Marathon Runners in the U.S. Look to Her

Marla Runyan is the top female marathon runner in the United States and the only American -- woman or man -- expected to be a leading contender in the Boston Marathon today.

She also is legally blind, which, she says, “is not even a story, in my eyes.”

Runyan has competed internationally in events from the high jump to the heptathlon, and she has been the U.S. record-holder in the 5,000 meters and the heptathlon 800. This despite Stargardt’s disease, macular degeneration that has left her with 20-1,000 vision. Even with contact lenses, she can’t read the “E” at the top of an eye chart. She can see 10 to 15 feet in front of her, enough to spot a pothole or avoid other obstacles.

She also professes to having little trouble tracking her competition, adding, “It’s easier if they’re behind me.”

Trivia question: Comparing statistics to salary, which NBA player was the best bargain in the league this season, according to an analysis by Bloomberg News?

Par for the course: Tom Glavine and John Smoltz are best friends and were longtime Atlanta Brave teammates.

Then, before this season, Glavine left to sign with the New York Mets as a free agent.

“The baseball is the same ... baseball is baseball, and the adjustments you have to make from the baseball side of it are not that difficult,” Glavine told Associated Press. “But those are the things that come a little bit harder, those on the personal side.”

Yes, Smoltz agreed, each day is a little bit tougher with his buddy pitching for a National League East rival.

“Miss him? Yeah, a lot,” Smoltz said. “For 15 years, we were doing the same thing. I mean, I’d wake up and not have to wonder where I was playing golf or who I was playing with. Now, I’m doing a lot more organizing than I used to.”

Oh yeah, it’s a struggle. Imagine having to plan your own golf outings.

Trivia answer: Golden State guard Gilbert Arenas, who averaged 18.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds while making a team-low $512,435 in the final year of a two-year contract.

Not a bargain: The biggest bust this season was Danny Ferry of the San Antonio Spurs, who, for his $4.55-million salary, averaged 1.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 9.4 minutes.

And finally: A kicker with a familiar last name answered the Minnesota football team’s advertisement in the campus newspaper last week for a “quality kicker/punter.”

Her name is Mary Nystrom; her older brother, Dan, ended his career at Minnesota last fall as the Big Ten Conference’s career leader in field goals and scoring by a kicker.

But after showing up for a tryout with other kicker candidates, Nystrom was sent away by Gopher coaches wary of facing a sex discrimination suit similar to the one filed against Duke by Heather Sue Mercer in 1997 after she was cut.

Minnesota is not obligated to grant Nystrom a tryout because, under Title IX, schools can prohibit women from participating in men’s contact sports.

Nystrom was disappointed, but said she won’t challenge the decision, telling the Minneapolis Star Tribune -- cover your eyes Martha Burk -- “It’s not that big a deal.”

-- Mike Hiserman