More "Boston Prep" Saucony Videos...

More Boston-themed tomfoolery from the KIMbia guys, after the jump...

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LTOB-Spawned Web Promos Dropping on Saucony.com, KIMbia.net

Hey, so guess what: we have been involved in a series of web videos produced in conjunction with Saucony and KIMbia Athletics, detailing the KIMbia guys' preparations for Boston -- which, if you didn't know, is this Monday. The videos are posting to KIMbia.net each day between now and Monday, and should drop as a block on the Saucony site sometime tomorrow. (Hint: if you're torn, go to the Saucony site so they think "Oh wow, a lot of people are coming to look at these videos. We should give these guys more money to make more videos for us!") Video #1 after the jump.

Think of that first video as the 30-second iTunes preview of your favorite James Blunt song: it's just a taste. So, don't forget to check out Saucony.com (or KIMbia.net) for the rest of the videos!

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Photo of the Weekend: Boston & the Women's Trials

Before the start of Monday's Boston Marathon, someone wrangled up a really cool little photo-op of the top 3 placers in the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, which were held Sunday, along with women's pioneer and 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist (marathon) Joan Benoit Samuelson, who raced Sunday, clocking 2:49:08, good for 90th. And at age 50, mind you. Of course that kind of photo journalism is going to win Photo of the Weekend.

They are holding the Olympic torch because, L to R, that is your Olympic Team, with Blake Russell (in red) serving as alternate. What's that you say? Samuelson wasn't top 3 at the Trials?

Oh right - our runner-up for Photo of the Weekend honors actually documents that story, capturing Benoit-Samuelson just moments before the ugly incident that moved Russell off the team.

Turns out "Joanie" wasn't so satisfied with just participating on Sunday, and, as you can see here, came to Monday's start -- how do you say? -- "packing." There was a scrum, shots were fired, and when the dust cleared Benoit Samuelson had her ticket to Beijing. Apparently.

Just prior, she had been heard saying, "I'm no geek off the street. I know how to handle the steel, if you know what I mean."

[ both photos Victor Sailer/PhotoRun.net ]

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Lance Armstrong Apparently Runs Boston, Shoots Hoops

You would think a guy who has undoubtedly spent an average of 4 hours a day in spandex would not be so bashful with the traditional short shorts of marathoners. You would be wrong.

When asked about the untraditional bottoms after the race, Lance quipped, "I ain't wearin' on that fruity shit. Who do I look like, Larry Bird?"

Also curious about Lance's marathon experience was the finishing tape that he ran through despite not winning the race. Some in the running community were confused/outraged about the presence of said tape for the 496th finisher.

What those people don't understand is that Boston brings out a special finishing tape for the 496th finisher every year because 496 is one of the few perfect numbers and, let's face it, those smug Bostonians think they are way more perfecter than everyone else.

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What They Didn't Tell You: Women's Trials & Boston

A HUGE weekend in running with the Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, the Boston Marathon, and a ton of other action both in and outside of races. I guess it stands as no surprise then, that some things were bound to fall through the cracks in the mainstream coverage of this weekend's events. Less Than Our Best even traveled to cover an event for the first time, and so, we -- for once -- actually kind of know what we were talking about instead of just making shit up. Most importantly, we had front-row seats to witness all the stories that aren't getting ink. Find out What They Didn't Tell You, after the jump...

On Sunday, in the women's marathon Olympic Trials, Deena Kastor spent much of the race well back in 2nd, before throwing down on the final crit-course lap to catch and pass Magdalena Lewy Boulet, and take first place. Reports alternately said that Deena was not 100% comfortable, and implied that she assumed Lewy Boulet would eventually come back to her. But in reality, the gap opened up when Kastor stopped for a spell to ask one of the race marshals where she could buy one of those sweet, sweet Segways.

Longtime race leader Lewy Boulet was quoted as saying that for a moment she actually thought she was going to win the race. A field sobriety test later confirmed that, at that moment, she was still highly intoxicated from the previous night's LetsRun/PUMA party. Which only made her still-excellent run more impressive.

As reported, the crowds on Sunday were also quite impressive. The flip side of the story, though, is that race organizers had been telling Bostonites for weeks that Sunday would be a special Red Sox "Costume Game" for charity. The plan worked to perfection, as thousands of locals turned out, all too drunk to catch on. To wit: as Samia Akbar passed by, one person was overheard slurring, "Wow, Manny has great legs under those baggy pants. Go Sawx!"

That person may or may not have been Boston resident Matt Taylor.

Monday, in The Boston Marathon proper, the second biggest name in the field ran 2:50:58. While that is well off Lance Armstrong's PB of 2:46:43 run last fall in New York, this still has not stopped co-workers across the country from asking you if that time was good enough to give him a shot at the win. [ Feel free to retort: "Yeah... in 1899!" And then slap them. ]

Mt. SAC was going on this weekend. No, that's it. I don't think I saw a single story on it in any publication. (PS. McDougal got housed.)

Robert Cheruiyot won his fourth straight Boston this morning. What they didn't tell you is that for the past three years, Boston organizers have been sending him the following entry literature:

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