Dress up to get down
(10/25/07 4:00am)
By Andrea Alumbaugh
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Wrecking balls will bring down RCA Dome
(10/24/07 3:12am)
INDIANAPOLIS – The RCA Dome will come down by wrecking ball rather than explosives.\nA state board on Monday detailed demolition plans for the 24-year-old stadium as part of the nearly $1 billion project to build the new Lucas Oil Stadium and expand the Indiana Convention Center.\nRemoval of the RCA Dome’s exterior utility lines will begin in January, with demolition expected to start next spring on the home of the Indianapolis Colts, which are to begin playing in the new 63,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium next season.\nThe timing and method for the demolition is based on not disrupting events at the adjoining convention center, said David Frick, chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority.\n“That is the economic engine of this whole $1 billion project in which we’re engaged, and we don’t want to disrupt it at all,” Frick said.\nThe demolition, which is expected to last about five months, will move from north to south so construction can begin on the three-story convention center expansion, projected to cost $275 million.\nTom Scheele, senior vice president of Shiel Sexton Co. Inc., said conventional demolition was the best way to bring down the RCA Dome because of how close it is to the convention center and other buildings in the city’s downtown.\nWork to remove the stadium’s fabric roof is expected to be done next spring and summer, with removal of its seating bowl to follow, Scheele said.\n“Once about two-thirds of the demolition is complete, you will see new construction and Dome demolition going on concurrently,” Scheele said.\nThe convention center construction is expected to be finished by fall 2010.
Open practice to be held Friday
(10/23/07 3:58am)
The IU men’s basketball team will be holding an open practice at 4 p.m. Friday at Assembly Hall, according to an IU press release.\n“This is something we enjoy doing every year,” said IU coach Kelvin Sampson in a statement. “Our students, alumni and fans have a tremendous passion for the program, and we’re excited to provide this opportunity for them to see one of our practices.”\nStudents and the public are requested to enter through the north and south loge doors inside Assembly Hall and sit in the west stands.\nThe Hoosiers’ first exhibition game of the 2007-08 season will be Nov. 4 against North Alabama.
Richter makes quarterfinals at ITA Regional
(10/23/07 1:17am)
Big Ten schools dominated both the singles and doubles draws at the ITA Midwest Regional, but some IU players hoped they’d make it further at Minnesota’s Baseline Tennis Center.\nAll three Hoosiers, seniors Thomas Richter and Dara McLoughlin and freshman Phillip Eilers qualified for the main draw, but only one made it past the first day of singles competition.\nEilers lost 6-3, 6-0 to DePaul’s Jose Moncada in the first round. McLoughlin, meanwhile, earned his first win of the fall, 7-5, 6-1, against DePaul’s Vanja Grgec, but faced the ninth seed in the second round.\nDespite upsetting Notre Dame’s Brett Helgeson in three sets in 2006, McLoughlin fell to the nation’s 66th-ranked player this time around, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. \nRichter, seeded eighth, began his run with a first-round 6-4, 6-2 victory against Louisville’s David Simon. In the second round, Richter defeated Iowa’s Reinoud Haal 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. In the Round of 16, Richter knocked off the 10th seed and 87th-ranked Jeremy Sonkin from Wisconsin, 6-4, 7-6.\nIn the quarterfinals, Richter went up against the 13th seed, Ohio State’s Justin Kronauge. Despite being ranked 53 spots behind Richter in the Fila Collegiate Tennis rankings, Kronauge, a former No. 1 U.S. junior singles player, proved to be an unbeatable test.\nThe sophomore ousted the Hoosiers’ top man 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals and was eventually crowned champion when Illinois’ Ryan Rowe had to default in the finals due to an injury.\nIn doubles action, IU coach Randy Bloemendaal decided to pair Richter with Eilers, splitting up the Richter-McLoughlin pairing for the first time since Richter joined the Hoosiers last January. Richter and Eilers, the 14th seed in the tournament, won two matches on Friday, defeating teams from Marquette and Xavier, 8-5 and 8-0 respectively. \nIn the Round of 16, Richter and Eilers went up against the No. 3-seeded and 25th-ranked Ohio State pairing of Bryan Koniecko and fellow junior Steven Moneke. OSU’s top singles players eliminated Richter and Eilers 8-4 before losing in the quarterfinals.\nIU will next be in action the weekend of Nov. 9 at the Big Ten Singles Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Hoosiers' Friday practice to be open to the public
(10/22/07 9:28pm)
The IU men’s basketball team will be holding an open practice at 4 p.m. Friday at Assembly Hall, according to an IU press release.\n“This is something we enjoy doing every year,” said IU coach Kelvin Sampson in a statement. “Our students, alumni and fans have a tremendous passion for the program, and we’re excited to provide this opportunity for them to see one of our practices.”\nStudents and the public are requested to enter through the north and south entrances of Assembly Hall and sit in the west stands.\nThe Hoosiers’ first exhibition game will be on Nov. 4 against North Alabama.
