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2003-11-02 - 10:14 p.m. Besides being La Dia de Los Muertos , it was also the the New York City Marathon - oh, excuse me, the ING New York City Marathon. Let us not forget the almighty dollar of the corporate sponsor. Speaking of almighty dollars, P. Diddy raised quite a few for the children of New York by running this year. I watched him run by as a few friends and I cheered on the runners. I don't know what was up with the mohawk he was sporting - maybe it was from Halloween - he could have been portraying Mr. T. "I P-Diddy the fool who don't think I can run the marathon!" The sheer masses of humanity streaming by is what makes this such an awesome spectacle. On the one hand I think they are all kind of nuts to push their bodies to such an extreme and yet I am also incredibly humbled and inspired by these feats. Makes me feel like the lazy SOB I am, especially when you see the old-timers like 92-year-old Fauja Singh. Two years ago, when I was about to turn 30 I thought I'd run the marathon as a life affirming act. I joined the Prospect Park Running Club to train. I met them for my first run through the park, made it about a quarter mile, got a cramp and quit. Naturally I'm impressed by anyone who is able to endure those grueling 26.2 miles and so I do my best to show my support by clapping, screaming and whistling until my voice is hoarse, my hands chappend and my pucker tuckered out. As Principal McGee said in Grease, "If you can't be an athlete - Be an athletic supporter." � 
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