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P. Diddy: The Real Running Man
« on: Nov 3rd, 2003, 3:05pm » |
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P. Diddy: The Real Running Man
by Josh Grossberg
Nov 3, 2003, 10:20 AM PT
Diddy did it!
Despite being hobbled by a bad knee, cramps and only a month and a half's training, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs gutted it out to complete his first New York Marathon on Sunday, raising more than $2 million for children's charities along the way.
Sporting a mohawk, the hip-hop mogul raised his arms in triumph as he became the 11,359th runner of more than 30,000 entrants to cross the finish line in Central Park after running the grueling 26.2 mile course through New York's five boroughs.
"Never in my life have I ever experienced anything as crazy as this," Combs said at a post-race news conference. "It was a beautiful experience."
His official race time was a respectable four hours, 14 minutes and 54 seconds, and he achieved his goal of besting Oprah Winfrey's four-hour, 29-minute marathon time at a 1994 race sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps.
At times, the 33-year-old Diddy, otherwise known as number 30972, wasn't even sure he would last--especially after he felt his legs starting to cramp up around mile 16 and his tendonitis-riddled right knee giving him trouble throughout the race.
Diddy, who was running with one of his Bad Boy posse, also lost two wingmen during the race: A pair of New York's finest, assigned to tail the Puffster as bodyguards, dropped out. Still, Team Diddy stuck it out.
"I definitely wanted to stop," Combs said. "This is definitely a life-changing experience for me because I did not stop."
"Twenty-six miles is not a publicity stunt," Combs said, vowing that he won't be participating in the marathon next year, though he still planned to keep running.
Diddy said his spirits were buoyed by friends, family and the thousands of onlookers lining the street cheering him on. A few young fans even jumped the guardrails and tagged along shouting their support.
"It was the people of New York who helped me through this. It was a crazy thing. I was running for the kids. I wanted to stop because legs were cramping up. But the kids wouldn't let me stop. They were running by my side. Little kids, 10, 12 years old. In the Bronx and Harlem. It was great," he told the New York Post. "I was running for them, and ironically, they're the ones who helped me get through this."
All told, the "Diddy Runs the City" campaign raised $2 million. Half is earmarked to two charities--one for HIV-positive children and the other his own organization devoted to social programs--and the remaining portion will be going to New York City's cash-strapped public schools.
Supporting the marathon man were fellow rapper Jay-Z, who donated $25,000 and also threw a post-race "victory" party, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ponied up $10,000, and even ex-gal pal Jennifer Lopez and new beau Ben Affleck, who pitched in a combined $78,000. Puffy also took part in a 16-hour radio telethon last week that netted $250,000 in pledges
Combs, who's scheduled to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show Monday, also said he planned to hit up the talk-show queen for a donation.
The rapper's running-man plans have been fully documented by MTV. Last Thursday, the cable net aired a 90-minute documentary chronicling Diddy's training and fundraising efforts leading up to the race. A follow-up special, focusing on the actual race and Diddy's reaction to finishing, will be broadcast on November 8.
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