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Overheard during the Half Marathon: ‘Wait, was that Lil Nas

Sabir Ansary — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:36:33 +0000

Ahead of one of its signature events, New York Road Runners made an unusual email request Friday evening.

The rapper and singer Lil Nas United Airlines NYC Half, a 13.1-mile race scheduled to be held on Sunday morning. And one of his representatives was curious: was there room in the race for one more runner?

“It kind of came out of the blue,” New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer said in a phone interview on Monday.

The nonprofit, which hosts about 60 races each year, including the New York City Marathon, was happy to oblige. It hardly mattered that Lil Nas Or that he came to the race with a few Coach high sneakerswhich are more boat than high-end racing flat.

Accompanied by Roberto Mandje, New York Road Runners senior advisor for running engagement and coaching, Lil Nas 2 hours 32 minutes 53 seconds.

“We were running and you heard someone yell, ‘Wait, was that Lil Nas X?’” Mr. Mandje said in an interview. “So he turned around and waved, and they panicked.”

Representatives for Lil Nas X did not respond to a request for comment.

Ahead of Sunday’s event, race officials kept his participation on the back burner, Mr. Simmelkjaer said, as did Lil Nas He also seemed determined to get the full experience, going so far as to personally visit the pre-race expo on Saturday to grab his race bib (No. 2271) and commemorative long-sleeved T-shirt.

He was wearing the shirt when he met Mr Mandje at 6.30am on Sunday. Mr. Mandje, who described himself as “one of the few people in the world” who didn’t know Lil Nas (No.) Did he have a purpose? (End.) Did he want to talk during the race? (Absolutely.) More than anything, Mr. Mandje said, that’s what Lil Nas enjoy the experience.

“We’re going to have a good time,” Mr. Mandje remembered telling him.

When Lil Nas In other words, Lil Nas – unconventional.

“I’m not sure everyone can do that,” Mr. Mandje said.

Lil Nas Coach describes its high-top sneakers as “built for comfort and long-lasting wear.” But they are more than twice as heavy as a normal pair of running sneakers.

And sure enough, around Mile 10, Lil Nas He even came up with the idea of taking a break from the track so he could buy a pair of running shoes at a Foot Locker. But the store was closed, so he plowed on.

“Hey, you’ve come this far,” Mr. Mandje remembered telling him.

Mr Mandje also captured a few moments behind the scenes on social media. For example, at Mile 3 he asked Lil Nas

“I don’t feel anything,” he said. “No pain at all. There’s nothing in my shoulders. There is nothing in my legs at all.”

“And we learn a lot about running, right?” Mr. Basket asked as they continued jogging.

“We’re learning a lot,” Lil Nas

When Mr. Mandje told him to wave goodbye to Brooklyn around Mile 4, Lil Nas Lil Nas And at Mile 11: “I smell ribs. I’m going to use that as motivation.” And at Mile 12: “It’s basically over. Actually, I’ve already done it.”

Mr Simmelkjaer, who used the race’s live results app to track Lil Nas After Mr. Simmelkjaer introduced himself, Lil Nas

“I’m officially no longer uncool as a dad,” Mr Simmelkjaer said.

Mr. Mandje said he was under the impression that Lil Nas

Lil Nas

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Amy Robach and TJ Holmes run the half marathon in New York City

Sabir Ansary — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 01:57:45 +0000

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes. Mike Stobe/Getty for New York Road Runners

Amy Robach And TJ Holmes has removed another breed from their list.

The couple was all smiles after completing the New York Road Runners United Airlines New York City Half Marathon on Sunday, March 17. Robach, 51, wore a gray jacket with long half-zip sleeves, black leggings and sunglasses, while Holmes, 46, opted for an all-white ensemble.

Before the race, Robach shared a selfie with Holmes via Instagram Story and wrote, “Let’s do this!!!” Holmes also posted a running selfie via his Instagram Story, along with another photo of the mile 9 marker.

The race follows Robach and Holmes competing together in the New York City Marathon in November 2023. They both started at 9:10 a.m. and completed the 26.2-mile course 4 hours and 14 minutes later at 1:25 p.m.

Robach and Holmes previously ran together, even before news of their relationship broke. In November 2022, the couple participated in the New York City Marathon.

“4 marathons… 2 in the last 4 weeks… NO WAY I could have ever accomplished this on my own!” Robach said via Instagram at the time alongside photos of the pair finishing the race with friends. “I love this running team so much. We encourage each other, train together and finish together. Thank you to everyone who came along the streets of the five boroughs to cheer us on… there is no bigger city in the world!!”

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes. Mike Stobe/Getty for New York Road Runners

Later that month, the first GMA3 costars sparked dating rumors as they got cozy outside the office. In December 2022, the couple went on hiatus Good morning Americathe third hour. We weekly exclusively revealed in January 2023 that Robach and Holmes had left the ABC morning show.

When their romance made headlines, Holmes filed for divorce Marilee Fiebig and Robach ended her marriage with Andrew Shue.

Despite remaining tight-lipped about their love life, Holmes and Robach clarified how their relationship began during a December 2023 episode of their podcast “Amy and TJ.”

“To be clear, we were outed for being in a relationship, but everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterers – that we were cheating on our husbands – and that wasn’t the case, because the strange thing is that on the day those photos were taken and the day that article was released, we were both in divorce proceedings at the time,” Holmes said.

Robach also claimed that her marriage to Shue, 57, ended before she was in a relationship with Holmes. “We had lawyers and mediators, we were in the middle of divorces,” she said. “We thought we were protecting our children and our families and we thought we had time and we thought we had the right to privacy, and maybe that was foolish and foolish.”

That same month, multiple media outlets reported that Robach and Holmes’ former spouses were dating, with a source exclusively telling Us at the moment when Shue and Fiebig’s “feelings for each other are genuine.”

Shue and Fiebig, 46, were later spotted together at John F. Kennedy International Airport in January 2024.