A look back at IU homecoming games
(10/22/07 3:44pm)
2002: \nIU Loses to Iowa 24-8\nThe Hoosiers lost to 15th-ranked Iowa to go 3-4 on the season after a game of missed opportunities. IU quarterback Gibran Hamdan threw two interceptions with good field position in the first half, while wide receiver Courtney Roby dropped a pass downfield. Trailing 17-0 at halftime, the Hoosiers managed to put up two field goals and a safety in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to beat an Iowa team that would go on to finish eight in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.\n"We got what we deserved. We \nprobably could have played better. We’ll move on. We’ll press on. We need to get ready for Illinois. It’s like I tell them, after the wins and after the losses, we need to move on."\n– Former IU coach Gerry DiNardo
How to ‘Pack the Rock’ for Homecoming
(10/22/07 3:30pm)
I have no qualifications as an athletic director – I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night – but I think I could do a better job than our current administration. Just give me one day as athletic director ... with a pro-rated salary.\nRight after I rename Assembly Hall after a certain exiled general and bring the traditional Midnight Madness back, the main focus of my 24-hour power trip would be IU football’s woeful attendance rates.\nThrough four home games this season, the Hoosiers are averaging a miniscule attendance of 33,157, a staggering 94-person increase from last year. Out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision schools last season, the Hoosiers finished a middling 69th in home attendance. Kirkwood on a Tuesday night has been outdrawing Memorial Stadium this fall. Despite having one of the smallest stadiums in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers are light years away from reaching their stadium’s capacity of 52,180. Last season, the average IU home attendance wasn’t even half the Big Ten average of 69,643. The only school with a more dismal home attendance was Northwestern.\nSo what can the Hoosiers do to outdraw the likes of East Carolina, Air Force and Fresno State (three of the 68 teams with better home attendance rates than IU)?\nThe Hoosiers have the perfect opportunity this weekend to “Pack the Rock.” They are playing Penn State on Homecoming weekend, and on top of that, ESPN is nationally televising the game. This is IU’s chance to show the world it cares about football. I don’t care if the fans have to drag homeless people from the Monroe County Public Library, just fill the seats.\nIf I were Rick Greenspan for a day, I’d recruit IU’s freshman class like it just verbally committed to Illinois. That’s 7,208 potential IU fans who have never heard of Gerry DiNardo. At the very least, it is 7,208 potential alumni donors – Aha! I got someone’s attention. \nEarlier this season, the athletic department began its recruitment of freshman, giving them free tickets to the Indiana State game. But that’s like giving someone a free sample of a stale pretzel. Instead of having the Memorial Stadium bleachers as naked as the girl from “High School Musical,” why not admit every freshman for free again? Think of it as a long-term investment.\nIf I were Greenspan for a day, I’d also mandate $13 game-day tickets for the rest of the season, in honor of Terry Hoeppner’s goal to “Play 13.” This way, IU would still be earning some revenue, while not suffering the embarrassment of a half-empty stadium. Here’s the advertising slogan: “Pay 13.”\nI would also organize a “Crimson-out” for the game. The athletic department has a little more push than a Facebook group delivering the same message. The school was able to raise enough money to build a North End Zone Facility; can’t it find a couple of sponsors to back 50,000 crimson shirts with “Don’t Quit” on the back? \nSomething also has to be done about the in-game “entertainment.” When did John Mellencamp’s over-played music replace the school song? Also, I don’t know how last year’s home basketball games didn’t get this point across, but IU male cheerleaders have the same effect on a crowd as tear gas and rubber bullets. Apparently Roseanne Barr’s rendition of our national anthem opened doors for undeserving people everywhere to be given microphones.\nThe cheerleaders are not at the root of IU’s attendance problems, they’re just easy targets. The athletic department will have to adapt and tweak some of its policies in order to purge Memorial Stadium of substandard turnouts. \nIf not, the Hoosiers will continue to play in front of 30,000 strong. I don’t have a degree in sports management, nor have I ever played someone who had one on television, but I would imagine that would be a pretty disappointing figure for an athletic director.
