I just discovered that Telemundo has Olympic coverage that apparently doesn't duplicate NBC's.

- - -

[i]Later:[/i]

Unfortunately, they sign off earlier and go to paid programs for a paint sprayer.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;307153]
NY Times has an interesting [URL="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/08/05/sports/olympics/the-100-meter-dash-one-race-every-medalist-ever.html"]set of infographics[/URL] on evolution of Olympic winning times in the 100m (running and swimming-freestyle) and the long jump.[/QUOTE]For some years on those graphics, the gold-medal icon is overlaid by the silver-medal icon, but a careful mouseover reveals the difference.

[quote]The long jump shows a distinctly different trajectory, which appears to rapidly asymptote toward a kind of "natural limit" in the 9-10m range (this is the men), whereas the other 2 events show no such plateauing.

It seems to me that the running-time evolution have been rendered qualitatively different from long jumping because it offers more opportunity for equipment-aided performance, by way of hi-tech track surfaces, shoes and suits. The long jump can benefit a bit from those, but to a much lesser extent because the run-up is shorter and top speeds limited by the need to perform a legal takeoff and transition from running to jumping at the end. In others words, with jumping "it's much more about the human".[/quote]... and, sometimes, the altitude.

[I]Scientific American[/I] had an article analyzing Bob Beamon's amazing jump. It concluded that several inches were courtesy of Mexico City's high altitude (lower gravity and air density) and the maximum-allowable 2 m/s tail wind, but the majority of his record's almost-two-foot (55 cm) "leap" over the previous record was simply due to Beamon's being practically perfect in every aspect of that particular attempt.

[quote=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Beamon]... In addition to Beamon's record, world records were broken in most of the sprinting and jumping events at the 1968 Olympic Games. Beamon also benefited from a tail wind of 2 meters per second on his jump, the maximum allowable for record purposes. It has been estimated that the tail wind and altitude may have improved Beamon's long jump distance by 31 cm (12.2 in.). During the same hour Lee Evans set the world record for 400 metres that lasted for almost 20 years.[/quote]... but Evans would've had the tail wind offset by an equal head wind on the opposite side of the track.

- - -

BTW, I notice that the ruler beside the long-jump pit this year has the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-meter distances numbered, but the ruler marks end at 8.2. Beamon jumped 8.9 meters.

[QUOTE=cheesehead;307450]... but Evans would've had the tail wind offset by an equal head wind on the opposite side of the track.[/QUOTE]

I bet the lower air density makes a lot more difference over 400 meters than the 15-20m run before a long jump.

Either way, thanks for that informative post.

[QUOTE=cheesehead;307450]
BTW, I notice that the ruler beside the long-jump pit this year has the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-meter distances numbered, but the ruler marks end at 8.2. Beamon jumped 8.9 meters.[/QUOTE]

Isn't that just for the women? I'm pretty sure Greg Rutherford's gold-winning jump of 8.31 wasn't off the end of the board.

"Beamonesque"
 

Anyone remember Carl Lewis beating this freakish leap, promptly beaten by Mike Powell?

I also saw live (on telly) Jonathan Edwards' two extraordinary triple jumps
(Stockholm?). The sound was down in a busy disinterested pub, but when I saw the distance on the screen I thought WTF?????

D

[QUOTE=cheesehead;307448]I just discovered that Telemundo has Olympic coverage that apparently doesn't duplicate NBC's....
Unfortunately, they sign off earlier and go to paid programs for a paint sprayer.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I've watched a couple events on that network ... but lots of long-winded interviews with Latin athletes also make the coverage rather missable. BTW, that gizmo you describe would be [i]un rociador de pintura[/i]. (Say it with a Madrid-style lisp, it sounds sexier that way. :P)

[QUOTE=cheesehead;307450][I]Scientific American[/I] had an article analyzing Bob Beamon's amazing jump. It concluded that several inches were courtesy of Mexico City's high altitude (lower gravity and air density) and the maximum-allowable 2 m/s tail wind, but the majority of his record's almost-two-foot (55 cm) "leap" over the previous record was simply due to Beamon's being practically perfect in every aspect of that particular attempt.[/quote]
Interesting ... indeed, we shouldn't let this present era of doping at every turn cause us to dismiss the possibility of the "one off" - one hears of many top male long jumpers having leapt nearly 30 feet in training, it's just rare that the "nailed it perfectly" happens to occur in the Olympic finals.

