Running on TV

So, you've just done 10 miles, you're inspired to all heck, and you want to watch how some of the top runners do it via video. Here are a few places to look in the coming month (especially if you have a high-speed Internet connection):

** RUNNING, a monthly show, airs on the YES network in our area. The schedule is posted here for April.

** The U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon trails will be broadcast on Sunday, April 20, on an NBC Webcast. (Apparently the men's Webcast didn't go so well, according to the comments posted on various message boards, so let's hope this goes smoothly). A highlights show will appear on MSNBC the following weekend.

** WCSN will broadcast live coverage of both the London and Boston marathons this year. The online network is always a source for track video, though mostly international at this point. (This site will satisfy your fix on even the most marginal sports, such as curling.)

** RunnerSpace has a bunch of video, including recent college meets (if you go there now, you can watch the American college women's 10K record being set). It's a promising site, and gives top college runners some national exposure.

Note there are places that I'll highlight in future posts, though if you have other suggestions, please post them as a response to this. Given the dearth of coverage within the national TV arena, there's now a variety of different places you can go for online video to watch parts, or all of races.

Admittedly, watching a race on TV can be less interesting than watching paint dry, especially if the announcers haven't a clue what's happening - at the same time, if you know the players, and are patient and wait for the right moment ... bam! Think about your last race: You're focused on a particular runner, who is ahead/behind you in the final 800 meters. There's been a dance the entire race, and now it comes down to this ...

Think Ryan Hall and Brian Sell in the recent Olympic trials marathon, which (the sad death of Ryan Shay notwithstanding), was a great race to watch, because you got to see how the runners made their case to make the team. I'm hoping the women's race is just like that.

Running isn't going to surplant even the NHL (go Bruins!) on national TV. But now you have some options ...