Pettersen wins 4th tour victory of the year
(10/22/07 2:56am)
GYEONGJU, South Korea – Suzann Pettersen was prepared for another challenging round in the cold and wind. The Norwegian star ended up holding yet another trophy Sunday without even hitting a shot.\nPettersen won the Hana Bank KOLON Championship for her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the year when high wind and unplayable conditions on the putting surfaces forced tournament officials to call off the final round at Mauna Ocean resort.\n“I guess it has to kind of sink in that I actually won this tournament,” Pettersen said. “Of course, it’s not the way I want to win. You want to complete the tournament as it is originally set up, but this time the last round wasn’t playable.”\nThe Solheim Cup player opened with a 3-under 69 on Friday and shot a 72 on Saturday in wind and cold to take the lead at 3 under. She’s the first non-South Korean winner in the six-year history of the event.\n“I feel very fortunate to break the Korean streak,” Pettersen said. “Of course, it’s not the way we wanted to end this tournament. It felt like I played 36 great holes. I fought every day and it was very hard.”\nSouth Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji finished a stroke back, compatriots Seon Hwa Lee and Jeong Jang followed at 1-under and Hyun-Hee Moon was fifth at even par. Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa, coming off her seventh victory of the season last week in the Samsung World Championship, tied for 12th at 3 over after rounds of 72 and 75.\n“I’m disappointed and I think a lot of other people are disappointed that we didn’t get to finish the tournament, but I’m very happy,” Pettersen said. “It’s nice to be back in Korea.”\nThe course was deemed unplayable after days of strong wind on the greens that were already severely stressed by more than 20 inches of rain.
Thrilling F1 season reaches climax in Sao Paulo’s Brazilian Grand Prix
(10/18/07 4:04am)
SAO PAULO, Brazil – Three drivers, one race to go.\nOne of the most thrilling and wild Formula One seasons in decades will come down to the last event of the year – the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.\nRookie sensation Lewis Hamilton, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher replacement Kimi Raikkonen each enter the finale in Brazil with a shot at winning the title in a season marked by twists and turns from the start.\nThere was a spying scandal that culminated with a $100 million fine, an internal team dispute reminiscent of the rifts between the greats Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in the late 1980s, and the tightest race for the championship since 1986.\nHamilton, trying to become the first rookie to win the title and the youngest champion ever, has a four-point lead ahead of McLaren teammate Alonso, and a seven-point advantage over Ferrari’s Raikkonen.\nThe last time three drivers entered the last race with chances of winning the championship was in 1986, when Prost edged Nigel Mansell.\nHamilton has the points lead this year, but Alonso may be in the most comfortable position for the race at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.\nThough Alonso has to win the race and hope Hamilton finishes third of worse, the Spaniard has experience and history on his side in his quest for a third straight drivers’ championship. He clinched both of his previous titles at the Brazilian GP, winning the 2005 race and finishing second last year.\n“Interlagos has a lot of great memories for me, having won both of my two world championships at the circuit,” Alonso said. “They were both quite different races, but that is a characteristic of the track.”\nHamilton, on the other hand, has never raced at Interlagos, and the rookie will likely be a step behind the other drivers getting up to speed at the demanding 2.6-mile track.\n“It is another new circuit for me, and there has been a lot of talk by other people about how it is tricky to drive,” Hamilton said. “That’s why I see it as a special challenge.”
