kimblr.com

Forgive E.J. Viso if he’s a bit tired for the first day of Rookie Orientation at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 4. The 23-year-old Venezuelan rookie will compete in the 32nd running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Downtown Indianapolis the day before he begins preparations for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500.
“I’m not a professional runner, but I do run quite a lot for training purposes and I really enjoy it,” said Viso, who drives the No. 33 PDVSA HVM Racing car. “I think that participating in the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon is a great opportunity to spend some time with the people who will be watching the race in a few weeks. It is my first time running with so many people, I’ve only done a couple of 10Ks before but I’m really excited about it.
“When I get to the part of the marathon course that is inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, those will be my first steps on the track. I think it is fitting that I step foot on the grounds of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in this way. I will be taking it easy, however, not looking to set any records, as I have to be in the car on Sunday for my first day of Rookie Orientation.”
Firestone Indy Lights points leader J.R. Hildebrand also is expected to run in the Mini-Marathon.

paddocktalk.com

Published: April 21, 2008 12:54 am PrintThis
Advice for Boston Marathon spectators
By Dan Guttenplan
It’s the best day of the year to be in Boston. Time to take stock of your friends and relatives. Someone you know must be running in today’s Boston Marathon. If not, it’s OK to pretend.
Having run the marathon in 2003 and attended several others as a spectator, I’ve been on both sides of the fence. To be honest, I’m a better spectator than a marathoner. So here are my tips for watching the race.
Yes, it’s Patriots Day, and that means it’s a day off from work for Massachusetts employees. But do not mistake this as an opportunity to sleep in. You really need to be showered, dressed and ready to commit yourself to a day of spectating by 8 a.m.
That’s when the marathon coverage begins on just about any Boston-based television station. For my money, I’m going with WBZ’s Bob Lobel in what will be his final marathon broadcast for the station. Lobel, who recently learned he’ll be laid off by the station in the coming weeks, has the perfect demeanor for a fun marathon broadcast. Spend an hour with Lobel reporting from Hopkinton, and you’ll be ready to make the commute to Boston.
Now, having a friend or family member in the race gives you an excuse to cheer. But more importantly, you need a friend or family member who lives along the course. Keep these friends for as long as they live there. Even if these friends drive you crazy 364 days a year, you’ll thank me every Patriots Day.
My friend lives in Newton at the 21-mile marker. It’s a great spot for spectating, but not the best spot for runners. It’s basically right in the middle of Heartbreak Hill. So I never expect warm embraces from people I know running in the race. The longer I’m waiting for friends to pass, the less likely it is that I’ll even get a high-five. Four or more hours of waiting, and I can expect an angry glare. Sometimes — particularly if I have food in hand — I won’t even have the guts to make eye contact.

newburyportnews.com

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In addition to the nationally televised Nationals opener at the new ballpark Sunday, tomorrow will bring an exhibition game between the Nats and the Orioles, the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the National Marathon.
The events will bring thousands of fans and tourists to the city and a potential traffic and parking nightmare.
If you insist on driving, avoid the Mall, Tidal Basin, the area near the new ballpark and anywhere else tourists or runners might be. Which is pretty much everywhere this time of year.
"Take Metro, take Metro, take Metro," said Karyn LeBlanc, spokeswoman for the District’s Department of Transportation.
Metro will open two hours early tomorrow to get people to the National Marathon, which starts at 7 a.m. near RFK Stadium and the Stadium-Amory Metro station. Several thousand runners are expected to gather for the race, which winds through the city and ends back at the stadium about 1 p.m., accompanied by massive road closures.
Then the National Cherry Blossom Festival — one of the city’s biggest events of the year, with more than 1 million visitors — kicks off at 10 a.m. with the annual Smithsonian Kite Festival on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
The first pitch of the invitation-only Nats-Orioles game is at 6 p.m. tomorrow; Sunday’s season opener begins at 8:05 p.m.