Re. wind resistance in the running events - wonder if the lower drag is partially or completely offset by the lower oxygen level - even if you train at altitude, I doubt you could entirely make up for that.

[quote]BTW, I notice that the ruler beside the long-jump pit this year has the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-meter distances numbered, but the ruler marks end at 8.2. Beamon jumped 8.9 meters.[/QUOTE]
They use different rulers for men and women ... for the men the rule extends well past 9 meters.

------------------------

AS I've said I'm not a big fan of SoCal-surf-crowd sports, but admit that the Women's beach volleyball semis were pretty interesting. What is up with that Brazilian duo, though? It's like a dysfunctional same-sex marriage. The way the one gal (Larisa) berates the other one all the time, she should be forced by Olympic organizers to play wearing a [url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/HANES-VTG-80s-MENS-COTTON-WIFEBEATER-UNDERWEAR-SHIRT-M-/120717733969]wifebeater undershirt[/url]. With proper Brazilian team colorage, obviously.

:w00t:

The NBC videos work!!!!! I'm watching the team foil final :smile:

[QUOTE=Dubslow;307516]:w00t:

The NBC videos work!!!!! I'm watching the team foil final :smile:[/QUOTE]

Huh, wonder when they unlocked them. I just started up the opening ceremony. Maybe that #NBCFail hashtag got on their nerves. I fell asleep while the athletes were parading past when the opening ceremonies first aired.

[QUOTE=10metreh;307456]Isn't that just for the women? I'm pretty sure Greg Rutherford's gold-winning jump of 8.31 wasn't off the end of the board.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=ewmayer;307483]They use different rulers for men and women ... for the men the rule extends well past 9 meters.[/QUOTE]Oh, yes, it was the women's competition where I noticed.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;307483]Yeah, I've watched a couple events on that network ... but lots of long-winded interviews with Latin athletes also make the coverage rather missable.[/QUOTE]I usually switch to Telemundo when NBC's showing something uninteresting, and I frequently find that what Telemundo is showing then interests me more. Counter-programming?

[quote]BTW, that gizmo you describe would be [I]un rociador de pintura[/I]. (Say it with a Madrid-style lisp, it sounds sexier that way. :P)[/quote]I'm too lazy to look up the translation for "Paid Program". :-)

[quote]Interesting ... indeed, we shouldn't let this present era of doping at every turn cause us to dismiss the possibility of the "one off"[/quote]Yes. That recent suggestion by U.S. coaches about a non-U.S. swimmer was quite rude and chauvinistic. They should have kept those thoughts to themselves.

[quote] one hears of many top male long jumpers having leapt nearly 30 feet in training,[/quote]Wow.

[quote]it's just rare that the "nailed it perfectly" happens to occur in the Olympic finals.[/quote]Figures -- especially in the long jump, because there's not only running but also takeoff foot placement and takeoff angle and "sticking" the landing.

[quote]Re. wind resistance in the running events - wonder if the lower drag is partially or completely offset by the lower oxygen level - even if you train at altitude, I doubt you could entirely make up for that.
[/quote]At the shorter anaerobic distances, it'd go one way, while at longer distances it'd go the other, is what I'd figure. (Hmmm... I don't think I've ever run fast enough to notice the air resistance.) Guess I could look up the Mexico City 10,000 meter and marathon times ... Decathlon scores?

[QUOTE=cheesehead;307596]I usually switch to Telemundo when NBC's showing something uninteresting, and I frequently find that what Telemundo is showing then interests me more. Counter-programming?[/quote]
I prefer "orthogonality of suckitude". :)

True enough - I must have been grumpy from having encountered one of the days where the suck overlapped when I wrote that. Yesterday, while NBC featured a pair of amphetamine-addled announcers shouting themselves hoarse at the absolute fabulosity and historicity of virtually every single swimming/pedal stroke and running-stride in the triathlon, Telemundo showed the women's 10m platform diving semis, live, with lots of multi-angle shots which never make the butchered evening primetime coverage. And the ads are in Spanish, which I understand quite well when I concentrate but which is not one of my 2 native (as in having learnt early via total immersion) tongues, making it easier to tune out. (An advantage when working at the computer with the coverage on the TV.)

