Fans impatiently awaiting another fantastic Lanterne Rouge performance at least got the satisfaction of seeing some exciting sports action at the Marine Corps Marathon. Two types of competitors were on wheels. Handcyclists, like road racing bicyclists, pilot machines with a full arrays of gears. Wheelchair racers push the wheels directly with their hands. Thus they, like fixed-gear bicyclists, have only one gear. Both handcyclists and wheelchair racers have to be as tough as competitive bicyclists, and a lot less scrawny.
In the handcycling division of the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon, Scott McNeice of St. Petersburg, FL, won in a time of 1:22:27 for the 26.2 mile course. He edged out by one second Chris Peterson of Tierra Verde, FL, in a thrilling finish. Middle-aged men will rejoice to know that McNeice is 50 years old, and Peterson, 47.
David Swope of New Windsor, MD won the wheelchair division with a time of 2:05:53. Like the leading handcyclists, over the whole course he was much faster than any runner in the event, in fact, faster than any person has ever run a marathon. But going up a steep hill in a wheelchair isn’t easy. Especially after wheeling 26 miles. Watch Swope on the final climb about two hundred yards from the finish at the Iwo Jima Memorial, in the midst of the tail end of the 10K runners. Imagine that next time you’re struggling!
Speaking of marathons and such…
Just fyi, there ARE Cows here. And we DO fly. We also have taillights.
We did not, however, win the Marine Corps Marathon on Wheels. We enter the four-hoofmen of the apocalypse division, to be next weekend.
Moo!
Congrats to the winners – and all those who participated in the race! I also want to thank everyone for their service to our country.
That clip of David Swopes really shows the moments that go into wheelchair sports. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the training and experience these folks put in when you see them sailing by and winning, but this clip is a reminder of what it takes to beat records.