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How a marathon runner and sommelier spends his Sundays

Sabir Ansary — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 08:00:42 +0000

In New York wine industry circles, Yannick Benjamin is known as one of the best sommeliers. He learned the trade as a young man at places like Jean-Georges and Le Cirque. His work in the hospitality industry took on new meaning when he had a car accident in 2003 at the age of 25, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

After earning a sommelier certification the following year, Mr. Benjamin began devoting some of his energy to supporting other people with disabilities. He and a friend, Alex Elegudin, started the nonprofit Wheeling Forward, which offers a variety of services and programs. Another non-profit organization, Wine on Wheels, grew out of it, with Mr. Benjamin using his connections to raise money and “raise awareness in the hospitality industry that people with disabilities should be treated with respect and dignity.”

In 2021, Mr. Benjamin put his vision to the test by opening Contento in East Harlem with his friend George Gallego. The restaurant quickly became known as a model of accessibility in dining, with adjustments for wheelchair users, a menu in Braille and adaptable cutlery.

Mr. Benjamin, 46, was raised in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen by French immigrant parents, and last year he and his wife, Heidi Turzyn Benjamin, opened Beaupierre Wines & Spirits nearby. The couple lives with their dog Amélie in a two-bedroom apartment in the Concourse section of the Bronx.

EARLY BIRD I love waking up in the morning. From 4:30 am to about 8:30 am I am free from any form of anxiety. It is time that I own. I don’t have to worry about a phone call or anything like that. The first thing I always try to do in the morning – I have one of these little timers – is practice the ‘pomodoro’ method. I’ll keep it on for about 20, 25 minutes. I go straight to my water cooler, drink a glass of water, electrolytes, brush my teeth. Then I immediately switch to what I call my own form of meditation.

OLD TEXTS I am a great practitioner of Stoicism. Weekends are my time for reading in the mornings. I often read many books: “The Discourses of Epictetus”; I read a lot about Marcus Aurelius; I love all things Seneca. I’ll highlight a lot of their stuff.

What is crucial for me is that I write to myself in the same way that Marcus Aurelius did in the book ‘Meditations’. When he wrote that book, he didn’t really write it for other people to read; it was a diary for himself. It’s a way to improve yourself, to ask yourself, “Whoa, Yannick, why did you get upset because the elevator was broken?” Or, “Was it really necessary for you to snap at that person?” Just ask questions and make sure you learn good habits.

ADAPTIVE TRAINING Sundays and Saturdays are the days when I like to push my workouts to the limit and exhaust myself. At least well over an hour of cardio, that’s my hand crank – equivalent to a Peloton bike, but only for someone who has only an upper body, because I’m paralyzed, right? I do adaptive jumping. I do my adaptive burpees. I’m heading to Access Initiatives, the wellness and physical fitness center, to see my colleague and friend George Gallego [the founder]. We’re going to do the New York City half marathon [on Sunday] together. We have run a number of marathons together, full marathons. He is also my business partner in the Contento restaurant.

STRATEGY SESSION We like going to Contento; on Sundays it is closed and it is just nice to be in your own place. We love talking about what’s going on in the nonprofit world and what our next goals are. But also to talk about the restaurant.

I mean, there’s ups, there’s downs. Especially now, the restaurant industry is a bit challenging. Fortunately, we don’t have high overhead; we’re a small space so it’s good. But we realize we are in a city of 26,000 restaurants. And one day you’re a cool kid, and the next day you’re kind of forgotten.

NOTRE DAME I usually like to visit the Church of Notre Dame. If there is no mass, I just sit there and do a little meditation, staying in silence – more of a gratitude for all the good things in my life. I love the feel of church. It gives me great joy to go there and find that peace.

One of my favorite quotes comes from ‘Sound of Metal’. It’s about someone who goes deaf, and one of the scenes says that the world can be a damn cruel place, but it’s those moments of silence – they’re the closest you get to the kingdom of God, and those moments of silence will make you never betrayed. You. We need those moments to gain some clarity. Because we know that the next day we will be back in the rat race.

FANTASTIC CHICKEN One of my favorite restaurants is a place called Benoit. I could go there, have a little brunch or lunch with a friend. And I always like to organize a good, solid meeting with someone I haven’t spoken to in a while. Mostly it’s about Wine on Wheels and what the future holds. Their roasted chicken is the best on earth.

WINES AND DRINKS It gives me comfort that I was able to open a store in the same building in which I was born and raised. Most people experience trauma sometimes. They just want to get away from the place where they grew up. And I understand that. But in my case, what an opportunity to be so close, next to my sister who lives one building away, and see my nephews all the time. My mother comes downstairs and always brings me food. I’ve had some tough moments in my life, but at the end of the day, I’m one of the happiest people on earth.

MAMANS SPECIALTIES I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, but I always say my mother is a master of organ meats. She does kidney, liver or something like tripe. It’s so good. She always surprises me. And then we catch up, and as you can imagine, we have a lot to talk about because my dad just passed away. But she is cheerful. She is one of the strongest individuals I have ever met.

NO-JUDGMENT WINE I really don’t drink that much, even though I’m in the wine industry. It’s the one night of the week that I can actually drink a glass of wine without dissecting it or judging it, and just enjoy the simplicity of it, the stimulation of it. My wife and I just enjoy each other’s company. And with our little dog, Amelie, we watch what’s on TV, have fun conversations and keep things very simple. We don’t really talk about politics. We just talk about really nothing, but sometimes nothing is great.

Readers of Sunday Routine can follow Yannick Benjamin Instagram at @yannickbenjamin.

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Dune: Part Two review – Heartthrob Timothee Chalamet leads an all-star cast in this sci-fi marathon sequel – just don’t forget your sandwiches, writes BRIAN VINER

Albert Elence — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:25:37 +0000

DUNE: PART TWO (12A, 166 min.)

Judgement:

Verdict: A sand spectacle

Dune burst onto Leicester Square a few weeks ago at its world premiere. I’ve been to many big openings there over the years, but never one so flamboyant, with as much fanfare, that caused so much frenzy.

Probably not in the sixty years since the heyday of The Beatles has that patch of central London reverberated with the kind of vociferous adoration directed (this time) at the star of the Dune films, 28-year-old Timothee Chalamet. And there were at least four Beatles to share the spotlight. The young American star gets ‘Chalamania’, as it is called, all to himself.

