Armstrong to compete in NY marathon

New York:

After seven Tour de France titles, Lance Armstrong has traded in his bike for running shoes to compete in the 2006 New York City Marathon. Armstrong has said repeatedly that he is not attempting to win the marathon or even compete with the elite runners, but would be satisfied with a sub 3-hour run. "The marathon was always a goal of mine for along time. Initially I had this idea that I would run more after I retired from cycling and maybe try to do a marathon a year and just choose different locations and travel around. Kind of use that as my sporting challenge. But I have to tell you it's been tougher than I thought - the training and the pounding, the actual physical pounding has been tougher than I thought," he said. Despite his hectic travel schedule and dedication to his cancer foundation, Armstrong has been training with his long-time cycling coach Chris Carmichael. He said he is eager to experience all of the ambience surrounding this world-famous marathon.