The marathon does not just demand your respect. It takes it. Consider the comments of a recent marathon finisher:

“For the level of condition that I have now, that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done. I never felt a point where I hit the wall, it was really a gradual progression of fatigue and soreness.”

“I think I bit off more than I could chew, I thought the marathon would be easier.”

“Before the race that was my goal, I wanted to break 3 hours. But if you told me with 3 miles to go, ‘You’re going to do 3:05,’ I wouldn’t have cared. Honestly, at the end I was so tired, I couldn’t care. Now I’m glad I did.”

Who said these things? …Lance Armstrong.

He spoke these words after finishing his first marathon. At New York, he met his goal of a sub-three hour race. Yeah, this is the Lance. Lance the winner of 7 consecutive Tour de France bicycle races. Lance the superbly conditioned athlete.

Lance the humbled. …Lance the marathoner.