The bigger problem, though, was this: Would Denis Villeneuve’s epic sequel justify the razzamatazz, not to mention the investment of an entire evening? Dune: Part Two lasts almost three hours. It’s even longer than the first movie, which seemed like forever.

Fortunately. The 2021 film tackled many of the plot complexities that fueled years of belief that Frank Herbert’s mighty 1965 sci-fi novel was “unfilmable” (claims not exactly punctured by David Lynch’s 1984 stinker). It was wonderful, but exhausting, laboriously introducing us to the interplanetary empire Herbert imagined, and the various dynasties that struggled for power or simply for survival.

The sequel has a mercifully simpler story. On the barren planet Arrakis, where most of his own kin have been wiped out, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) prepares to lead the beleaguered, disenfranchised Fremen tribe against him and their mortal enemies, the formidably evil House Harkonnen.

Timothee Chalamet (photo) reprises the role of Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two. On the barren planet Arrakis, where most of his own kin have been wiped out, Paul prepares to lead the beleaguered, disenfranchised Fremen tribe against the fearsomely evil House Harkonnen.

Paul (Chalamet) who has a truly gripping duel with the rising champion of the House of Harkonnen (a shaved head Austin Butler)

Zendaya (pictured) stars as Chani, Paul’s Fremen lover. Paul’s goal is to disrupt spice production, but unlike our own Just Stop Oil brigade, he has to do more than lie on the highway

Ruled by the grotesque Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard in a rickety fat suit), to whom they swear allegiance during hair-raising Nuremberg-style rallies, the Harkonnen owe their political and military supremacy to their control over “spices” – the most valuable commodity in this world. universe, which Dune enthusiasts widely assume is a metaphor for oil.

Paul’s goal is to disrupt spice production, but unlike our own Just Stop Oil brigade, he has to do more than lie on the highway. Anyway, Arrakis has no highways. It is a vast desert, in which he must prove himself to the Fremen by undergoing various challenges, such as sand surfing behind a worm about the size of a superyacht.

Paul has a useful ally in the Fremen chief, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), not to mention a Fremen lover, the smoldering and beautiful Chani (Zendaya).

But there are others who distrust him. Is he a false prophet or their true ‘mahdi’, their messiah? His modesty completes it. “The Mahdi is too modest to say he is the Mahdi,” someone says approvingly, which reminded me strongly of the scene in The Life Of Brian, in which Brian’s attempts to convince his followers that he is a completely ordinary man counterproductive, because only the true messiah would deny his divinity.

I hope Villeneuve also had Monty Python in mind, because other than that there isn’t much obvious humor or fun in this film.

But it’s supremely stylish, with a piercing Hans Zimmer score and beautiful work from cinematographer Greig Fraser.

Mostly, the action unfolds in subtle shades of brown and beige, as if the set designers were told to confine themselves to the edges of the Farrow & Ball color chart. This makes Paul’s eyes appear even bluer, a bit like Peter O’Toole’s in Lawrence of Arabia. As Noel Coward said at that premiere, if it had been more beautiful it could have been called Florence of Arabia. The same goes for Chalamet. Even more delicious and they should have called it June.

Rebecca Ferguson (photo) reprises the role of Paul’s mother: Lady Jessica. There are stars everywhere you look, in a film that is exuberant in every way and demands to be seen on a big screen

Florence Pugh (pictured) is a newcomer to the franchise. She stars as Princess Irulan, the emperor’s scheming daughter

Paul (Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya) share a kiss on the sand dunes of Arrakis. Mostly, the action unfolds in subtle shades of brown and beige, as if the set designers were told to confine themselves to the edges of the Farrow & Ball color chart.

Paul (Chalamet) walking through the arid landscape of Arrakis. Probably not in sixty years, since the heyday of The Beatles, has Leicester Square resounded with the kind of raucous adoration directed (this time) at the star of the Dune films, 28-year-old Timothee at the Leicester Square premiere.

But Paul is first and foremost a fierce warrior, who wages a truly harrowing duel with the rising champion of the Harkonnen (a shaven-headed Austin Butler), and whose muscular beauty destroys Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), the Emperor’s scheming daughter ( Christopher Walken).

Butler, Pugh and Walken are all new additions to the cast, along with Lea Seydoux and, in a cameo, Anya Taylor-Joy. Rebecca Ferguson and Charlotte Rampling also return from the first film. There are stars everywhere you look, in a film that is exuberant in every way and demands to be seen on a big screen.

It’s really spectacular. But take sandwiches.

Red Island (12A, 117 minutes)

Judgement:

Verdict: Believe in Madagascar

This captivatingly quirky (and visually stunning) French-language drama is set on a French air base in Madagascar in the early 1970s, where the former colonizers continue to exert their control over the now independent countries.

Writer-director Robin Campillo immerses us in the daily lives of one family: the moody father of an aviator, his volatile wife, their marital problems and those of their friends.

But the main focus is on their impossibly adorable eight-year-old son Thomas (Charlie Vauselle), whose superhero fantasies are brought to life in strangely seductive little interludes as he seeks refuge in the strange world of adults.

Red Island is now in cinemas, as well as on Curzon Home Cinema.

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World record holder and London marathon winner Kelvin Kiptum dies aged just 24

Jeffrey Bailey — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 01:26:08 +0000

LONDON Marathon winner and world record holder Kelvin Kiptum has died aged just 24.

The Kenyan long-distance runner died in a car accident on Sunday along with his coach Garvais Hakizimana.

Kelvin Kiptum crosses the finish line to win the Elite Men's Marathon at the 2023 TCS London Marathon in April 2023Credit: Getty

The Kenyan was selected to represent his country ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in ParisCredit: X/@RailaOdinga

The Kenyan international poses next to Sifan Hassan, winner of last year's Elite Women's race, holding the Chris Brasher Memorial TrophyCredit: PA

Kiptum won the London Marathon last April and broke the course record by crossing the line in two hours, one minute and 25 seconds.

Just months later, he broke the world marathon record in Chicago, completing the 26-mile race in just two hours and 35 seconds.

