So you've just run over 26 miles dressed like a goddamn building, right? That's hard to do even if you're not dressed up like a tourist attraction. Sweat is pouring down your clocktower. You get to the finish. And you realize. You've failed to check the height requirement for the finish line. Goodbye, personal record. For more fails from the wide world of sports, here are some sports fails to make you feel alright about not being an athlete.
marathon
All but assumed the writing was on the wall for United Airlines claiming 2017 for 'worst fail of the year' with that forcible removal business in recent news. We couldn't have been more wrong. Whoever sent this email out on behalf of Adidas yesterday regarding finishing the Boston Marathon, just blazed past United as far as epic and unforgettable fails go; and simultaneously igniting a blind rage from people everywhere. Brace yourself, and get ready for this.
ABSOLUTE.LEGEND. For real tho, this is what extreme athleticism looks like, guys. The Eiffel Tower costume-rocking athlete has been identified as 70-year-old Paris-based runner Michel Bach. A friend of Bach's says he has participated in (and finished!) over 200 marathons across the globe in places like New York, Chicago, Paris, Los Angeles and Nepal.
Kay and Joe O'Regan are both 80-years-old and recently completed the Cork City Marathon in Ireland. They promised each other this would be their last race, but after their outstanding finish they've decided not to hang up the running shoes just yet.
Kay has gone on to compete in 113 marathons, and Joe in 29. The two prefer to take part in separate races, but decided to run the Cork City Marathon as a way to their 80th birthdays, as well as their 57th wedding anniversary.
Gunhild Swanson crosses the finish line of the 2015 Western States 100 6 seconds before the 30 hour cutoff to become the oldest finisher (70) in the history of the race.
Via KEYE TV
The 2015 Austin Marathon was held this past weekend, and the final stretch for one of the runners was both inspiring and pretty hard to watch.
Kenya’s Hyvon Ngetich was leading the pack for most of the race, but near the finish line her body started to give up.
She ended up crawling the rest of the way (about 50 yards), even refusing to use a wheelchair offered by race officials.
“For the last two kilometers, I don’t remember,” said Ngetich. “Finish line, I have no idea.”
Despite the struggle, she still ended up getting 3rd place, and the race director offered her the same amount of money as the second place finisher.
“You ran the bravest race and crawled the bravest crawl I have ever seen in my life,” he said. “You have earned much honor, and I am going to adjust your prize money, so you get the same prize money you would have gotten if you were second.”
You can watch all 4.5 minutes of her finish below.
