Concept 1 Shoe

While visiting the Athletic Propulsion Labs website this morning, the first main headline you see says, “Banned By The NBA – Warning: Products that appear on this website are intended to enhance athletic performance and the NBA has banned APL shoes for the 2010-2011 season.”

It obviously appears that APL is using this latest news to their advantage. The Concept 1 shoes come in 2 colors; white and black. They sell for $300.00 and are available in size 8 through 14. According to the Athletic Propulsion Labs’ website, the Concept 1 shoe weighs a mere 15 ounces and is made from some of the most “technologically advanced materials ever seen on a basketball shoe”.

The website then goes on to describe how the shoe is designed to give basketball players an advantage in jumping:

“The patent-pending Load ‘N Launch™ technology is implanted in a cavity in the forefoot of the basketball shoe and is designed to provide an instant improvement in vertical leap.* The device works in conjunction with the high-performance materials of the outsole, midsole, insole and sock liner to create a performance experience unlike any other basketball shoe.

Carbon fiber look synthetic upper materials are ultra-lightweight
Load ‘N Launch™ forefoot device designed to increase vertical leap instantly
High-Rebound, carbon fiber wash EVA midsole for superior cushioning and energy return
Crystal rubber outsole for long-lasting performance and visual appeal
High-grade Thermoplastic Urethane shank for heel-to-forefoot stability and shock absorption
Load ‘N Launch™ sock liner featuring rebound EVA, APSPOX and Poron for maximum comfort, shock absorption and performance.
High-impact EVA insole for maximum comfort and cushioning
Clear window on outsole makes technology visible”

According to the founders of the company, Ryan and Adam Goldston, close to 30 percent of NBA rookies were interested in the Concept 1 sneaker. However, it doesn’t appear as though those players will get to wear the sneakers this season. The NBA released the following statement on Tuesday:

“Under league rules, players may not wear any shoe during a game that creates an undue competitive advantage”

According to some reports, the Concept 1 shoe can increase a basketball players vertical leaping ability by up to 3.5 inches. When talking about a competitive league such as the NBA, 3.5 inches added to a players vertical jump would be quite significant. It could be the difference in grabbing a rebound, or blocking a potential game winning shot.

As for what this latest ban will do for Athletic Propulsion Labs’ business, it is hard to say. More than likely, it will help the company make more sales, since they are in essence getting a whole lot of free publicity. Sure, they will lose sales to NBA players, but they should gain new clients from those wanting the edge in other leagues.

Would you buy the Concept 1 shoes?

Baltimore Marathon

24-year-old David Rutoh of Indiana won the race with a time of 2:13:11. 33-year-old Olena Shurkhno of New York City was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 2:32:17.

Here are the Top 10 finishers and Top 5 women finishers in the 2010 Baltimore Marathon.

Top 10 Baltimore Marathon Finishers
1. David Rutoh – 2:13:11
2. Juan Cardona – 2:13:29
3. Kennedy Kemei – 2:13:43
4. Joseph Mutinda – 2:14:31
5. Edward Tabut – 2:14:46
6. Max King – 2:15:34
7. David Tuwei – 2:15:51
8. Benson Cheruiyot – 2:16:33
9. John Crews – 2:16:46
10. Paul Ngeny – 2:19:55

Top 5 Women Finishers
1. Olena Shurkhno – 2:32:17
2. Iuliia Arkhipovai – 2:33:52
3. Nan Kennard – 2:35:49
4. Salome Kosgei – 2:36:26
5. Yunilesh Delelecha – 2:37:06

Columbus Marathon

The Columbus Marathon was first run back in 1980, and it features a relatively fast and flat course, when compared to some of the nations other large city marathons.

This year’s marathon begins at 7:30 AM on Sunday morning, at the corner of Third Street, and Broad. It will wind down at the finish line located on Nationwide Boulevard. Runners will have until 3:00 PM to officially finish the race.

There will be some street closures throughout the day, but they will not last for the entirety of the race. The street closures will begin before the runners get the particular point, and then reopen once the runners have cleared those points.

The course will take runners by many Columbus landmarks including, Ohio State University, Victorian Village, the Arena District, the Ohio Statehouse, the Columbus Museum of Art, and more. There are expected to be a lot of onlookers this year, so it is advised that you get there early to watch the event.

2010 Baltimore Marathon

The marathon is the main event at the running festival, and will be sponsored by Under Armour. This year’s marathon is expected to include over 22,000 individual runners. Some will try and cross the finish line first, while others will just be grateful to finish at all (within the 7 hour limit).

The 2010 Baltimore Marathon is set to begin at Russel and Camden Streets, at 8:00 AM EST on Saturday. The route will take runners on a scenic course through many different neighborhoods. They will pass by the Inner Harbor Waterfront, Fells Point, and Federal Hill.

The course is not quite as easy to run as some other marathons like the one recently held in Chicago. Runners will face some challenging terrain from time to time.

The winners of the marathon will be awarded with prize money. The top 8 finishers, will receive cash prizes ranging from $23,000 for finishing 1st to $1,200 for coming in 8th.

Last year’s winner for the men was Alphonce Yatich who finished the race in 2:14:04. The top woman finisher was Iuliia Arkhipova who broke the course record for women with a 2:32:09 time.

Will we see another record broken this year? Stay tuned.

Tommie Smith

Tommie Smith is probably known more for his Black Power salute along with John Carlos while on the medal podium. It caused a lot of controversy at the time, and caused Smith to be banned from the Olympics. The act was seen as trying to politicize the Olympics, which is not permitted.

