Ryan Hall's Blog, page 342

Run For A Cause: Join Guitarist Thad Beaty in Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathons in Denver, Vegas

Unfortunately, cancer touches us all in some way or another. It’s impacted Thad Beaty’s life enough to compel him to do something about it.

The guitarist for the Grammy-winning country band Sugarland has been on a personal crusade of sorts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research while celebrating his own return to fitness. Motivated by the successful battles with cancer his mother and mother-and-law have waged and the anguish over the death of a former colleague, Beaty is running the Denver Rock ’n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon on Oct. 18 to raise money for the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation. He’s going to do it by hopping on stage and playing a song with each of the dozen or so bands along the route.

Beaty will be joined by more than 40 runners running in support of TeamEdith—including me. Although I admit I can’t play a lick of guitar, cancer has impact my life, too—cancer took my mom’s life all too soon in 1997—which is why I’ll also be raising money for TeamEdith. You can join us too, but you have to sign up by Oct. 11 at 11:59 p.m. to enter the race. (Sign up to run with TeamEdith at this link and get $15 off your registration fee.) The fundraising minimum is only $50 and the money goes directly to breast cancer research.

Beaty can’t guarantee you a new PR, but he will make sure you’ll have a rockin’ good time.

“We’ll run the race. I’ll hop on stage with each of the bands, play a song, and keep running again,” Beaty said. “We won’t run very fast, but it will be a lot of fun and it will be for a good cause.”

RELATED: Run with Thad Beaty on the Las Vegas Strip on Nov. 15!

Although he played baseball and ran cross country in high school and college, Beaty admits the challenges and fatigue of being a touring musician took his toll on him. By the time he was in his early 30s, he wasn’t exercising much at all, his eating habits were atrocious and he was carrying 230 pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame. Despite achieving a lot of success and touring the world with a wide range of artists such as Beyonce, Rihanna and Lady Gaga, he found himself in a vicious unhealthy cycle.

What ultimately served as his wake-up call and shook up his life, was a phone call from his mother in 2009 telling him she had colon cancer. “That blew me away,” he says. “And immediately I wanted to help and do something to make a change.”

He knew he had to start by taking control of his own health. He and his wife, Annie Clements, Sugarland’s bass player, started running and working out on a regular basis. That not only immediately made him healthier and happier, it also led to half marathons, marathons and triathlons.

In the interim, Beaty was faced with more challenges. In August of 2011, Beaty and his Sugarland band mates were under the stage at the Indiana State Fair, about to go onstage, when a giant storm swept through and caused the stage to collapse, killing seven people and injuring dozens more. Then Sugarland’s guitar technician, Kevin Quigley, was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma and passed away in early 2012.

All the while, Beaty was trying to find resolve in his own health and fitness and he and his wife were raising awareness and money for cancer research. He has two sub-12-hour Ironman finishes to his credit and ran the 2013 New York City Marathon in 4:33 (two weeks after one of his Ironman races.)

Now a svelte 170 pounds, Beaty follows a plant-based diet and hasn’t had any meat or dairy in about six years.

“I came to the realization that the way that I ate and my approach to food might has well have been meth for me. It was that powerful over me,” Beaty says. “It had to understand it was an addiction and have to still treat it that way. Now I’m super careful about sugar, but I have to treat it like I’m an alcoholic who can’t have alcohol. Some people have ‘cheat day’ on Sunday, but I can’t do that. A meth addict doesn’t get to have a day off.”

Beaty is quick to point out that he’s not trying to make a name for himself as an athlete, but instead trying to inspire others to live a healthy and active lifestyle. He knows that endurance sports have a way of transcending the mere act of exercising or competing and can make huge impacts in other aspects of one’s life.

“Accomplishing things like this, endurance events, running marathons, can change the trajectory of your life,” Beaty says.”This is a celebration, and that’s what I want people to know. You can achieve your PR, you can have your journey and change the trajectory of your life and somebody else’s too. It’s such an awesome thing to affect change. It’s super cool. Once you go through it, and you feel someone else’s struggle. It’s stirring.”

RELATED: Wear Pink—Running Gear for Breast Cancer Awareness

What Beaty likes best about Team Edith is that 100 percent of the money raised goes straight to affected patients and research. The Edith Sanford Breast Foundation studies breast cancer on a genetic level, developing specialized treatments for each patient with a goal of putting an end to breast cancer altogether.