The international track federation World Athletics had only ratified his records last week.

Kenya's former Prime Minister Raila Odinga confirmed that Kiptum had died on

“Together with his coach, they tragically died tonight.”

“My deepest condolences to his loved ones, friends and the entire athletics fraternity.

“Our nation mourns the profound loss of a true hero.”

The accident happened on a road in western Kenya, a high-altitude area often used as a training base for long-distance athletes.

The London Marathon organizers said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible news of the deaths of marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana.

“The thoughts of everyone at the TCS London Marathon are with the family and friends of Kelvin and Gervais.”

World Athletics President Seb Coe said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana.

“On behalf of all World Athletics, we extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation.

“It wasn't until earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon world record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time.

“An incredible athlete who leaves an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly.”

Local reports state that a second passenger, a lady identified as Sharon Kosgey, was in the car at the time of the crash.

She survived the impact, but with serious injuries, and was rushed to Racecourse Hospital for medical attention.

The bodies of Kiptum and Hakiziman were taken to the hospital mortuary.

Elgeyo Marakwet police commander Petr Mulinge confirmed that the accident occurred around 11pm (8pm GMT) on Sunday.

According to Mulinge, Kiptum lost control of the vehicle, left the road and ended up in a ditch about 200 feet away before crashing into a tree.

He added that Kiptum and Hakizimana “died on the spot”.

Kiptum was currently training to run a short two-hour run during the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14.

He was also selected by Kenya for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

How Kelvin Kiptum went from borrowing shoes to winning the London Marathon

Kelvin Kiptum was known as the only person in history to run the marathon in under two hours and one minute in a race that qualified for a record.

But the Kenyan, 24, had to rise from the depths of poverty before his remarkable success.

When he lined up for his first major local race in 2018, Kiptum did so with borrowed running shoes because he couldn't afford a pair of his own.

Kiptum started his career on the road, breaking with the previous tradition of athletes starting on the track before moving on to longer distances.

But that wasn't by choice.

Kiptum claims he made the decision purely due to a lack of resources.

“I didn't have money to travel to track sessions,” he explained BBC Sports Africa.

“My training spot is far from a track, so I started training with guys who run on the road – and that's how I got into marathoning.”

Why it took Kiptum 23 YEARS to agree to run a marathon

Kiptum may have been a world record holder and champion, but it took a lot of convincing to get him into the top spot.

According to his coach, Garvais Hakizimana, Kiptum needed time to warm up to the idea of running a marathon.

The Kenyan initially feared that it might be too tough.

“He had some apprehension and preferred the shorter half marathon until 2022 when he finally agreed to a marathon,” Hakizimana told BBC Sport Africa.

A few years later, Kiptum would achieve 42 kilometer triumphs in Valencia, London and Chicago.

But there were other complications that stood in the way of Kiptum realizing his potential.

Kiptum had to convince his family that he could make it in athletics.

His father had been convinced that he should go to college instead.

“He wanted me to go to college to get my electrician's degree, but I said I had to be an athlete — I had that passion,” Kiptum recalls.

“That period was very hard for me because I trained for four years, but there were no successes and they were disappointed in me. But I kept pushing.”

Eventually, his father came around and occasionally even helped him get to early morning practice on time.

Kiptum poses as he celebrates winning the elite men's race in just two hours and 35 secondsCredit: Reuters

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I'm a former Arsenal great who collapsed and was rushed to hospital after the FA Cup marathon

Jeffrey Bailey — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 02:01:21 +0000

BRIAN TALBOT was so exhausted after an FA Cup marathon he collapsed on the team bus and ended up in hospital on a heart monitor.

But even Talbot – who played all SEVENTY games for Arsenal in their epic 1979-80 campaign – doesn't want the replays scrapped.

Continuing replays saw Brian Talbot (right) fall ill after one FA Cup matchCredit: Getty

Alan Mullery was Fulham's captain when they reached the FA Cup final in 1975, losing to West HamCredit: Rex

But Alan Mullery, who captained Fulham in their longest cup run to Wembley in 1975, claims endless replays were 'madness' and football is finally making sense.

When Aston Villa take on Chelsea and Nottingham Forest hosts Bristol City, it will likely be the last time clubs from England's top two divisions feature in replays as they will be eliminated in the third and fourth rounds next season.

Former Gunners midfielder Talbot set up the longest FA Cup semi-final with a headed winner against Liverpool in 1980 – a draw that lasted 7.5 hours.

But Terry Neill's side lost both the cup final to West Ham and the European Cup Winners' Cup final to Valencia in the space of four days, either side of Talbot's visit to the infirmary.

Talbot, now chief scout at Fulham, told SunSport: “I assume it was exhaustion that made me sick on the bus coming back from Wembley. They kept me on a heart monitor in the hospital for 24 hours.

“But I played in the European final on Wednesday and we lost on penalties – so that was even more extra time.

“In the semi-final against Liverpool we played them four times in the cup and once in the league – another draw – in the space of five weeks.

Doing away with reruns would take away whatever romance is left

Brian Talbot

“I hit the crossbar in the first game at Hillsborough and it would have saved everyone a lot of energy if I had scored that.

“But after a few more draws I headed the winner in the fourth game.

“Liverpool were the best team in the country and they were all hard-fought games.

Ray Parlor calls recent Arsenal kit the worst ever as he claims even the infamous 'bruised bananas' shirt wasn't that bad

“Both clubs had small squads by modern standards and fielded their best teams in every match.

“The big unknown is whether we would have won one or two cups that season if we hadn't had to play all those replays.”

Still, Talbot believes it will be wrong to scrap replays and that football authorities should think more about smaller clubs.

He said: “They are expanding the World Cup, the Champions League and the Club World Cup so they are hardly helping themselves.

“It is sad for smaller clubs if they play against Manchester United or Arsenal and would not deserve a repeat if they drew.

“The Cup no longer has the romance it used to have and that makes me sad.

“I think getting rid of replays would take away a little bit more.

“Of course, modern football is faster and players use more energy, but clubs have much larger squads so they can cope.

“Sometimes current players are told they need rest, when they actually don't need it.”