Today, while NBC has rhythmic gymnastics - ugh, why not throw in pom-poms and make cheerleading the team event? Yeah, yeah, I *know* some of the chicks are [strike]hot[/strike] really quite talented - and weepy flashbacks of U.S. athletes atop the medal stand, Telemundo carried the men's soccer bronze-medal match between east Asian rivals So.Korea and Japan. Without spoilerizing by giving away the result to readers who may have recorded it for later viewing, I will say that both goals were things of beauty. Tomorrow TM will have the Brazil-Mexico gold medal match live at 9am Eastern (6am Pacific).

[quote]At the shorter anaerobic distances, it'd go one way, while at longer distances it'd go the other, is what I'd figure. (Hmmm... I don't think I've ever run fast enough to notice the air resistance.) Guess I could look up the Mexico City 10,000 meter and marathon times ... Decathlon scores?[/QUOTE]
Examining [url=http://www.olympicgamesmarathon.com/results.php]the data[/url] (I start in 1924, before which distances were not standardized and which Olympiads are so far before the modern-running shoe era that it is irrelevant for this discussion), there definitely is a noticeable upward blip in the winner's time in Mexico city relative to the surrounding trend:
[code]
Beijing 2008 2:06.32 Samuel Kamau WANJIRU (ken)
Athens 2004 2:10:55 Stefano BALDINI (ita)
Sydney 2000 2:10.11 Gezahgne ABERA (eth)
Atlanta 1996 2:12:36 Josia THUGWANE (rsa)
Barcelona 1992 2:13:23 Young-Cho HWANG (kor)
Seoul 1988 2:10:32 Gelindo BORDIN (ita)
Los Angeles 1984 2:09:21 Carlos LOPES (por)
Moscow 1980 2:11:03 Waldemar CIERPINSKI (gdr)
Montreal 1976 2:09:55.0 Waldemar CIERPINSKI (gdr)
Munich 1972 2:12:19.8 Frank Charles SHORTER (usa)
Mexico City 1968 2:20:27 Mamo WOLDE (eth)
Tokyo 1964 2:12:11 Abebe BIKILA (eth)
Roma 1960 2:15:16 Abebe BIKILA (eth)
Melbourne 1956 2:25:00 Alain MIMOUN (fra)
Helsinki 1952 2:23:03 Emil ZÁTOPEK (tch)
London 1948 2:34:51.6 Delfo CABRERA (arg)
Berlin 1936 2:29:19 Kitei SON (kor)
Los Angeles 1932 2:31:36 Juan Carlos ZABALA (arg)
Amsterdam 1928 2:32:57 Boughera Mohamed EL OUAFI (fra)
Paris 1924 2:41:22.6 Albin Oskar STENROOS (fin)[/code]
BTW, looking at the full list of times on the above-linked page, what the heck happened in 1904 in St. Louis? I'm guessing either no international runners showed up, or it was a brutally hot day. If anyone can ferret it out, let us know.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;307599]I prefer "orthogonality of suckitude". :)

True enough - I must have been grumpy from having encountered one of the days where the suck overlapped when I wrote that. Yesterday, while NBC featured a pair of amphetamine-addled announcers shouting themselves hoarse at the absolute fabulosity and historicity of virtually every single swimming/pedal stroke and running-stride in the triathlon, Telemundo showed the women's 10m platform diving semis, live, with lots of multi-angle shots which never make the butchered evening primetime coverage. And the ads are in Spanish, which I understand quite well when I concentrate but which is not one of my 2 native (as in having learnt early via total immersion) tongues, making it easier to tune out. (An advantage when working at the computer with the coverage on the TV.)

Today, while NBC has rhythmic gymnastics - ugh, why not throw in pom-poms and make cheerleading the team event? Yeah, yeah, I *know* some of the chicks are [strike]hot[/strike] really quite talented - and weepy flashbacks of U.S. athletes atop the medal stand, Telemundo carried the men's soccer bronze-medal match between east Asian rivals So.Korea and Japan. Without spoilerizing by giving away the result to readers who may have recorded it for later viewing, I will say that both goals were things of beauty. Tomorrow TM will have the Brazil-Mexico gold medal match live at 9am Eastern (6am Pacific).[/QUOTE]
NBC uses all their other channels as well. The game was on MSNBC, and I watched most of the first half (but missed both goals).

