Joy and Freedom

Ryan Hall just got a lot of stick for "not being competitive enough" in the recent Boston Marathon - he was fourth - with the fastest time by an American runner for 150 years or something ridiculous. He ran his own race, at his own pace, in a world of his own - let the attacks go and then just reeled people in.

He said: "My two words were joy and freedom. I felt like I did that today. I was having fun."

Reuters said: "Far from feeling pressure to win for his country, Hall waved to the crowd and goaded college students to cheer louder while his nearest rivals kept their heads down as they ground out the miles. 'I'm sure I'll get a lot of people heckling me, "You could have caught (Deriba) Merga",' said Hall, referring to the third-placed Ethiopian. 'But for me I love to run and I'm going to enjoy it.' "