101 Year Old Man Completes London Marathon; or Is He Really ONLY 94???

Martin with a smoke after the marathon

Buster Martin ran the London Marathon yesterday in just over 10 hours but there is some question as to how old he really is. Below is from the UK Times Online:

On Saturday The Times disclosed that Guinness World Records had refused to verify his claim to be the oldest marathon runner. Now it has emerged why the world record guardians will not be featuring Mr Martin in its celebrated publication. Internal correspondence between senior officials at the organisation, obtained by The Times, shows that Guinness has evidence that Mr Martin is a mere spring chicken of just 94.

To read the article in its entirety please click HERE.

I hope to be able to run a marathon at his age, whatever that may be...

Ryan Shay's Autopsy Results Released

Photo from RunnersWorld.com

Last week, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office released Ryan Shay's autopsy results. Here is an excerpt from the online Runner's World Article by Amby Burfoot:

"The brief autopsy report said only that Shay, who died at the 5.5-mile mark of the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in Central Park last November 3, had succumbed to an irregular heartbeat caused by an enlarged heart. There was also evidence of scar tissue in his heart, possibly from an old infection, but the autopsy could not positively implicate the scarring or say what had caused it. In an e-mail to Shay (Ryan's Father), Ellen Borakove of the New York City medical examiner's office wrote:

Ryan's cause of death is cardiac hypertrophy with patchy fibrosis of undetermined etiology. Natural causes."

To read the article in its entirety please click HERE.

Ryan Shay Collapsed and Died Saturday During the Olympic Trials

Ryan Shay: Photo from nyrr.org

A tragic story as Ryan Shay died during the Olympic Trials this past Saturday in Central Park, NYC. According to sources, the 28 year old marathoner collapsed about 5 1/2 miles into the race and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. To read the November 8th NY Times article, "Small Town Mourns a Running Marvel," please click HERE.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Alicia, his family and his friends. Let this serve as a reminder to us all that life is precious and that you never know when your time will come; enjoy every breath!

For more information please click HERE.

The Ryan Shay Memorial Fund
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