[QUOTE=Dubslow;307600]NBC uses all their other channels as well. The game was on MSNBC, and I watched most of the first half (but missed both goals).[/QUOTE]

I have Limited Basic (in Spanish: El cheapo, pronounced ell chay-op-po) cable, so NBC and TM are my only options, which is probably a good thing.

---------------------

[QUOTE=ewmayer;307599]BTW, looking at the full list of times on the above-linked page, what the heck happened in 1904 in St. Louis? I'm guessing either no international runners showed up, or it was a brutally hot day. If anyone can ferret it out, let us know.[/QUOTE]

[quick edit]...aha, it was indeed a very hot day back in oh-four, but there is much more to the story, including the interesting backdrop of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, the fact that the '04 Olympics were initially awarded to Chicago, and interesting race aspects including a walk-on performance by a local postman, rotten-apple-induced drunkenness, napping, crapping, strychnine and brandy cocktails en route, "special guest Africans", dog-chasing (and not of the postman, either), illegal car-riding, dust clouds, horse apples, and so on. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_Summer_Olympics]Wikipedia explains[/url], under the lead-in [i]"The marathon was the most bizarre event of the [1904] Games..."[/i]

[QUOTE=ewmayer;307602]I have Limited Basic (in Spanish: El cheapo, pronounced ell chay-op-po) cable, so NBC and TM are my only options, which is probably a good thing.
[/quote]
'Tis a shame, I'm watching a France vs. Croatia handball semi-final right now :popcorn:
[QUOTE=ewmayer;307602]
[quick edit]...aha, it was indeed a very hot day back in oh-four, but there is much more to the story, including the interesting backdrop of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, the fact that the '04 Olympics were initially awarded to Chicago, and interesting race aspects including a walk-on performance by a local postman, rotten-apple-induced drunkenness, napping, crapping, strychnine and brandy cocktails en route, "special guest Africans", dog-chasing (and not of the postman, either), illegal car-riding, dust clouds, horse apples, and so on. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_Summer_Olympics]Wikipedia explains[/url], under the lead-in [i]"The marathon was the most bizarre event of the [1904] Games..."[/i][/QUOTE]
LOL... that's hilarious! What a read that was!

The NYTimes "Room for Debate" column poses the question:

[url=http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/08/09/what-should-be-eliminated-from-the-olympics/?ref=opinion]What Should Be Eliminated From the Olympics?[/url]: [i]The Olympics provides a quadrennial opportunity to spend five minutes staring at activities you would never even have thought about otherwise. There are about 300 events. But if the Olympics were looking to pare itself down, where should it start? What sport should be eliminated? The one where women make themselves look like scary puppets?[/i]

Re: Women's 4x100 meter relay last night: Holy Crap!

The record broken was one of a handful by the former East Germany remaining on the books - [url=http://www.welt.de/sport/olympia/article108578012/In-welchen-Sportarten-die-DDR-noch-Weltspitze-ist.html]This [i]Die Welt[/i] article explains[/url], non-Deutsch-speaking readers should feed the link to Google Translate.


Interesting software-related cock-up in the women's hammer throw final last night:

[url=www.3news.co.nz/Hammer-medal-botch-up-explained/tabid/1697/articleID/265111/Default.aspx]Hammer medal botch up explained[/url]
[quote]Lack of prompt action by the competition jury after a computer warning initially deprived Germany's Betty Heidler of a hammer throw bronze medal at the Olympics, the IOC revealed.

It also allowed China's Zhang Wenxiu to do a lap of honour with national flag in the belief she had won bronze before the result was reversed.

The computer was not ready to accept the freak occurrence of successive throws of exactly the same distance and wiped out Heidler's fifth throw of 77.12 metres, which came after Russia's Tatyana Lysenko - who went on to take gold - had also thrown 77.12m.

"My understanding from what the IAAF has told me is: Her attempt was exactly the same as the attempt before. So the system didn't recognise it," IOC spokesman Mark Adams explains.

