Monday, November 2, 2009

Let's hear it for the moms!

It felt like the Olympics all over again.

A late 30-something mom won the marathon yesterday. The New York City Marathon, that is. Like in the 2008 Olympics, when 38-year-old mother Constantina Tomescu-Dita won the gold, I felt a surge of pride when Derartu Tulu crossed the finish line first yesterday. Tulu is 37. She has two birth children and four that she has adopted. She ran the NYC marathon in 2:28:52. She's one fast mother!

It didn't stop with Tulu, though. Lyudmila Petrova, a 41-year-old who is also a mother, finished second. There were other moms banging out awesome times, too (Paula Radcliffe, top American Magdalena Lewy Boulet and Salina Kosgei, all of whom finished in the top 10).

Way to go, moms!

Granted, these aren't regular moms. They are superstar runners. But they are also moms. And from my vantage point as a mom who runs, I think they are superstar cool. They show that you don't have to hang it up (whatever it happens to be) just because you have kids. And Tulu and Petrova show that you can continue to rock it (again, whatever it happens to be) even as you creep up there in age.

Of course, the take-away is that I guess you can't use age (or kids) as an excuse, either!

Watching the marathon made me so happy that I run and reinforced that I want to do this as well as I can for as long as I can.

I had a little extra pep in my step during this evening's run. Thank you, NYC Marathon!

* * *

Wondering how all those celebrities who ran the marathon finished? I did the research for you. Check out my Examiner.com article for the finish times.

~ Felice

24 comments:

Kasey said...

We watched part of it before I had to go to bed and it was so exciting! I was sad to hear that Paula R. was having leg troubles. She just can't seem to get 100% can she? Glad you had a great run! Go Moms everywhere!!!

Velma said...

I agree. Thanks for the reminder to tape the marathon!

Relentless Forward Commotion said...

They kept saying yesterday on NBC that she was 41!! Either way, rock on running moms!! :)

Relentless Forward Commotion said...

oh wait, maybe they were talking about Petrova...oops!

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

I was so proud watching those Mom fly through the streets.. I did not start running until I had 2 kids...it is never too late. I WON a half Marathon...LOL granted it was the smallest race ever but regular Moms can do it too.

OK off to read your article

The Laminator said...

I agree...I often wonder why the top professional women marathon runners all peak in their late thirties/early forties while the top men marathon runners peak in late 20s and early 30s. Someone should definitely look into that.

No doubt though...moms are fast and they rock!

Marci said...

Although I am not a mom, its so inspiring to see these moms kick some butt, and gives me hope that I can still juggle when/if I become a mom!

Unknown said...

Thanks for doing the celebrity research, very interesting. I agree, those moms are super moms! Juggling kids, a home, a husband, a job and training...wow. All of you mom runners amaze me! There are no limits!

Abby said...

Ha, thanks for the celebrity updates - the important things :)

No Ryan Reynolds this year?

Midwest said...

Wow, six kids and winning a marathon. That is one tough mother!

Pining for Pinterest said...

Well said, I feel the exact same way!!!

Marlene said...

It's amazing to see these women (Moms!) doing so well. Kudos to them and to ALL of you Moms who run.

Janice {Run Far} said...

it was so exciting to watch. and YAY for USA winning the mens.

J said...

Just shows that having kids really doesnt affect your performance in running as long as you train! Loved the article - it was awesome to read!

RunToTheFinish said...

man are you telling me I need to have a baby to get faster. well crap I'm not quite ready, so I'll jsut try a few more intervals ;)

Katie A. said...

I think Amanda is right: having a baby makes you faster! Hahaha! Maybe I need to get on that crazy train!
How awesome that mothers around the world can have such powerful examples of what it can mean to be a mother and a runner!
Great article in the examiner - very cool to see where the stars finished.

Heather said...

I get super inspired by all the awesome running moms out there too. So fun to watch!

Quix said...

It makes me happy, as a lot of things I was into when I was younger (gymnastics, dance, springboard diving, etc) are things you can't even dream of doing competitively into your 40s (ok, I know there are exceptions - but I have a full time job and a life, training 8 hours a day is not gonna happen). It seems like runners peak in their late 30s/early 40s. I'm looking forward to doing this as long as I can and as well as I can too! :)

Tina @GottaRunNow said...

Thanks for the link to your article! It was an inspiring race to watch. When I ran at the track yesterday, I tried to be as relaxed as Tulu looked at the marathon finish. : )

Diana said...

Very awesome!

Denise said...

I thought it was so cool that a 37 and 41 year old were leading the pack and winning. Gives me hope that I can at least get a 3:40!!

Oz Runner said...

awesome, now I've got some ammo to convince my wife to start running...being a mom is no excuse!

thanks for the research/info on the celebrity finishes too, i am always curious about that...

Lindsay said...

yeah all you mom-runners out there make me feel a little pathetic at times! you juggle way more than i, and so many are wayyy faster than me! props to all the running moms :)

Online Running Gear said...

Moms who run are such great role models for their children. I ran all throughout my children growing up, they particpated in run from riding in the jogging stroller or working at aid stations handing out drinks. Way to go Moms!!

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