When the two athletes gave the Black Power salute, they did not think there would be as much of a controversy afterward, as there was.

The reason for auctioning off the Gold medal is not entirely known. The starting bid will be set at $250,000, and it will go to the highest bidder. Whether or not Smith is in need of the money, or if he simply doesn’t want to remember all the issues that arose from his infamous salute is not known.

When Tommie Smith was contacted about the auction, he refused to comment.

M.I.T. Memorabilia’s Gary Zimet said, “He feels that what he did ruined his life in many ways, and he simply doesn’t want to put himself in the media spotlight.”

The auction is set to run until November 4, 2010.

2010 Commonwealth Games

Tomorrow’s events will feature Athletics, Badminton, Gymnastics, Netball, Hockey, and Table Tennis. Wednesday saw Weale take the Gold in Lawn Bowls, while Suranjoy Mayenbam of India won the Gold in the 52 KG Fly weight boxing event. Woman’s Hockey awarded the Gold medal to the Australian team. We will see more medals awarded tomorrow before the the 2010 Commonwealth Games wrap up in Delhi.

Here is the latest medal count table:

COUNTRY GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL
Australia 72 50 47 169
England 37 56 45 138
India 36 26 34 96
Canada 26 17 32 75
South Africa 12 11 10 33
Nigeria 10 10 13 33
Kenya 10 10 8 28
Scotland 9 10 7 26
Singapore 9 8 9 26
Malaysia 8 8 12 28
New Zealand 5 22 7 34
N. Ireland 3 3 4 10
Samoa 3 – 1 4
Wales 2 6 10 18
Jamaica 2 4 1 7

All of the competitors this year were great sports.

2010 Commonwealth Games

Saturday saw India take its first loss in Boxing at the Commonwealth Games. Dinesh Kumar lost in a very close match to England’s Obed Mbwakongo in the light heavyweight division.

Below you can see the latest Commonwealth Games medal tally. Only the countries which have at least 1 gold medal are listed below:

Country Gold Silver Bronze TOTAL
Australia 55 30 31 116
England 24 43 29 96
India 24 17 17 58
Canada 17 11 22 50
South Africa 9 9 9 27
Nigeria 7 5 9 21
Malaysia 6 5 6 17
Kenya 5 3 3 11
Singapore 4 5 5 14
New Zealand 2 14 5 21
Scotland 2 7 5 14
Jamaica 2 1 3
Bahamas 1 1 1 3
Samoa 1 1 2
Botswana 1 1 2
Cyprus 1 1 2
Uganda 1 1
Nauru 1 1

2010 Ironman in Hawaii

If you thought a marathon was tough to run, when compared to an Ironman competition in Hawaii, it is nothing. The Ironman World Championship consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. The 26.2 mile run is a marathon by itself.

Last year, Craig Alexander of Australia won the championship at the Kailua-Kona event for the men with a final time of 8:20:21. The woman that finished first was Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain with a time of 8:54:02.

The 2010 event is still on going, but so far here are the leaderboards.

The current leaderboard at the 50 mile mark looks like this for the men:
1 Andreas Bocherer
2 Chris Lieto 0
3 Maik Twelsiek 0:00
4 Norman Stadler 1:20
5 Andreas Raelert 1:20
6 Marino Vanhoenacker 1:20
7 TJ Tollakson 1:40
8 Faris Al-Sultan 2:15
9 Timo Bracht 2:23
10 Eneko Llanos 2:40

And for the Women, it looks like this at the 35 mile mark:
1 Julie Dibens
2 Caroline Steffen 3:04
3 Rachel Joyce 5:08
4 Mirinda Carfrae 6:00
5 Leanda Cave 6:06
6 Tereza Macel 6:22
7 Virginia Berasategui 7:10
8 Catriona Morrison 7:40
9 Amy Marsh 8:38
10 Dede Griesbauer 8:40

You can check for updates every 15 minutes or so at the Ironman Live website located at Ironman Live

Chicago Marathon

The Chicago Marathon is one of the five World Marathon Majors. The others are the Berlin Marathon, Boston Marathon, London Marathon and New York Marathon. This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the event, as it has taken place every year since 1977.

You can usually expect to see records come close to being broken at this Marathon, as the course in Chicago is known to be very flat and fast. This years race will be limited to the first 45,000 runners who sign up, and everyone will get an official time, if they finish the race within 6 1/2 hours.

Bank of America is sponsoring the event for the 3rd consecutive year, after they acquired LaSalle Bank in 2007. Every year you can expect to see between 27,000 and 35,000 people to finish the Chicago Marathon.

The beginning of the marathon will be broadcast on NBC 5 Chicago from 7AM to 11AM on Sunday, and the entire marathon will be broadcast streaming online at NBCChicago.com.

If you are running in this years marathon, you can expect to get a nice tour of Chicago. The race path will go by many historic landmarks including the Chicago Theatre, City Hall Building, Former Engine Company 27, Sydney Kent House, Charles J. Hull House, and more.

USA Network had the Ryder Cup final day

The TV schedule for the Ryder Cup began at 4:00 AM EST on the USA Network. The Television station showed the end of the event, where the Europeans defeated the United States in the tournament 14.5 to 13.5. If you were hoping to wake up this morning to catch the end of the tournament, you missed a great ending.

The U.S. made a major comeback in the final day, but the European team fought them off to win the 38th Ryder Cup. This was the first time in Ryder Cup history that the tournament was decided on a Monday. It was scheduled to end on Sunday, but heavy downpours delayed the finish.

The 2012 Ryder Cup will be back in the United States at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, where the U.S. will look to regain the trophy.