[u]The competition computer was programmed in such a way that identical distances in successive throws are automatically rated a mistake by the event jury.[/u]

Heidler's distance never showed up on the scoreboard.

Heidler protested immediately but it took until around half an hour after the competition, after endless discussions during which even the old fashioned tape measure was brought out to check the distance, the correct result was finally given.

By then, China's Zhang had been on her lap of honour. The Chinese camp protested once Heidler was bumped onto the podium, but that was rejected.[/quote]

The most dominant US Olympic team (40 straight Olympic victories) is one of the most-ignored:

"America's most dominant team? Women's basketball, even as the country ignores it"

[URL]http://sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics--america-s-most-dominant-team--women-s-basketball--even-as-the-country-ignores-it.html[/URL]

[quote] LONDON – Dominance doesn't always wear cleats and knee-high socks, and yet America's fascination with a female champion goes only as far as Twitter wars and "Dancing With the Stars." In a basketball country, the most beloved girls play on a soccer team.

On Thursday, just before the U.S. women's soccer team won another gold medal, the U.S. women's basketball team won its 40th straight Olympic game, beating its only rival, Australia, by 13 points in the best game Australia can play. The U.S. found a way to stop a 6-foot-8 center who has dunked in these Olympics. And it broke the Aussies with a ferocious zone defense. On Saturday, Team USA plays for its fifth straight gold medal. It would be an enormous shock to see the team lose.

Yet nobody much cared. Only a handful of American journalists came to the game. The questions were brief. The players weren't in demand. It was nothing like a U.S. women's soccer game, where the flood of television cameras and flashbulbs and tape recorders never seems to end.

After the game, U.S. coach Geno Auriemma clenched his jaw. This disparity between the soccer and basketball teams gnaws at him.

"I have a lot of respect for what they've done and how they've done it and the perpetual drama that seems to surround every one of their tournaments, you know?" Auriemma said of the women's soccer team as he walked down a corridor of the North Greenwich Arena. "I guess that's what people like, and the fact that there is very little drama involved with our games."

Then he chuckled.

"I'm sure if we were to lose a game we would become way more famous than we are now," he said.

. . .[/quote]

[URL="http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympics-record-breakers-of-2012-1344773931-slideshow/olympics-day-15-athletics-photo-1344773811.html"]World record breakers at the 2012 Olympics[/URL]

[QUOTE]A total of 38 records were broken in the 2012 Games. Some were improved by a few milliseconds, while others were shattered in blistering new times. View the athletes below who achieved world records in London.[/QUOTE]

The link that sent me there said all world records had been broken in London.

Nice to see the massive crowds for the men's marathon today ... great move @23 miles by the Ugandan on the 2 Kenyans (one of whom shares the same surname, app. no relation, though) to set up the win. I really enjoyed the way the route wended its way through so many interesting parts and historic areas & monuments of the inner city.

Thanks and congratulations to the UK organizers and the city of London for putting on a fabulous show. Good luck dealing with the inevitable hangover - hopefully that massive medal haul by the native athletes will help. :)

Brain May looks like a (crazy) physicist!!! (It's such a shame Mercury couldn't be there in person :sad:)

[QUOTE=Dubslow;307761]Brain May looks like a (crazy) physicist!!! (It's such a shame Mercury couldn't be there in person :sad:)[/QUOTE]True, but always look on the bright side of life.

[QUOTE=xilman;307779]True, but always look on the bright side of life.[/QUOTE]

Like [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIdKrSJ6270"]YouTube[/URL]? Thanks to that link (and watching it more than once last fall semester), when they played the recording of him, I already knew the whole thing :smile: (Edit: Actually, I must have gotten the wrong one, because this one's different from the recording shown today... none of the dialog is right either...)

[QUOTE=Dubslow;307761]Brain May looks like a (crazy) physicist!!! (It's such a shame Mercury couldn't be there in person :sad:)[/QUOTE]
Brian May is [B]in fact[/B] an astrophysicist, ...in case you didn't read about it in the very first line in Wiki. :razz:

[QUOTE=Batalov;307782]Brian May is [B]in fact[/B] an astrophysicist, ...in case you didn't read about it in the very first line in Wiki. :razz:[/QUOTE]

I'm more-than-well-aware of that, but was pointing out how much he looks like it now. My mom thinks he grew his hair like that to look like Newton. :smile: (The white hair shocked me a little, but it is gloriously awesome white hair, for the reasons above.)