But Mullery, who guided Fulham through Eleven games to reach Wembley in 1975, disagrees.

Just like Talbot's Arsenal, Fulham also lost to West Ham in the final.

That was after they had played three games to beat Hull in the third round and four to beat Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in the fourth round, before needing extra time in another replay to beat Birmingham in the semi-final.

By captaining Fulham to their only FA Cup final, the former Tottenham midfielder spawned 'Mullery is God' graffiti that was defaced on a wall in Stevenage Road, outside Craven Cottage, for years.

I spent more time with teammate Bobby Moore than with my wife during that Cup run

Alan Mullery

And Mullery, who played for England before managing Crystal Palace and Brighton, said: “That record we set for the longest ever route to Wembley will now never be broken. But it was crazy, we were playing at Nottingham Forest every few days at one point.

“I'd had that wretched Cloughie shouting in my ear for weeks!

“We were so devastated that we were on our feet and neither team really had an idea of their chances after playing each other four times.

“Bobby Moore had just left West Ham for Fulham and he was my roommate that season.

“During that cup match I spent more time with him than with my wife.

“At one point Mooro turned to me and said: 'I think I've played more games for Fulham than I ever played for West Ham!'

“So I am happy that they will settle the cup matches on that day with penalties. We should never have experienced so many games, it was madness.”

ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with the latest transfer news from the Emirates

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Dick Traum, 83, deceased; Marathon runner champion disabled athletes

Sabir Ansary — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 19:05:20 +0000

Dick Traum, who was credited with being the first person to run a marathon on a prosthetic leg, completing the 1976 New York race, and who subsequently founded the Achilles Track Club to encourage other disabled athletes in an era when they barriers to participation faced in sports, died January 23 in Manhattan. He was 83.

His death, in a rehabilitation center after a heart attack, was confirmed by his wife, Elizabeth Traum.

Mr. Traum competed in the New York City Marathon the first year the race expanded to all five boroughs, at the start of the jogging boom of the 1970s. There were about 2,000 runners, and Mr. Traum, whose right leg was amputated above the knee, was one of only two with disabilities. With a four-hour lead, he was passed at mile 18 by the eventual winner, Bill Rodgers, who shouted, “Attaboy, Dick!”

Mr. Traum went on to race in more than 70 marathons, first on his artificial leg and later by cranking a hand cycle, a low three-wheeled bicycle powered by his arms. In 1993, he jogged with President Bill Clinton in Washington using forearm crutches.

The Achilles Track Club, which he founded in 1983 and led for 36 years, expanded to 18 countries and provided free training advice and psychological support. Now mentioned Achilles InternationalAccording to the organization, 150,000 people have participated in its programs. In November, nearly 500 disabled athletes and guides took part in the latest New York City Marathon, many wearing the club's neon yellow T-shirts.

“When an able-bodied runner is passed by someone on one leg, it changes their perception of what disabled people can do,” Mr. Traum told CNN in 2012. “It also changes the way disabled athletes see themselves.”

A member of the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame, Mr. Traum convinced founder Fred Lebow – who created the New York City Marathon – to sponsor the Achilles Track Club. They initially tried to attract participants by contacting runners in the medical profession who might have disabled patients. Almost no one responded.

Then Mr. Traum tried to trap people on the street. “I saw someone with a disability and said, 'Hey, how about working at Achilles?'” he told The New York Times in 1985. “Amazingly, for every three people I asked, someone would say, 'Gosh, that's a good idea.'”

In 1984, he told The Times, all thirteen Achilles members who had competed in the New York Marathon finished the race. A decade later, 260 disabled athletes took part in the event, including blind runners and people with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, heart transplants and autism. The organization calls Mr. Traum the first person to run a marathon wearing a prosthetic leg.

The program was expanded with Achilles childrenthat helps disabled children, and the The Freedom Teamthat trains wounded veterans, including some at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. Trisha Meiliwho became known as the Central Park Jogger after a brutal attack in 1989, began running with Achilles during her recovery and later teamed up with Mr. Traum to create the Hope & Possibility Racea five-mile running event in Central Park.

“We share an unhappy bond,” Ms. Meili said of the participants in a 2005 race. But “we are moving forward and saying, 'Look what we can do.'”

Richard George Traum was born on November 18, 1940 in Manhattan. His father, Aaron Traum, helped run a family business, the David Traum Company, which sold zippers and other items on East 26th Street. His mother Lilly (Korn) Traum worked in the business before she married. Richard graduated from the Horace Mann School in the Bronx in 1958.

In 1965, while standing behind his car at a gas station on the New Jersey Turnpike, Mr. Traum was crushed by another driver. Both his legs were broken at the thigh, resulting in the amputation. He was in a Ph.D. program in industrial psychology at New York University Sloan School of Business, where he previously earned a BS and MBA degree. He received his PhD in 1973.

A former college wrestler, Mr. Traum became sedentary and out of shape after his accident while running an HR consulting firm he founded. When a friend died of a heart attack, Mr. Traum decided to get back into shape. He participated in a fitness program at the West Side YMCA, where he, like other participants, had to run for 10 minutes. At first he hopped and found it difficult to jog on his artificial leg. It took three months before he could run 10 minutes.

“I asked my coach how I was doing compared to the other amputees, and he said, 'About the same,'” he later recalled. “The joke was that there were no other amputee runners.”

After a year, Mr. Traum ran a five-mile race in Central Park, and on October 26, 1976, he raced in the city's 26.2-mile marathon, finishing in 7 hours, 51 minutes. He was addicted.

Besides his wife, so is he survived by a son, Joseph; a granddaughter; and a sister, Joanne Raffel. He lived in Manhattan.

At 78, Mr. Traum was the oldest New Yorker at the 2019 Boston Marathon, his 74th marathon, in which he competed on a hand cycle. He had switched to cycling after undergoing knee replacement surgery on his left leg in the early 2000s.

Paradoxically, Mr. Traum had opposed wheelchair racers when the first tried to participate in the New York Marathon in 1977. The Road Runners club rejected the participants because they posed a threat to the runners. At the time, Mr. Traum called wheelchairs a “deadly instrument” that could reach speeds of 30 miles per hour when rolling down the ramp of the 59th Street Bridge.