washingtonpost.com

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot will be aiming for Beijing and the 2008 Olympics as much as for a fourth Boston Marathon victory when he toes the line today.
Cheruiyot, 29, will start as the men’s favourite for the 112th running of the world’s oldest annual marathon in what should be far more benign conditions than the hard rain and cold winds that made his victory last year such a struggle.
Although the tough, hilly Boston course is not known as one of the world’s fastest marathon tracks, the Kenyan will have a close eye on the clock as he bids to secure one of the three places on his country’s team for the Olympic men’s marathon this August in Beijing.
Compatriot Martin Lel threw down the gauntlet last Sunday when he won the London Marathon in a course record two hours, five minutes and 15 seconds.
Cheruiyot knows he can run equally impressively in Boston on Patriot’s Day having set a personal and course record of 2:07.14 in 2006, and the inaugural World Marathon Majors champion is relishing the opportunity to prove it
“Let me do it fast in Boston,” Cheruiyot said at a pre-marathon press conference. “I hope to qualify for the Games, (over) the toughest course in the world.”
Cheruiyot will not be the only Kenyan trying to make a point to team selectors with last year’s runner-up James Kwambai, 2004 Boston champion Timothy Cherigat and Shadrack Kiplagat, who owns the second fastest time in the field at 2:07.53, among the main men’s contenders and vying for the $150,000 U.S. first prize, the largest slice of a record $796,000 prize purse.
The women’s race will also have its reigning champion return to defend her title as Russia’s Lidiya Grigoryeva does battle with 2006 winner Rita Jeptoo, another Kenyan, and Latvia national record-holder Jelena Prokopcuka, who was the runner-up to both women.

canada.com

(KSDK) — This weekend thousands of people will hit the streets of St. Louis for a run.
It’s all for the 8th Annual Go! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend. It’s something that will bring about 15,000 participants from 46 states and eight countries. In addition to the runners, there are about 20,000 people who will line the streets cheering them on.
In addition to the running, nutritional information will be provided to everyone in attendance.
The family fitness events start at 7:30 am in Forest Park and end with a pasta party Saturday night from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
The Sunday marathon begins at 7 am at 14th and Market.

ksdk.com

The staff of Weekend, the Washington Post’s weekly entertainment guide, covers what’s happening in the Washington area. We’ll field your questions on everything in the
to weekend getaways and kids’ activities. We write about all kinds of fun things to do and we’re happy to talk to you about it.
It’s almost opening day at the Nats’ new stadium. But even if you don’t have tickets, you can still enjoy some baseball. Amy Orndorff writes about the many non-Nats baseball things to do around the region. Plus, we visit one of the many (yes, many) tango classes in the area, chat with Jim Sturgess of “21″ and review Olazzo in Silver Spring.
A transcript follows.
Read about the
of the Weekend section.
Weekend Now
Curt Fields: Hello everyone.
Welcome to Weekend Now. I’m afraid we have fewer people here than usual to answer questions so be patient if there’s a lull between answers. We’ll type as fast as we can.
It looks as if it’ll be a nice weekend for getting out and doing something fun. So let’s start coming up with a plan so we don’t let it go to waste.
Here we go…
Great idea: to have Ben’s Chili Bowl and other local favors at the Nats park!
Eve Zibart: For sure — although I have to say, the idea of thousands of people eating chili dogs in one place does give me a little pause!!!
Curt Fields: Yes, it’s definitely cool that they’re incorporating a taste of DC into the makeup of what’s available. That’ll help provide character for the park.
Any of you chatters going to opening day?
If not, be sure and check out our cover story from today.
We’ll post a link shortly.
Kids in tow: Is there a kid-friendly restaurant in the Dupont area?

washingtonpost.com

The general contractor for Granby Tower has filed a series of liens in Norfolk Circuit Court seeking more than $16 million for past work on the stalled condominium project.
Turner Construction Co. said in the court filings that it was owed the money for services provided in connection with the planned 31-story tower, parking garage and adjoining town homes.
The Turner liens bring the total filed against Granby Tower’s developer, a partnership headed by Buddy Gadams, to about $20 million. They represent the first ones brought by the general contractor, which expressed support for Gadams shortly after work stopped in mid-September.
"We’re confident in Buddy and are standing by him," Turner Vice President Chris Jahrling said then.
The filings could also further complicate any efforts to revive work on the $180 million complex, which has been hobbled by problems lining up necessary financing.
Since then, subcontractors have removed pile drivers, cranes and other equipment from the construction site on Granby Street at Brambleton Avenue. Construction crews were still in the process of preparing the project’s foundation when work stopped.
It wasn’t clear from Turner’s 14 different filings, which occurred about three weeks ago, how many might be duplicated. John S. Norris Jr., a Virginia Beach attorney who filed the liens on behalf of Turner, declined to comment on the contractor’s actions. He referred inquiries to Turner’s general counsel, who could not be reached Thursday.

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