[QUOTE=Dubslow;307780](Edit: Actually, I must have gotten the wrong one, because this one's different from the recording shown today... none of the dialog is right either...)[/QUOTE]

I went through my Youtube history and found the one I remember (apparently there was a Friday and Saturday concert):
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw-_LQJ6e8E[/url]
As a few of you might have read before I edited it, I did in fact have a top [URL="http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=nw-_LQJ6e8E"]comment[/URL] on this video. :smile: (Ctrl+F "sure of it")

PS Perhaps it's the hour, but what a glorious two concerts they were...

[QUOTE=Batalov;307782]Brian May is [B]in fact[/B] an astrophysicist, ...in case you didn't read about it in the very first line in Wiki. :razz:[/QUOTE]Amongst all the other world record holders present last night, Dr May has one of his own. AFAIK, he has the record for the longest time between starting his doctorate and collecting the degree.

[QUOTE=xilman;307789]Amongst all the other world record holders present last night, Dr May has one of his own. AFAIK, he has the record for the longest time between starting his doctorate and collecting the degree.[/QUOTE]

Screw Erdős number, how about May number? And apparently the Newton thing isn't new:
[quote]May appeared on the 700th episode of The Sky at Night hosted by Sir Patrick Moore, along with Dr. Chris Lintott, Jon Culshaw, Prof. Brian Cox, and the Astronomer Royal Martin Rees who on leaving the panel told Brian May, who was joining it, "I don't know any scientist who looks as much like Isaac Newton as you do". May replied that "that could be my after dinner comment, thank you very much".[/quote]

[QUOTE=xilman;306604]Catching the javelin? Shot-put volleyball? Water dressage?[/QUOTE]Inspired by Eric Idle's demonstration last night, I would put forward "Human Cannonball" as a sport. There would be at least two categories, including greatest distance travelled and most skilful in-flight gymnastics.

Some facilities are greatly under used at present, an example being the white-water canoeing course. Accordingly, I propose uphill swimming races.

[QUOTE=Dubslow;307783]I'm more-than-well-aware of that, but was pointing out how much he looks like it now. My mom thinks he grew his hair like that to look like Newton. :smile: (The white hair shocked me a little, but it is gloriously awesome white hair, for the reasons above.)[/QUOTE]

Not to cast dispersions on Dr. May's colorful career, but to paraphrase the old Memorex ads, "is it live, or is it a Newtonian-era peruke?"

May is rather taller than the late Sir Isaac, but I can see how that might help when it comes to "having a feel" for gravitation, making Newton's achievements all that more remarkable.

---------------------

Forgot to mention yesterday - the men's volleyball final (Brazil v Russia) was wildly entertaining, Russia comes back from 2 match balls down in the 3rd set, completely ditches its normal on-floor player staffing and shocks the favored Brazis.

Another possible Olympic sport, though I can't take credit for it. SWMBO is an afficionado of a soap opera called [i]The Archers[/i] and told me of the invention. Incidentally, a snatch of the signature tune was included in the opening ceremony.

The event is caterpillar racing. The athletes are almost completely enclosed in a fairly tightly fitting padded garment akin to a sleeping bag. The only part of their anatomy exposed is their head. The event is to race 100m in the shortest time.


Paul

With the 2012 Olympics in the rear-view mirror, time to switch things into "where are they now?" mode, by which we keep the thread alive by reporting on the doings - especially those of the humorous variety - of the Olympians.

Combining the "where are they now?" theme and the "events which should be in the Olympics", U.S. middle distance runner Nick Symmonds just attempted to better the world record in a running event which definitely should be in the Olympics:

[url=www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2012/08/olympic_runner_nick_symmonds_a.html]Olympic runner Nick Symmonds attempts record in beer mile[/url]
[quote]Unlike Roger Bannister's record-breaking sub-four-minute mile, this feat won't be written about in history books or mythologized in film. But someday soon, someone somewhere will break a barrier nearly as difficult: the five-minute beer mile.[/quote]
I take issue with both of those theses: If the Beer Mile became an Olympic event it would very much be written about in history books. And the five-minute beer mile is certainly more difficult than the four-minute non-beer mile, since top middle distance runners all easily break the latter mark these days, whereas none has yet come closer than 9 seconds to running a five-minute beer mile. But, back to the article:
[quote]It just wasn't Tuesday, and it wasn't Oregon resident and Olympic runner Nick Symmonds.