But after a wheelchair racer took his case to the New York State Supreme Court, the Road Runners reached a settlement and admitted him. Wheelchairs – both models with push rims and hand cycles – eventually became commonplace.

After Mr. Traum retired as president of Achilles International in 2019, he became president of the United States Wheelchair Sports Fund, where he worked until his death.

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Bill Iffrig, runner in the iconic Boston Marathon bombing photo, dies at 89

Sabir Ansary — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:02:22 +0000

Bill Iffrig, who became a national symbol of resilience for appearing in a photo documenting his fall at the 2013 Boston Marathon finish line after the first of two bombs exploded and who quickly got up and completed the race, died on January 8 . was 89.

Mr. Iffrig died at a memory care facility in Marysville, Washington, according to his son, Mark Iffrig, who confirmed his father's death.

Mr Iffrig, an experienced mountain climber and president of a local climbing club, did not start running until he was 42. He went on to win dozens of national championships in races of various distances.

He ran more than 50 marathons, including several Boston Marathons. Mr. Iffrig finished second in his age group of over-80s at the 2015 Boston Marathon, his son said.

However, Mr. Iffrig gained national attention after running in the Boston Marathon in 2013, the year two homemade pressure cooker bombs were detonated. Three people were killed that day, 17 lost limbs and another 250 were injured, many of them seriously.

Mr Iffrig was about 60 feet from the finish line when the first bomb went off, knocking him to the ground. The moment was captured by John Tlumacki, a photographer for The Boston Globe.

In a 2015 interview with MSNBCMr Iffrig recalled the explosion and lying on the ground as he assessed whether he had been injured.

Since he wasn't bleeding and all his joints were “working fine,” he decided he could continue, he said.

“I'm going to get up and finish this thing,” he remembered thinking. 'I was there for four hours. I didn't want to stop.”

Soon his bright orange shirt became known throughout the country.

He became a symbol of resilience. President Barack Obama mentioned him by name as he addressed the nation after the bombings.

“Like Bill Iffrig, 78 years old — the runner in the orange tank top who we all saw crushed by the blast — we may be knocked down for a moment, but we'll get back up,” Obama said.

Before his photo circulated in the news, Mr. Iffrig lived a quiet life in Washington state.

William George Iffrig was born on June 13, 1934 in Everett, Washington, the son of Clarence and Fannie Iffrig. His father worked at a cast iron company in Everett, and his mother was primarily a homemaker and did some housework later in life, Mark Iffrig said.

Shortly after Bill Iffrig graduated from Everett High School, he began working as a carpenter for Weyerhaeuser, a pulp mill. He worked there for about twenty years before the factory closed.

He later became a mason for Scott Paper Company, where he worked for about twenty years before retiring.

In addition to his son Mark, Mr Iffrig had a daughter, Susan Shephard, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His wife Donna, to whom he was married for 69 years, died in November. His other son, Curtis, died in a car accident in 1979 when he was 17.

Despite his achievements in racing, Mr. Iffrig remained humble, Mark Iffrig recalls.

“If he lost or won the race, he was the same person,” he said on Saturday. “He didn't talk about himself, he just went about his business.”

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Putin says he is fighting for ‘the very existence of Russia’ and boasts about ‘annihilation’ of tanks provided by the West as he begins annual marathon press conference after cancelling last year as Ukraine invasion faltered

Albert Elence — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 10:12:46 +0000

Vladimir Putin said his main priority is to safeguard ‘the very existence of Russia’ as he began his first marathon end-of-year press conference since ordering the invasion of Ukraine.

The despot is answering questions from journalists and viewers during the hours-long ‘End of the Year with Vladimir Putin’ conference, a week after he announced he is running in March’s presidential election, which will keep him in the Kremlin until at least 2030.

Opening the conference with an impassioned speech, the Russian president said: ‘The very existence of our country without sovereignty is impossible. It simply will not exist, at least not in the state it is now…

‘That means strengthening our borders, our political system, social sovereignty, economic and technological sphere.’

He went on to laud the state of the Russian economy in spite of Western economic sanctions, speaking on economic growth and wage rises, before turning his attention to the Ukraine war.

Speaking on the ‘special military operation’ across the border, Putin said: ‘It will come to an end sooner or later. They are receiving aid but our annihilation of their tanks and planes continues.

‘There will be peace when we achieve our goals. Let’s return to these goals: they have not changed. I’ll remind you of what we talked about then: the denazification of Ukraine, its demilitarisation, its neutral status.’

‘If they don’t want to come to an agreement, then we are forced to take other measures, including military ones.’

Addressing a question on mobilisation of more troops, Putin said: ‘I know it’s a sensitive matter. We had some mobilisation, we called up around 300,000. They were called recruits – but they’ve been doing an excellent job…

‘We started a broad campaign to encourage volunteers to sign contracts with the armed forces. It’s going to be around 500,000 people by the end of the year – why do we need another round of mobilisation?’ Putin asked rhetorically.

The despot is answering questions from journalists and viewers during the hours-long marathon, a week after he announced he is running in May’s presidential election

Moving onto a question about the West’s support of Ukraine, Putin became visibly irritated.

‘Speaking of normalising relations… they (the West) have always been pushing us back.

Top quotes from ‘End of Year with Vladimir Putin’

ON THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE

‘As for demilitarization, if they don’t want to come to an agreement, then we are forced to take other measures, including military ones. Or we will agree on certain terms. By the way we agreed on these in talks in Istanbul. But then these agreements were scrapped. But we agreed on this. There are other possibilities – either reach an agreement or resolve it by force. This is what we will strive for.’

ON POSSIBILITY OF SECOND MILITARY DRAFT

‘We had a partial mobilization, we called up 300,000 people… The guys are fighting well, really well. Fourteen heroes of Russia. I think 244,000 are in the special military operation zone… After that, we started a campaign to attract people on a voluntary basis to sign contracts with the armed forces. As of yesterday evening, I was informed we now had come up with 486,000.’

