Caroline Wozniacki runs impressive NYC Marathon debut

NEW YORK – It's unusual for a professional athlete in his or her prime to compete in a marathon – or even to think about competing in one.
"I think you need to be a little crazy," tennis player Caroline Wozniacki said Wednesday, "but in a good way."
So call Wozniacki crazy – her father and support team said as much when she told them this summer that she wanted to run in the New York City Marathon. A week later, she'd been set up with Team for Kids, a charity that funds local and national fitness programs, and the ball was rolling.

On this blustery, chilly Sunday, Wozniacki completed the 26.2-mile marathon in an unofficial and impressive time of 3:26:33. Her pace hovered around 7:50/mile throughout the entire race. By running Sunday, she raised more than $80,000 for Team for Kids.
Wozniacki, the No. 8-ranked women's tennis player in the world, had not run more than 13 miles at any point during her training, due to her exhaustive tennis schedule.
Eight days ago, she lost in three sets to rival and close friend, Serena Williams, in the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Singapore. That loss ended Wozniacki's season, and instead of taking a typical vacation, she amped up her marathon training to prepare for Sunday's race.
Throughout the season, she'd been squeezing in 30-to-90-minute runs, whenever possible. Though Wozniacki admits she hadn't run longer distances like she had hoped – causing her some panic as the marathon approached – she said she felt like she was in the best shape of her life.
That's helped her tennis, too.
Since Wozniacki decided to enter the marathon this June – mere weeks after her fiancé Rory McIlroy called off their November wedding – she's gone 34-10, and reached the final of the U.S. Open back in September (where she lost to Williams in straight sets).
Other professional athletes in other sports have run marathons, but usually, that happens after retirement. For example, Lance Armstrong ran the marathon here in 2007 before his comeback in cycling. Softball player Jennie Finch ran it in 2011, and gymnast Kerri Strug ran it in 2008.
Another women's tennis player – Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm – ran the 2004 London marathon in 3:27:47, she said, in the midst of a 12-year retirement from tennis.