“I don’t know anything else like it that is that powerful and that direct,” Beaty says. “We have more control over something we assume we were powerless over. So the message of the team is two-fold: let’s be proactive and not reactive. Let’s take care of our health and do the things that we can do, and by doing that you can have positive effects on your mind, body and spirit. You’re able to take care of your health, you’re able to be a positive influence and see the transformation that you’re making and simultaneously you’re able to help raise funds that go directly to affecting someone who is struggling with this.

“It was a tool for me, a vehicle for me to understand how important being present in the moment is,” he adds. “The reward that I learned after that was that it’s not just about being in that moment or crossing the finish line. The finish line is just kind of a pass-through to what now is the next phase of your life, which is one where you accomplished something that you didn’t think you could accomplish. For me, I learned how to have an awareness of the moment, but simultaneously you have this fate of what you’re able to accomplish.”

RELATED:  I’m A Competitor: Thad Beaty – Competitor.com

The post Run For A Cause: Join Guitarist Thad Beaty in Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathons in Denver, Vegas appeared first on Competitor.com.

Q&A: Ryan Hall on His Recent Struggles, His Running Future and His Growing Family

Photo: Scott Draper

Despite being a few years removed from displaying the form that propelled him to an eye-popping 2:04:58 clocking at the 2011 Boston Marathon and landed him on the last two Olympic teams, Ryan Hall is still one of the fastest and most recognizable marathoners in the United States.

A native of Big Bear, Calif., the nomadic Hall has trotted the globe with wife Sara in recent years, splitting most of their time between Redding, Calif., and Flagstaff, Ariz., while taking annual spring training trips to Ethiopia, where the couple recently adopted four sisters as their own children.

Hall, who dropped out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon with a hamstring injury and DNF’d the LA Marathon in March, hasn’t finished a 26.2-mile race since placing a disappointing 20th at Boston in 2014, where he ran 2:17:50. Still, the American half-marathon record-holder says despite his up-and-down race results, making a third U.S. Olympic marathon team in February 2016 is high on his priority list.

RELATED: The 25 Greatest American Male Marathoners of All-Time

How has the role that running has played in your life evolved since you first got started as a kid?

That’s a really good question. When I was a kid, running was an addiction, something I had to do because it was who I was. It was my identity. I was obsessed. Over the years, God has taught me how to have a healthier perspective of running. Now I see running as a way for me to connect with God, much in the same way that we use songs, churches, and the bible to connect with God.

What are your thoughts heading into the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon a few months from now?  

The last four years certainly have been very trying. The last Olympic Trials cost me four years of struggle as I got plantar fasciitis about a month before the trials and ran through the trials with it. Then I trained for the Olympics with plantar fasciitis, which resulted in my stride changing and an endless chain of injury after injury. So, it hasn’t been an ideal lead-up to this Trials, but the great thing about running is that when you are on the starting line, nothing else matters but what you have on the day. I know that who I am and my talent hasn’t changed over the past four years, so I will go out there and be the best version of me that I can be on the day—just as I always strive to do. Obviously, the fitness will have to be there, which I will be working on over the coming months.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you ’ ve faced as an athlete since 2012?

Injuries have undoubtedly been the biggest challenge. I am blessed to have a couple great therapists in John Ball and Simon Strawhorn, who have done a great job in keeping injuries to a minimum. I’ve learned surrounding yourself with great people is a necessity when faced with challenges of all kinds and I am blessed to have such people to lean on when I am struggling.

The other is keeping my energy levels consistent throughout the year. I seem to go through periods of training when I will be feeling great and like my old self and then all of a sudden, something shifts and I feel terrible and can barely finish an hour run.

How frustrating has that been for you and do you have any idea why you ’ ll feel so terrible all of a sudden?

It’s been the most frustrating challenge I’ve faced in my running career because I haven’t been able to figure out exactly why it’s happening. Running is very tough on the body in many ways but I think one of the biggest ways is hormonally. Every time I’ve had blood work done, I’ve had clinically low testosterone levels, which affects everything. It has been really frustrating to put together months of really good training only to lose it all due to sudden fatigue that requires complete rest. This has kind of been the trend for me over the last couple of years, which is why my results have been so up and down and why sometimes I am so hopeful about my running and other times not so much.