I'm Not There (R) Grade: B+
(10/18/07 4:00am)
Like the legendary musician himself, Todd Haynes' new Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" is hard to label. Instead of taking the tired, paint-by-numbers plot of rising star to drug addict to eventual Hall of Famer seen in movies such as "Ray," "Walk the Line" and many others before them, Haynes' experimental film casts six different actors in different segments representing different stages of Dylan's life. The name Bob Dylan, however, is never used. \nAmong them, newcomer Marcus Carl Franklin starts the film as an on-the-run, boxcar-riding, black child musician. Christian Bale's character Jack, a rising young folk musician in the early '60s, is unraveled in a fake-documentary style segment. The final segment finds Richard Gere as an elderly man hibernating in a twisted, storybook, Fellini-esque mountain town. And the most obvious Dylan portrayal of a renegade rock star messing with the British press comes from ... Cate Blanchett?\nIt's great to see such a nontraditional twist on the old biopic, and when the film soars, it's great. But it occasionally falls flat. During the less evident portrayals of Dylan, those who aren't die-hard Dylan experts (don't worry, that would be me too) might be a little confused about what exactly is happening and how it relates to Dylan. A little Wikipedia search after watching the film, however, helps fill in the gaps. \nMuch of the film is wisely shot in black and white, heightening the surreal effect of the swinging-'60s pop culture that included Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick. The segments are edited together stylishly, and cinematographer Edward Lachman's camera work consists of wonderfully dizzying pans and overhead shots. \nThere are many clever images throughout the film, such as The Beatles appearing in full-on "A Hard Day's Night"-style screaming-fan mode. To demonstrate the disgust of many Dylan fans with his change to electric guitar, a team of gunmen show up on stage at a folk festival and shoots up the crowd. A couple of the visuals, such as a giant animated whale and Gere's carnival town, are overly bizarre for the sake of being bizarre.\nAll the actors in "I'm Not There" do a fine job, but Blanchett deserves the most praise. At first, her Dylan seems like a "Saturday Night Live"-style impression of Michael Jackson, but after just a few seconds ... Wow. Looking past her, well, being a woman, and seeing her don those famous black shades and frizzy hair, Blanchett transforms into Dylan complete with his crazy outbursts, flowing gestures and characteristic voice (hopefully her dialect coach got a big paycheck). I doubt the Academy will embrace the film, but she should be taking home statue No. 2. Blanchett's Dylan is the closest to a standard biopic characterization, and it's so strong that it almost makes you wish Haynes had just shot the whole film with her.
Michael Clayton (R) Grade: C+
(10/18/07 4:00am)
hey cheat, they lie, they steal, they throw morals out the window, they defend criminals, they pursue innocents, they have their filthy hands in the cookie jar, they hate puppies and they eat babies. These are not uncommon perceptions of the American lawyer. \n"Michael Clayton" does its best to reinforce this view of the legal system. Because legal proceedings can take years to complete, it's not surprising that the film involves a lot of talking with only a few well-placed action scenes.\nMichael Clayton (George Clooney) is a lawyer at Kenner, Bach & Ledeen, a large New York law firm with corporate clients. But Clayton is no ordinary lawyer. He is the company's janitor, efficiently cleaning up the messes every one else makes and ensuring the company saves face -- and he is very good at his job. But when one of the firm's most intelligent lawyers Arthur (Tom Wilkinson) loses his grip on reality, Clayton is thrust down a winding tunnel that leads him to come face to face with deceit, murder and one of the biggest corporate cover-ups his firm has ever pursued.\n"Michael Clayton" deals in cliche views of the legal system and has a slow plotline. Luckily, the twists that occur every so often throughout the two-hour legal conversation are enough to hold viewers' interest. Clooney gives a strong performance, despite having to play a slightly confusing role that simultaneously turns him into both legal hard-baller and family man. \nIf you've ever been screwed by a lawyer or just have a general distaste for the American legal system, spending a Saturday night watching a bunch of bad lawyers (with a few good ones mixed in) and corporate slime balls would be worthwhile. "Michael Clayton" is entertaining, even if the lawyer talk can sometimes be too much to handle.
IU breaks into Top 25
(10/17/07 3:29am)
The IU women’s soccer team has finally broken into the national Top 25.\nThe National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25 lists the Hoosiers at No. 24. \nThe Hoosiers have been receiving votes for the weekly poll, published every Tuesday since Sept. 11. \nIU is currently riding a 13-game unbeaten streak over which it has notched a record of 11-0-2. During the streak, the Hoosiers turned in an unbeaten month in September and gave No. 10 USC its only loss of the year in a 2-1 overtime victory in Bloomington on Sept. 9.\nThe Hoosiers’ season record stands at 11-1-2 and 5-0-1 in Big Ten play.\nThe team’s only loss this year came in its first game of the season on the road at then-No. \n13 Florida.\nOther Big Ten teams in this week’s rankings are No. 5 Purdue and No. 8 Penn State.\nThe Hoosiers’ next game will be against Illinois this Friday in Champagne, Ill.
