothing more or less.

When there is important news, the first place most people turn these days is not the television, it’s the ‘net.

Nevertheless, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday morning tuned into sporting events that I never would have been able to watch under the old way of delivery. Thanks to the wonderful World Wide Web, I got to watch live coverage of The Ironman world championships from Kona, Hawaii on Saturday, as well as live coverage of Sunday’s Chicago Marathon.

In the past, I had been able to watch west-coast baseball games during the pennant races via the Web on MLB.com. Realizing that it was cutting out a segment of its audience, the NHL has followed MLB’s footsteps and is broadcasting selected games on Yahoo! and Comcast, the Web’s most popular sports site. That means if one wants to catch Columbus Blue Jackets games, one can.

Yes, thanks to the Web it’s a great time to be a sports fan.

But everyone already knows that.

Just imagine my Sunday morning delight when I got to watch reigning Boston Marathon champion and course record holder Robert Cheruiyot hold off my pick Daniel Njenga to win the Chicago Marathon in 2:07:35. How fun is that?

Interestingly, the chilly and windy temperatures made for slower times in Chicago this morning (they call it The Windy City for a reason, right?) so Cheruiyot’s 2:07:35 on Chicago’s slick and speedy course was actually slower than his winning time on a tougher Boston course this year. In fact, prior to the race American Brian Sell said that the windy conditions could add 5-plus seconds per mile. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s very significant for runners looking for good times.

But what the Chicago race will be remembered for is Cheruiyot’s fall at the finish line as he was ready to lift his arms in victory while breasting the finishing tape. It appeared as if the Kenyan slipped on either the marathon’s logo at the finish line or the chip-timing mat, which sent his legs into the air and his head to the concrete.



Luckily for Cheruiyot, his feet pitched forward to break the finishing plane before he had to be helped off the course.

You know it’s bad fall when a guy’s feet land last and his head lands first.

Nevertheless, it was a third second-place finish at Chicago for Njenga and a 2:10:48 for Sell, a Pennsylvania kid, who was definitely primed for a sub-2:10.

Sell was the second American finisher behind Abdi Abdiraham, who finished fourth in 2:08:55. That’s the second-fastest time by an American on a non-aided course.

Another interesting observation from watching the race on the feed from the CBS affiliate in Chicago was all of the men – American men – finishing the race as the top women were heading in. Ethiopian Berhane Adere won the women’s race in 2:20:42 in a duel with Galina Bogomolova, in which the pair had to weave around a pack of men digging for the finish.

According to the results, 36 American men met the “A” qualifying standards (2:20) for the Olympic Trials, while 15 more were under the “B” standard (2:22). All told, 117 people finished under 2:30, which makes me think Chicago is the course to run if one is looking for a fast time.

Better yet, the race will be broadcast on the Internet.