Have you done anything to help try and combat your low testosterone levels?

There isn’t anything that I can legally do to change that and even if I were to get a TUE (therapeutic use exemption) for testosterone, I still wouldn’t take a synthetic version because then the body stops producing testosterone naturally. I also feel like taking synthetic testosterone, even with a TUE, crosses a moral line that I am not willing to cross.

I’ve tried altering my diet to a higher fat diet—the body cannot produce testosterone without fat—with no change in my testosterone levels. I’ve also tried playing around with weights and other natural testosterone boosting exercises, also with no noticeable change in my testosterone levels. When you do research about how to naturally boost your testosterone, there are many different things you can try both dietarily and in your activities or lifestyle, but the number one thing that everyone agrees reduces testosterone levels is running. So, I’ve kind of come to the realization that if I am going to be training like a marathon runner and running tons of miles, then I guess having low testosterone levels is the price I will have to pay.

You are 32 years old, you ’ ve made two Olympic teams and run the fastest marathon ever by an American. How much longer do you plan on competing?

I will keep competing as long as my body allows me to. I am always pushing on to break through and get to the next level. Sometimes a breakthrough takes going through a lot of failure to find what works and what doesn’t. I have the mantra that says, “you must fail your way to the top,” similar to how Thomas Edison failed so many times before finally getting the light bulb right.

RELATED: The 25 All-Time U.S. Marathon Times (Men)

You and Sara are now the parents of four girls. How do you foresee that affecting your nomadic lifestyles?

The nomadic lifestyle will definitely be changing, which I am really looking forward to.  Since the girls are older, they will be in school in Redding, so we will be hunkered down there with more seldom altitude stints during winter and summer breaks. I am looking forward to spending more time at sea level as I feel that I recover from workouts and can work on turnover more effectively.

RELATED: Ryan and Sara Hall Adopt 4 Ethiopian Sisters

Quick Hits

What ’ s your favorite meal after a race or tough workout?

Sweet potatoes and salmon or chocolate Muscle Milk Teff pancakes. It’s a toss up.

Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions?

The only thing I can think of is I always crumple up my number. We always did that at Stanford and I have at every race since, even if the race tells us not to do it.

If you could run one race in the world, which one would it be, and why?

I’ve always said I’d like to run the 90K Comrades Marathon in South Africa but with my energy problems that probably isn’t a good idea. But maybe I can just do it for fun and not as a serious competition.

If you could go on a run with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

Eric Liddel. He has always been one of my biggest inspirations. He gave up everything to serve God, even his running. He could have won another Olympic gold medal in the 400 meters but he went to the mission field in China instead. It would be fun to just jog a couple miles with him.

The Hall STEPS Foundation has done a number of great things to help fight global poverty since 2009. How do you see the organization continuing to grow and change in the coming years?  

We are really excited about STEPS and what we, along with everyone who has partnered with STEPS, have done thus far. We have been getting more and more into micro-loans as we see this as a key way to empower people. We are excited to invest more and more time with STEPS.

The post Q&A: Ryan Hall on His Recent Struggles, His Running Future and His Growing Family appeared first on Competitor.com.

Theodora Blanchfield: Taming the Taper Crazies

You’ve put in months of training, and race day is fast approaching.

Your pre-race anxiety is at an all-time high and the one thing you want to do — running — is the one thing you need to cut back on. How is this even fair?

Here’s how to cope with the crazies from someone who’s been there, done that:

Sleep. You’ve just subjected your body to hundreds of miles of training, and you’re about to introduce it to a 26.2-mile adventure. It needs to recover and rest up for the race, and the best way to do so is catching those zzz’s. You may have a to-do list a mile long — especially if it’s an out-of-town race — but prioritize your rest the best you can.

Go dry. I love my wine as much as I love running. (I run 26.2 “for fun”, so that says something about how much I love my wine.) But as much as the wine will calm those last-minute nerves, it’s also crucial to treat your body as well as possible and that involves cutting back on the alcohol. Think how much sweeter that post-race wine or beer will taste.

Catch up with Friends. You know, your non-runner ones. Call them, meet for coffee or go see a movie. Less running means more time to catch up with the other important people and things in your life.