More Sampson reaction quotes
(10/16/07 9:15pm)
“He’s still firm in the commitment. I don’t know a lot about the situation. Hopefully it’s just a minor situation. Derek is really happy with the decision he made.” \n- Darrell Elston on his son, IU basketball recruit Derek Elston’s commitment to play at IU.
Athletic Department sanctions Sampson, staff
(10/14/07 3:49pm)
The IU Department of Athletics will announce today it will self-impose more sanctions on men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff for exceeding the amount of permissible phone calls to recruits. \nIU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said in a release that Sampson and his staff exceeded the limited number of phone calls allowed after a set of NCAA sanctions had already limited the number of calls his staff was allowed to make. \nBefore arriving at IU, Sampson and his staff made more than 500 impermissible phone calls while at Oklahoma and was sanctioned by the NCAA.\nThe team will lose one scholarship next season, and assistant coach Rob Senderoff is prohibited from making phone calls and traveling off campus for recruiting. He won’t receive a bonus this year or an increase in salary next year, according to the release. \nSampson will not receive a $500,000 raise this year. He made two impermissible phone calls, according to the release. \nA teleconference is scheduled for 1 p.m. \nCheck www.idsnews.com/basketblog and tomorrow’s paper for further coverage of this developing story.
IU mens soccer looks to rebound
(10/12/07 4:54am)
The IU men’s soccer team travels to Evanston, Ill., this weekend to take on the No. 6-ranked Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday. The No. 13-ranked Hoosiers (7-4-1, 2-0) will face Northwestern (9-1-1, 2-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday, looking to rebound from a 2-1 loss to Louisville on Wednesday, their first-ever loss to the Cardinals. \nThe team is led offensively by junior forward Kevin Noschang and sophomore midfielder Eric Alexander, who each have four goals on the season. Sophomore defenders Kevin Alston and Ofori Sarkodie have provided solid play for IU at the back all season, and junior goalkeeper Chay Cain has averaged less than a goal per game while starting 12 and notching 49 saves. \nThe Hoosiers face no easy task in taking on the Wildcats, who are fresh off a 2-1 victory over DePaul. \nNorthwestern is an offensive force to be reckoned with as well. They have 25 goals as a team this season, good for second in the Big Ten. In addition, freshman forward Matt Eliason and sophomore midfielder Carl Pett have five and four goals apiece, good for third and fifth in the Big Ten, respectively. \nAfter Northwestern, the Hoosiers will have only one more conference road game – at Wisconsin on Nov. 4 – before the Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Mich.
NCAA toughens bench conduct rules
(10/12/07 4:51am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Cursing or venturing onto the court could draw college basketball coaches a quick technical foul this season.\nThe NCAA is making bench decorum a point of emphasis for 2007-08 and warns coaches to expect a whistle without warning for a variety of unsportsmanlike actions.\nReferees who are consistent in enforcing the rules will be rewarded.\n“The bench decorum rules, which include staying in the prescribed coaching box, have been interpreted in various ways for some time,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, the president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said Thursday. “This initiative for strengthened, consistent enforcement has significant ramifications. Coaches and game officials who do not strictly adhere to the rules will be penalized.”\nThe actions that can draw a technical include disrespectfully addressing an official or attempting to influence an official’s decision, using abusive or profane language, taunting an opponent, inciting undesirable crowd reactions and coming onto the court without permission of an official to attend to an injured player.\nThe rules will also apply to assistant coaches, other team personnel and players on the bench.\nOfficials who consistently enforce the rules will be given preferential consideration for conference and NCAA tournament assignments.\n“This is something that coaches always ask for, and that’s to have game officials enforce the rules that are already in place,” Boeheim said.\nThe policy has been endorsed by the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.\n“As coaches, we are fully accountable for our actions,” said Oklahoma women’s coach Sherri Coale, the president of the WBCA. “With strengthened enforcement, coaches will be more conscious of their demeanor knowing that a penalty will result from inappropriate behavior.”
