Millions of Americans have been following the Olympics in London, and NHPR staffers are no exception. But one of our colleagues is watching with a more seasoned eye – Keith Shields is executive producer of The Exchange, but he’s also a 27-time marathoner who's currently training for an Iron Man triathlon in Quebec.
He tells All Things Considered host Brady Carlson about the races he's been following, London's history in shaping the modern marathon, and whether athletes watch Olympic competition any differently than the rest of us.
Track and field has a numbers problem. As in, there are just too many of them. The 60, 26.2, 4-by-8, 2-oh-3, 5, 8, 10k…
Back in the 1950s, there was one number that mattered.
"I think there are only a handful of achievements like breaking 4 minutes for the first time, in any sport, that comes close to what Roger Bannister has done."
Earlier this week, at the London Olympics, the American team competed in the double canoe slalom. That’s when two men kneel inside a kayak and work together to navigate an obstacle course on whitewater rapids. If you watched this on NBC, you might have caught a glimpse of a pair of paddles made in New Hampshire.
In rustic Canaan, New Hampshire, Peter Mitchell is hard at work sanding a freshly carved double-bladed kayak paddle.
Guor Marial is a South Sudanese refugee who spent his high school years in Concord. He has now qualified to run the Olympic marathon.
In the past few weeks he’s had a lot of press: Time Magazine, the Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, the Associated Press, and too many other publications to name have run profiles on him. Marial’s story has spread so far because it’s basically the perfect Olympic story.
The Olympic torch is delivered by row boat to the royal barge, Gloriana, on the River Thames, near Tower Bridge in London ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.
Credit Kyodo/Landov
The Olympic torch is delivered by rowboat to the royal barge, Gloriana, on the River Thames, near Tower Bridge in London ahead of the opening ceremony Friday.
Credit Emilio Morenatti / AP
People cross the Westminster bridge to watch the Olympic flame being delivered.
Credit Sang Tan / AP
Four-time Olympic rowing gold medalist Matthew Pinsent poses with the torch at the courtyard of Hampton Court Palace in London on the final day of the torch relay.
Credit Alpha/Landov
A statue of Wenlock, one of the Olympic mascots, stands near the Golden Hinde boat in Southwark. Statues of the mascots can be seen around London.
Credit Matt Cardy / Getty Images
The seaside town of Weymouth, England, will host the Olympic sailing events.
Credit Jim Hollander / EPA/Landov
Volunteers wipe up water after a light rain at the equestrian stadium in Greenwich Park.
The London 2012 Summer Games are set to begin in earnest, with today's opening ceremony kicking off a weekend of gold-medal competitions. But if you're in America and you hope to watch the Opening Ceremony live, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed: NBC is tape-delaying its broadcast until Friday night.