Treat your feet. No, not a pedicure — it will just get ruined anyway! Comfortable shoes are crucial in this last week or weeks. The last thing you want is to start your trek off with blisters. Trust me, I learned this the hard way wearing a pair of new shoes two days before the New York City Marathon two years ago. And women — avoid heels if you can. You don’t want that extra strain on your calves. If you have compression socks, wear them.

Shake it out. I’m a firm believer in the shakeout run the day before a marathon. A good two to four-miler is all it takes for me to loosen my legs and get jazzed mentally. Plus, the energy of the other runners is electric.

Visualize it. Yeah, it sounds a little hippy-dippy, but imagine yourself running a successful race. What does that look like to you? How will you ensure you feel strong starting the race? What will you do when you cross the finish line? Thumbs-up or hands in the air?

The post Theodora Blanchfield: Taming the Taper Crazies appeared first on Competitor.com.

Michele Gonzalez: How to Shake Pre-Race Doubts

This past weekend I ran the fastest marathon of my life. It came on the heels of the best and most successful training cycle to date. But, as is often the case, the weeks leading up to the big race had me doubting my ability to race the way I wanted.

This time was no different.

There were runs I felt winded after 5 miles at a pace a minute slower than my goal pace.

There were days my legs burned climbing a set of stairs and I questioned how I would maintain my goal pace going uphill.

There were mornings I felt like I couldn’t drag myself out of bed because I felt so tired (despite getting a good night’s sleep).

There were aches and pains that I felt with every step I took or every run I went on that made me worry I wouldn’t be able to physically run 26.2 miles.

But I’ve learned something over the course of the 12 marathons I have completed: this period of doubt, fatigue and worry is normal. It usually shows up during my pre-race taper—a time of decreased mileage, less intense workouts and increased stress about the impending race. I’ve gotten better at pushing the doubt and negative thoughts out of my head. Rather than obsess about what doesn’t feel great, I focus my attention on the positives. Just remember that you are trained and prepared to tackle the distance.

Use these five tips to stay positive:

-Go over your training log and focus on the highlights. Look how far you’ve come. Remember that long run where you finished strong? Remember that long tempo you completed on tired legs?

-Read quotes, mantras and books that inspire you and strengthen your mind. Keep some favorite mantras handy for the later miles of race day when things start to get tough.

-Visualize race day. Picture yourself at various points during the race. Go through both good and bad scenarios – prepare yourself for what you will do if something doesn’t go according to your plan.

-Focus on what you can control: sleep, nutrition and hydration. Instead of letting self-doubt convince you to beat yourself up, take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep. Eat nutritious foods and hydrate.

-Remind yourself that this is supposed to be fun. Yes, training for a marathon requires hard work and commitment, but you’re doing it because you wanted to (or at least had a very good reason to do!). Enjoy it!

The post Michele Gonzalez: How to Shake Pre-Race Doubts appeared first on Competitor.com.

9 Last-Minute Tips for Running the Chicago Marathon

Photo: Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Big city marathons take a little extra planning when it comes to getting to the start line ready to run. Read all your pre-race information about transportation to the start, staring waves and any other race specific information to help calm jitters and do all you can to help race day go as smoothly as possible. Every race is different. And that’s one of the things that make them fun! But knowing what to expect is comforting as well.

While I now live in sunny San Diego, I lived in the Windy City for five years and loved my daily runs along the lakefront. I ran the 2010 Chicago Marathon, and it remains my favorite marathon to this day. Keep reading for my tips about how to have a great day on the course.

—Get there early so that you can hit up the port-o-potties. Remember, it’s a big race and lines can be long.

—Set a meeting point with your loved ones and friends for after the race. Also arrange your post-race transportation before the race, so you have one less thing to worry about when you’re tired. The start and finish are about half a mile apart in downtown. If you really want to make it easy on yourself, book a room within walking distance for stress-free commuting.

—It’s a very flat course, making it easy to start out too fast. Check your watch and keep it slower than your goal race pace. Give yourself time to warm up, find your rhythm and temper race day excitement.

—Enjoy the different neighborhoods. Chicago is well known for it’s rich, varied cultures and diverse neighborhoods. The loop marathon course passes through more than two-dozen neighborhoods, each with a unique and energizing vibe.

—Be mindful of where you step at water stations—volunteers try to stay on top of it, but during crowded times, there could be a lot of used hydration cups on the ground.