Symmonds, who came in fifth in the 800 meters at the London 2012 Olympics, logged a 5:19 time in his first beer mile, which tasks runners with chugging a full beer (in this case, Coors) every quarter mile throughout the run.

The time was good enough for an American record, but not enough to beat Canadian marathoner Jim Finlayson's 5:09 mark from 2007.

TMZ was on hand to film the 28-year-old runner (which seems strange, until you remember Symmonds once went on a date with Paris Hilton).

As Symmonds tweeted after:
[i]
Learned a lot in tonight's #NSBeerMile. Definitely know where time needs to be shaved off. I'll post the video to YouTube tomorrow!
— NickSymmonds (@NickSymmonds) August 22, 2012
[/i][/quote]
He fell 10 seconds short of the record - but keep trying, Nick, as you know, endless practice is what it takes to accomplish such a notable feat.

On a technical note, in order to make TBM an Olympic event there would need to be standardization w.r.to the beer's minimum (and perhaps maximum) alcohol content). I'm also curious as to what fraction of the extra minute-and-half required for the Beer Mile is due to having to stop and chug every lap, and which to the resulting state of inebriation.

In five minutes there isn't enough time to have the alcohol affect the runner.

Now a (Blue, of course!) Slurpee[B]®[/B] every quarter mile? That would be impressive!

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;309106]In five minutes there isn't enough time to have the alcohol affect the runner.[/QUOTE]
Au contraire -- On an empty stomach, the blood alcohol level will rise appreciably within minutes. Strenuous activity like running will speed this process further, by causing accelerated liquid absorption from the stomach. If you don't believe me, try it sometime. :)

If any of our readers has a home breathalyzer (or access to one n a lab equppied with an exercise treadmill) and wishes to make a contribution to science, it would be a simple experiment to run.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;309101]With the 2012 Olympics in the rear-view mirror, time to switch things into "where are they now?" mode, by which we keep the thread alive by reporting on the doings - especially those of the humorous variety - of the Olympians.[/QUOTE]I have very rarely seen the words "Coors" and "beer" in the same sentence other than when used ironically or within advertising literature. Coors, IMAO, is very much in the making love in a punt category.

[QUOTE]Au contraire -- On an empty stomach, the blood alcohol level will rise appreciably within minutes. Strenuous activity like running will speed this process further, by causing accelerated liquid absorption from the stomach. If you don't believe me, try it sometime.[/QUOTE]The speed at which we would run a mile (8 minutes?) coupled with the fact that we do not drink would probably result in confusion, dyspnea, mydriasis, muscle fasciculations and projectile vomiting. Well, maybe in the people watching us.

:sick:

We will take your word that a young male with (more likely than not) an extensive drinking history and related alcohol tolerance level will be challenged by this task.

:loco:

We still think a blue Slurpee[B]®[/B] every quarter mile would be a more entertaining event. Or maybe have the runner drink the beer, spin in circles 17 times and then run.

:ouch2:

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;309124]
We still think a blue Slurpee[B]®[/B] every quarter mile would be a more entertaining event. Or maybe have the runner drink the beer, spin in circles 17 times and then run.

:ouch2:[/QUOTE]

Rofl. In high school we played "the pen game": hold a pen (or pencil) at arm's length in front of your face, focus really hard on it, and then spin around as fast as possible for 60 seconds. Then you drop the pen: whoever manages to jump over the dropped pen without falling wins.

[QUOTE=xilman;309110]I have very rarely seen the words "Coors" and "beer" in the same sentence....[/QUOTE]I used to routinely use one of Coors' better products routinely:[attach]8473[/attach]

Coor's ceramic crucible?

[QUOTE=sdbardwick;309155]Coor's ceramic crucible?[/QUOTE]Yep. Their ceramics kept the company going during prohibition. I used to put things in ovens and furnaces routinely. I even have put things into and taken them out of a 550 C furnace barehanded.