***UPDATE – Breaking news: NYC Marathon will NOT be held this Sunday. At present, it is unclear whether the race will be canceled or just postponed.***
This Sunday, Nov 4, United States Army veteran J.R. Martinez (who you probably know from Dancing With The Stars) will be running in the 2012 ING New York City Marathon (still happening!) to support New York Road Runners’ Youth Programs. He will be the very last person to start the race, and for every runner he passes, Timex will be donating $1 to the charity.
The backstory behind Martinez’s partnership with Timex is especially interesting: in 2003, while serving in Iraq, he survived a truck explosion during which he suffered burns over 34% of his body. One spot that was saved: his wrist, which was protected by the Timex watch that he was wearing (he later got a tattoo of that very same watch over the spot). Martinez is running with the help of Timex’s Ironman Run Trainer GPS (pictured above), which provides real-time pace, distance and heart rate information.
More information on the marathon and J.R. Martinez’s run for NYRR’s Youth Programs can be found here.