13-year-old student injured in football game dies later at hospital
(10/12/07 4:50am)
LINCOLNTON, N.C. – A 13-year-old boy who was injured in a football game died later at a hospital, officials said Thursday.\nWill McLeod, 13, was an eighth-grader at North Lincoln Middle School. He was hurt Wednesday night during a game against West Lincoln Middle School, said district spokeswoman Belinda Branson.\nBranson said the injury occurred on a “typical football play,” but she did not have any other details. The boy was rushed to Carolinas Medical Center in Lincoln, then transferred to the medical center’s branch in Charlotte.\nThe district has counselors and ministers on hand to help students, Branson said. Rhonda Hager, principal at the North Lincoln school, described Will as “an excellent student and a joy to be around.”
BREAKING DOWN THE GAME
(10/12/07 4:32am)
IU offensive leaders\nPassing: QB Kellen Lewis – 120-198 for 1463 yards, 15 TDs, six INTs; 73 rushes for 447 yards, three TDs\nRushing: RB Bryan Payton – 40 rushes for 203 yards, four TDs\nReceiving: WR James Hardy – 25 catches for 485 yards, eight TDs
Trump’s planned golf course stuck in the rough
(10/11/07 3:40am)
EDINBURGH, Scotland– Developer Donald Trump’s plans to build “the worlds greatest golf course” on a stretch of remote and stunning Scottish coastline are drawing opposition because the land is home to some of the country’s rarest birds.\nThe billionaire property developer aims to turn sand dunes at the Menie Estate, 15 miles north of Aberdeen, into a $2 billion golf resort with a pair of 18-hole courses, a luxurious 450-bedroom hotel, 950 vacation homes, 36 golf villas and 500 upscale homes.\nStanding in his way are the feathered residents of the beach and rolling dunes – seven species of endangered rare birds including Skylarks, breeding waders, Lapwings and Redshanks.\nLocal residents in the quiet nearby village of Balmedie are also up in arms at the proposed resort, branding it a “gated community” with too many houses which would spoil the bucolic atmosphere of the area.\nConcerned that his investment is about to be pitched into the rough, Trump flew into Scotland this week to set out his plans ahead of a crunch meeting later this month by local council members. He warned he would drop the project if the houses were rejected and claimed the course would improve the local environment.\n“Each and every golf course I have built has got awards for environmental protection, and I do not think anyone has got as many awards as we have.” Trump told reporters at a press conference on the estate. “I believe environmentally, when we are finished, the course will be better environmentally than before we started.\n“It’s possible I could lose a great deal of money,” he said. “It would cost a lot less money if we did not care about the environment.”
Hot Chicago Marathon raises crowd concerns
(10/11/07 3:39am)
CHICAGO – There are young ones, old ones, thin ones and fat ones. Some show up in chicken suits, others in G-strings. There are highly trained athletes, of course, but also many people who look like a starting line is, well, the last place they should be.\nThese days, big-city marathons cast an increasingly wide net, drawing tens of thousands of serious and not-so-serious runners to prestigious races in New York, Chicago, Boston and elsewhere.\nThe incentive to draw as many people as possible is clear enough: The 26.2-mile marathons generate millions of dollars for cities that host them, as well as for the sporting-goods industry.\n“The bottom line is marathons today are big business,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, head of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau.\nBut after a brutally hot Chicago Marathon descended into disarray this past weekend – with hundreds of runners vomiting or collapsing and organizers forced to call off the race – questions have been raised about whether marathons have become too all-inclusive and too focused on money.\nThey certainly have grown – and fast.\nThe number of people taking part in the Boston Marathon, for instance, has more than doubled over the past decade, despite the race requiring qualifying times for most runners. From 1997 to 2007, the number of runners grew from 10,471 to 23,869, said Boston Marathon spokesman Marc Chalufour.\nThe Chicago Marathon, which has no qualification requirements, has grown from around 16,000 runners pre-registering in 1997 to around 45,000 pre-registering for Sunday’s marathon. The actual number of runners was estimated at 36,000 because 10,000 entrants didn’t show up at the starting line.
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