—It’s generally chilly on race morning. Dress appropriately, and be prepared to shed your layers right before the race start. Items will be donated to charity. Goodwill is also a great place to find items to stay warm before the race.

—Soak up all the cheers and camaraderie; this is a big, fun and festive event. But that also means it can be crowded. Be prepared to be patient.

—Chicago is known as the “Windy City,” and it usually lives up to its name. The crowds often help with drafting, but if you catch a head wind, don’t try to push your pace. Keep your heart rate level and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

—Head to Lake Michigan post race, you can scope it out as you run by during the marathon, for an all-natural ice bath. The Lake’s average temperature on race day is in the high 50’s.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why the Chicago Marathon Rocks

 

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Stash Your Trash

Episode four of GU TV features pro cyclist Yuri Hauswald, winner of the 2015 Dirty Kanza 200 gravel-cycling race, interviewing GU sports marketing manager Celia Santi about how to solve the litter problem on your favorite running and cycling trails.

The post Stash Your Trash appeared first on Competitor.com.

Strava Launches New Interactive Running Data Tool

Strava, one of the leading GPS-based run-tracking apps, has launched Strava Insights. The interactive running data tool aggregates nearly 5 million weekly Strava entries and breaks them into interesting data points concerning location, time and place, popular days for running and more.

The data refreshes each week and shows the most current 12 months of data from Strava members in its 12 most active cities.

Some of the data you can unearth includes:

— Paris runners are the fastest Strava users in the world, clocking workouts at an average pace of 8:56 per mile. New York is the fastest in the U.S. at 9:15 per mile.

— Sydney is the city with the most runners logging their workouts in the morning (between 5-8 a.m. local time) with 30 percent. Paris runners are more likely to run during the lunch hour, while Barcelona runners run at nighttime more than other cities.

— The most active day of the last 12 months in San Francisco? On May 17, more than 5,300 runs were recorded on Strava. The famous Bay to Breakers 12K took place that day.

RELATED: Strava Launches New City Guide Feature for Runners

Strava Insights is initially launching with data from runners and cyclists in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Melbourne, Barcelona, Milan, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.

The post Strava Launches New Interactive Running Data Tool appeared first on Competitor.com.

Photos: 2015 Reebok Spartan Race World Championships

Set on some of the same hallowed ground as the 1960 Winter Olympics in North Lake Tahoe, Calif., 2015 Reebok Spartan Race World Championships drew more than 10,000 athletes from across the globe. In addition to the World Championship Beast (13+ miles/ 30+ obstacles) event on Saturday, the championship weekend also included a Spartan Sprint (3+ miles/ 20+ obstacles), Ultra Beast (26+ miles/ 60+ obstacles) and Charity Challenge (3+ miles/ 20+ obstacles) races on Sunday plus kids races on Saturday and Sunday.

Competitors maneuvered through a variety of Spartan obstacles, as well as the challenging terrain of the sierra Nevada mountain range to compete for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes—including $15,000 to the winners. Robert Killian, a 33-year-old U.S. Army captain from Longmont, Colo., won the men’s race in 2:25:54, about a minute ahead of runner-up Ryan Atkins of Canada and two minutes ahead of third-place finisher Cody Moat of Utah. Zuzana Kocumova, a 36-year-old athlete from Liberec, Czech Republic, topped the women’s elite field in 2:53:01. Canadians Lindsay Webster (2:58:02) and Rachel Paquette (2:58:39) finished second and third, respectively, to round out the podium.

“We continue to push athletes to new limits with our races,” said Spartan Race founder and CEO Joe De Sena.  “This is the toughest race we’ve designed to date, most definitely.  We can’t wait to show the world what we have in store for 2016.”

NBC Sports will televise the 2015 Reebok Spartan Race World Championship on Dec. 26 at 5 p.m. ET. Click through the images below to get a glimpse of the action.

RELATED: The Most Challenge Obstacles Your Encounter in a Spartan Race

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Photos: 2015 Flagstaff Sky Race

As the finale of the 2015 U.S. Skyrunner Series, the Flagstaff Sky Race in the altitude of Arizona featured a Vertical Kilometer and then two trail races—a 39K and a 55K, reaching heights of 11,500 feet above sea level before finishing at the Arizona Snowbowl at 9,200 feet.

