A friend of mine is thinking of running the Boston Marathon next week with no training. He's run the race in the past so this wouldn't be his first time but it would be his first time with no training. He's the type of guy who gets pleasure out of testing his limits. He's also thinking about bringing his blackberry along for the run and blogging about the experience as the race progresses. The only thing holding him back is his fear of a long term injury given that he's had knee problems in the past.

One thing I find annoying about marathons is all the people who brag about having run a marathon and then you find out they walked half the distance. No you didn't run a marathon, you ran 12 miles. There's a big difference. In fact, I think the organizers of these marathons should have a reasonable cut off time where they close the course off if you haven't made it to a certain point. This would at least maintain the integrity of the race.

My wife took part in two short triathlons last year. The swim portion (which comes first) was fairly short - maybe a quarter mile at best. I was amazed at how many people couldn't even finish that portion. There were lifeguards all over rendering assistance. One race participant actually had a snorkel, mask and flippers and he was allowed to compete. Everyone got a medal once the race was over. It's like this is the special olympics or something.