Off Day Thoughts

Today is my off-day this week and for once, I am actually caught up and not scrambling. I thought I'd post the answers to a couple questions that were rattling around in my head:

Q: What percentage of Americans are obese?
A: 68% of all adult Americans are overweight, with half of those being classified obese. (source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Q: What percentage of Americans have ever run a marathon in their life?
A: There were 382,000 marathon finishes in 2005. Guesstimating the U.S. population at 295 million in that year, it works out to about .13% (and you have to take into account that many of the people who finished were not first-time marathoners). These numbers are incredibly rough, but at the very least they don’t completely dispel the 0.1% statistic most often quoted by anyone who has ever run a marathon.
(source: http://www.davecopeland.com/index.php/2007/04/03/marathon-statistics/)

Q: What is the story behind how Ironman actually started?
A: 1978 - During the awards ceremony for a Hawaii running race, a debate ensues among competitors about who is more fit -- swimmers, runners or other athletes. One of the participants, Navy Commander John Collins and his wife Judy, dream up a race to settle the argument. They propose combining three existing races together, to be completed in succession: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles, originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). "Whoever finishes first we’ll call the Ironman," said Collins. Fifteen men participate in the initial event held on February 18; 12 complete the race, led by the first Ironman, Gordon Haller. His winning time: 11 hours, 46 minutes and 58 seconds. (Source: http://ironman.com/mediacenter/history/ironman-triathlon-world-championship#ixzz1IrqOUXnk)

Q: With the change in standards for the 2013 Boston Marathon, what pace do I have to run to qualify?
A: For a 40-44 male, the standard is now 3:15:00 and the 59 second margin has been dropped. I basically have to run a 7:26 pace to qualify. Uh, with my speed work currently in the 9 range, looks like I have a little work to do...
(Source: http://www.baa.org/Races/Boston-Marathon/Participant-Information/Qualifying.aspx)

Enjoy the day!