‘The flow of men ready to defend our homeland with arms in hand is not decreasing. Together with volunteers, there should be around half a million people. There is no need for mobilisation as of today.’

ON THE ECONOMY

‘The most important indicator is economic growth. GDP growth by the end of the year is expected at 3.5% – this is a good indicator, it means we have recovered from last year’s fall… and we have made a relatively seriously step forward.’

‘Unfortunately, inflation has increased. By the end of the year it is expected at 7.5%, maybe a little more at 8%, but the central bank and government are taking necessary measures.’

‘We’ve been trying our best to build normal relations with Ukraine… we’ve always been saying Russians and Ukrainians are one people and what we’re seeing now is a tragedy, a war between brothers. The entire south-east of Ukraine has always been pro-Russia,’ Putin declared.

‘They would not allow us to build normal relations with Ukraine,’ he continued.

‘The coup d’etat in 2014 – the Americans spent billions on this. European ministers came and said everything would be resolved peacefully… but no, they had to create a conflict.

‘Our Americans, so-called friends… and the Europeans pretended to know nothing.

‘If you ask Europeans, they will say they don’t remember this. But we will not forget it, their aspiration to creep up to our borders and take Ukraine into NATO. They forced our hand.’

‘You see some people, like [Hungarian PM] Orban – he is protecting his national interest. There are not people like that anymore. [Europe] is simply listening to America.

‘We believe America is an important country for the world. But their imperial policies are hurting them.’

The Russian president then scoffed at Ukraine’s meagre attempts to push Moscow’s forces back, telling a military journalist: ‘The enemy forces have declared their counter-offensive but they have failed everywhere.

‘Their most recent attempt… they were trying to break through the left bank of the Dnieper river and move towards Crimea… see what happened on that part of the frontline… they are hit with artillery, drones.’

Turning to a question on the Israel-Gaza conflict, Putin said no comparisons could be made with the situation in Ukraine and said he was committed to providing humanitarian aid to Gazans.

He also underscored the importance of Turkey’s involvement in ongoing negotiations, and highlighted his recent trip to visit the Gulf Arab states of UAE and Saudi Arabia to suggest Russia was actively involved in discussions for the future of the conflict, focusing on providing humanitarian aid.

‘Everything that is happening (in Gaza) is catastrophic. But that is not what is going on in Ukraine.What is happening in Gaza is not like Ukraine.

‘The UN today said the Gaza Strip is the largest child’s cemetery in the world. This is objective.

‘As for our efforts, you know that we had consultations with UAE and Saudi Arabia.

‘First of all we need to provide massive humanitarian support, that’s something we are in constant consultation over.

‘Perhaps Russia will open a field hospital there. I spoke to the Egyptian president and he agreed. I spoke with Netanyahu – Israel said that maybe a hospital in Gaza would be too dangerous… but that does not mean it can’t happen.

‘They’ve asked us to provide more medical equipment and we will do that without a doubt.’

Vladimir Putin is holding his first marathon end-of-year press conference since ordering the invasion of Ukraine

Journalists and participants gather before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual end-of-year press conference and the Direct Line live question and answer session with the public, in Moscow, Russia December 14, 2023

Direct Line is a carefully choreographed call-in televised show that Putin has held annually – with a few exceptions – since 2001.

But the event was cancelled last year amid a struggling operation in Ukraine that saw Kyiv take back swathes of its territory from Russia in the east and south.

Ukraine’s strong resistance and support from its allies surprised observers around the world and in Moscow, where many had expected to conquer Kyiv in a few days.

But almost two years into his offensive, Putin may be sensing that his fortunes are reviving, and that the balance may be tilting in Russia’s favour.

Ukraine’s latest counteroffensive failed to pierce heavily entrenched Russian lines, and support from its allies is fraying. Neither side has managed to make significant battlefield gains recently, a situation that suits Putin for now.

Meanwhile, Russia has been able to sure-up support from its own allies.

While Ukraine’s European and North American allies have strongly condemned Russia and imposed sanctions, others – such as China – have backed Moscow.

Other powerful nations, such as India, have avoided criticising Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

During a visit to Washington this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky failed to overcome Republican opposition in Congress to approving a new $60 billion aid package.

And the Russian economy has withstood Western sanctions that aimed to isolate Russia – though the economy’s long-term resilience remains uncertain.

Moscow is still able to sustain its war effort through oil sales, which Putin discussed during a trip this month to the UAE and Saudi Arabia where he was received with full honours.

In any case, Putin’s election campaign, which he launched last week, is unlikely to be forced to address the real economic and human costs of the offensive.

Putin has heavily limited his interaction with the foreign media since the fighting began in Ukraine but international journalists were invited this year.

During Thursday’s event, he is expected to address domestic issues and international politics, and to repeat his customary rhetoric distorting Ukraine’s past.

Russian callers have already sent over 1.5 million requests, and Russian state-run news agencies reported that most call-in questions relate to the conflict in Ukraine, housing and public services.

Putin will also lay out his ambitions for the March 17 election that will allow him to extend his decades-long grip on power into the 2030s.

There is little doubt surrounding the result, as most of the opposition is in exile or behind bars. Putin’s most high-profile rival, Alexei Navalny, is currently serving a 19-year prison sentence on political charges.

And the Kremlin has intensified its crackdown on dissent since the assault on Ukraine. Thousands of people have been detained and imprisoned for protests, and many thousands more have fled the country in fear of being called up to fight.

Vladimir Putin will today hold his first marathon end-of-year press conference since ordering the invasion of Ukraine , with the cocky Russian president (seen speaking on Tuesday) feeling the tide turning in his favour nearly two years into the gruelling conflict

Two years into his offensive, Putin may be sensing that his fortunes are reviving in Ukraine, and that the balance may be tilting in Russia’s favour. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers drive a tank in a position near to the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, on December 13, 2023

Russia has still been wounded by the conflict, however, with Moscow’s armies suffering heavy losses and the economy creaking under the pressure of sanctions.

According to US intelligence, Putin has lost nearly 90 per cent of his pre-invasion army, with 315,000 personnel either killed or injured since war began.