The 55K was won by 26-year-old Daniel Kraft in 5:49:22, edging out Gabe McGowan by five minutes. The fastest woman was 19-year-old Ashley Erba of Boulder, Colo., who crossed in 6:47:52 (and placed seventh overall). In the 39K, Martin Anthamatten of Switzerland won in 3:59:15, edging out noted mountain runner Joe Gray of Colorado Springs.

Here are photos from the race, taken by Myke Hermsmeyer (see more of his work on his website and Instagram)

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The 55K start.

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The Flagstaff Sky Race was the finale of the U.S. Skyrunning Series.

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View from the top of Snowbowl Ski Resort which hosted the Flagstaff Sky Race.

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Sunset aid station with a nice sunrise view.

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Flying over Flagstaff.

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A couple of spectator signs.

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High desert singletrack running during the 55K.

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39K winner Martin Anthamatten leading 2nd place finisher Joe Gray up Elden Mountain.

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Climbing stairs to the finish of the Flagstaff Sky Race Vertical Kilometer.

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Descending from the sunset aid station early in the 55K.

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Descending down Snowbowl.

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Joshua Korn's 10th place finish earned him 3rd place overall in the US Skyrunning Series.

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The men's Vertical Kilometer race came down to a sprint finish between JP Donovan and Torstein Tengsareid from Norway. After reviewing the tapes from Ultra Sports Live, JP Donovan was declared the winner.

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JP Donovan gassed at the finish of the Vertical Kilometer after edging out Torstein Tengsareid.

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Anna Mae Flynn taking the win in the Vertical Kilometer with a broken wrist.

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The final climb up Snowbowl Ski Resort at the Flagstaff Sky Race 55K.

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Joshua Arthur took 3rd in the 55K which put him at the top of the podium for the US Skyrunner Ultra Series.

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Flagstaff Sky Race 55kK winner Ashley Erba topping out on the final climb up Snowbowl Ski Resort.

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Running off the backside of Elden Mountain.

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Second-place 55K finisher Meredith Edwards charging up Mount Elden.

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Descending off Elden Mountain.

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Daniel Kraft running below Mount Humphreys.

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Second-place 55K finisher Gabe McGowan grinding up the final climb.

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Tommy Rivers making the most of the resources available on the course.

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Joe Gray, fresh off setting the FKT at the Manitou Incline, tops out on the final climb of the 39K on his way to finishing 2nd behind Martin Anthamatten.

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The finish line at Snowbowl Ski Resort.

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Race director Jamil Courey cheering on finishers.

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Spike Lee Named Grand Marshal of the 2015 New York City Marathon

A huge supporter of New York sports, Spike Lee has also been a longtime fan and spectator of the New York City Marathon. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The Brooklyn-based notable filmmaker, actor, producer and writer, Spike Lee, has been honored with the title of Grand Marshal of this year’s New York City Marathon. On Nov. 1, Lee will lead the marathon charge in the Grand Marshal vehicle with race director Peter Ciaccia, as well as participate in race-week activities including the marathon’s opening ceremony.

“I’m honored to represent New York City, the greatest city on Earth, at one of the world’s most recognizable sporting events,” said Lee who grew up in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and whose films have become an integral part of the city’s community.

Although Lee has never ran the marathon, he professes being a longtime fan. He’s also known to be an avid New York sports fan, particularly of the Knicks and Yankees.

“When my kids were younger, on race day, we would walk outside of my 40 Acres and a Mule office right into the marathon crowd,” said Lee in a New York Road Runners press release. “There’s such a New York sense of community around the race. It’s New York City’s biggest block party.”

Lee is the first New Yorker and third Grand Marshal in the race’s 45-year history. Czech distance running legend and three-time Olympic gold medalist Emil Zatopek held the Grand Marshal title in 1979, and in 2003 record holder of nine New York City Marathon titles, Grete Waitz of Norway, became the marathon’s second Grand Marshal.

“When we looked at having a Grand Marshal for this year’s TCS New York City Marathon, we envisioned someone the world would immediately recognize as a sports enthusiast and quintessential New Yorker, and Spike was the perfect fit,” said the president and CEO of NYRR, Michael Capiraso.

In August it was announced that Lee will be the recipient of an Honorary Oscar from the Academy’s Governors Awards on Nov. 14. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’ll be the youngest recipient of the honorary Oscar and is working toward an end-of-year film release of his latest work, “Chiraq.”

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