A declassified US intelligence report assessed that Moscow’s losses in personnel and armoured vehicles to Ukraine’s military have set back Russia’s military modernisation by 18 years, a source familiar with the intelligence said on Tuesday.

Russia has also lost almost two-thirds of its tank force, or 2,200 out of its 3,500 pre-invasion stock, the congressional source said.

While it is widely known that Putin’s forces have been subject to huge losses in Ukraine, the assessment sheds new light on the extent of those setbacks.

Many is Russia assumed its much larger army would sweep to victory in Ukraine in days, overthrow the government in Kyiv and install a pupped administration.

Instead, after reaching the edged of Kyiv in the first month of the war, Russian forces were pushed back east and suffered setback after setback.

Now, they find themselves in a gruelling war being fought across a front line that stretches hundreds of miles against a determined Ukraine that has exposed weaknesses in the Russian army once believed to be one of the world’s strongest.

Analysts say the situation currently suits Russia, however, with Moscow’s armies controlling around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.

Russia is expected to be able to replenish its forces with new conscripts, and manufacture weapons faster than the West can provide them to Ukraine.

But Putin’s press conference also comes after it was revealed his country’s economy has taken a hit since the beginning of the conflict.

The war has raised domestic prices, and is forcing Moscow to devote a third of its budget on defence, British newspaper the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing a draft text from the US Treasury department.

Russia’s economy would have expanded by over 5 percent if Putin had not launched the war in Ukraine, the newspaper reported quoting Rachel Lyngaas, the chief sanctions economist at the department.

Lyngaas added that the country was underperforming other energy exporters, including the United States.

People carrying bags walk past a damaged apartment building in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv after a Russian missile strike on December 13

The US Department of the Treasury did not respond to a request for a comment from Reuters news agency.

Moscow was spending more than $100 billion, or almost a third of its total expenditures on defense in 2023, according to the FT report.

The backbone of Russia’s economy – oil and gas revenue – took a hit this year, although there had been a slight recovery in recent months as oil prices firmed.

Additionally, Western sanctions on Russia’s oil trade have not had as great an impact as initially predicted.

As Putin is speaking on Thursday, EU leaders will be working to agree a massive aid package and begin membership talks for Ukraine.

However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to veto the move.

Kyiv is desperately seeking to improve the narrative after Zelensky failed in Washington to win over Republican lawmakers.

But Orban – Russia’s closest ally in the European Union – stands in the way of Ukraine’s hopes for 50 billion euros in financial aid and progress towards its goal of one day joining the bloc.

Critics have accused Orban of holding Kyiv’s survival hostage in a bid to force Brussels to release billions of euros of EU funds frozen over a rule of law dispute.

In what some saw as a last-minute concession the European Commission, the EU’s executive, agreed on Wednesday to unblock 10 billion euros of that cash.

But 21 billion euros still remain out of Orban’s grasp and it was far from clear that the gesture would avert a damaging dispute at the summit.

Members of the pro-Ukrainian Russian ethnic Siberian Battalion practice at a military training close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, December 13

The right-wing veteran warned opening accession talks with Ukraine would be a ‘terrible mistake’ and that he would not budge.

Zelensky countered that Orban had ‘no reason’ to block Kyiv from moving towards EU membership and said his country could not beat Russia without more support.

It comes after Russia fired a fresh wave of missiles at Kyiv on Wednesday, wounding dozens of people in its most damaging attack on the capital in months.

Another strike early on Thursday wounded another 11 in the southern Odesa region, emergency services said.

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Transgender medical student is criticized for complaining she’s ’embarrassingly slow’ and ‘out of shape’ after winning women’s half marathon in upstate New York – SIX MINUTES faster than next place

Albert Elence — Sat, 02 Dec 2023 15:05:09 +0000

Kae Luci Ravichandran placed first at the Upstate Classic near Albany on Monday but complained about ’embarrassingly slow’ performance
Her comments were blasted by former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines
Ravichandran defended her comments, saying she has become “a lot slower” since starting estrogen

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 2:12 PM EST, December 1, 2023 | Updated: 09:57 EST, December 2, 2023

A trans medical student is being criticized for complaining of being “slow” and “out of shape” after winning the women’s half-marathon race in upstate New York.

Kae Luci Ravichandran called her one-hour, 24-minute finish at The Upstate Classic near Albany “embarrassingly slow.”

The Larner College student took first place, leaving runner-up Amanda Aussems six minutes ahead of first place.

But despite the win, Ravichandran was derogatory about her own performance on Sunday.

‘Embarrassingly slow, gave up after mile 5 because my tendon gave out. Very out of shape. I’ll take the [win] well[ugh],’ she said.

Trans runner Kae Luci Ravichandran called her performance at the New York State half marathon ’embarrassingly slow’ despite taking first place in the women’s race

Ravichandran finished in a time of one hour and 24 minutes, but said she “gave up after kilometer five” due to a tendon injury

She beat her closest competitor Amanda Aussems by six minutes and finished fourth in the race at Albany

Her comments angered former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, who regularly speaks out against trans athletes participating in sports.

“Male runner Kae Ravichandran won the women’s category by six minutes at the Upstate Classic Half Marathon,” she said.

‘The real winner among the ladies was Amanda Aussems with a time of 1:30.39. Congratulations to her and the other female runners.”

Ravichandran took to her Instagram Story to respond to Gaines: Fox news reports.

‘This is so stupid, I ran a 71 minute pre-estrogen half marathon less than two weeks after a marathon.

‘I ran 84 minutes for this completely fresh half. I have slowed down a lot – about 18%, my body is now physiologically a woman’s body.

‘Yet they still don’t want me to participate. It’s clear that they just don’t want transgender people in sports in general, and that biology doesn’t really matter to them.

“I have to remind myself that these people have nothing better to do with their lives and are spending all their energy on bigots.

I also have to stop opening things when I get tagged, but the morbid curiosity takes over me sometimes. Oh well. Just feel like s***’.

Ravichandran ran the race in an average of 6.28 minutes per mile, placing first in the women’s division and fourth overall.

She previously won the first non-binary division at the Boston Marathon.

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