P. Diddy finishes NYC Marathon, raises $2 million

[BERIGAN]

Some other amazing stories near the bottom as well...

P. Diddy finishes NYC Marathon, raises $2 million

Associated Press

New York -- After 26.2 miles, maybe his new nickname should be Tough Daddy.

Running on a bum right knee and just two months of training, hip-hop entrepreneur Sean "P. Diddy" Combs completed the New York City Marathon on Sunday in 4 hours, 14 minutes, 54 seconds. He also raised $2 million for children, double the amount he planned.

"Never in my life have I ever experienced anything as crazy as this," Combs said at a news conference.

Associated Press

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was dancing at the beginning (top) but not after the marathon (bottom). But he raised $2 million for schools and children's groups.

Related:

• Kenyans win NYC Marathon

The producer-rapper, formerly known as Puff Daddy and Puffy, decided in September to run his first marathon.

As he crossed the finish line in Central Park, Combs raised his arms in triumph. He took a few more steps, then leaned over to catch his breath. Bags of ice were placed on his neck.

Combs -- known on the course simply as No. 30,972 -- kept a respectable pace of an eight- to nine-minute miles for much of the race. He ran in sunglasses, his hair in a closely cropped mohawk and a breathing strip across his nose. He was accompanied by police officers and at least one of his employees.

"I feel great. I feel strong," Combs told NBC Sports during the race's first hour. "We're right on pace. I'm not going to go out too hard. I'm going to finish strong."

He was troubled by cramps that caused him to walk a few steps. He said he drew support from a TV reporter covering the race who ran with him, as well as from cheering children in Harlem.

"I definitely wanted to stop," he said. "This is definitely a life-changing experience for me because I did not stop."

Combs planned to divide the money he raised among two children's advocate groups and the city's public school system. He dubbed the effort, "Diddy Runs the City."

Among his donors: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who pitched in $10,000; rapper Jay-Z, who gave $25,000; and gossip-column regulars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who gave a combined $78,000.

Combs cut himself a difficult challenge by deciding eight weeks ago to enter the race. He shed about 15 pounds in training and developed severe tendinitis in his right knee.

"It's going to be rough," he said before the race. "But if we get through it, it's telling those kids and everybody else to finish what you start, and you can do anything you put your mind to."

Asked afterward if he would be back next year, Combs shook his head and smiled: "No, no, no, no, no," he said. He brushed off suggestions he was out only for personal gain: "Twenty-six miles isn't a publicity stunt."

Others in the field of more than 30,000 entrants were running for their own reasons, or to make their own statements.

Two British adventurers, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Michael Stroud, completed the marathon together in just under 5 1/2 hours -- their seventh marathon in seven days on six continents.

A delegation of seven disabled police officers and soldiers from Colombia, most of them wounded in combat, were running the race together.

A 92-year-old man, Fauja Singh, was unable to break his own record for 90-and-over marathoners of 5:40:44. He finished in 7:34:37, organizers said.

The mayor stayed out of the race but cheered runners from the starting line.

"It's what makes America great," Bloomberg said. "We have our young men and women around the world fighting to protect freedom and tragically dying, and this is a way in some sense to say, 'This is what we're fighting for."'

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/1...03/02combs.html

Edited November 3, 2003 by BERIGAN

[Soul Stream]

Damn, I couldn't be more sick of hearing about that jerk.

[bertrand]

J-Lo and Ben only coughed up the bread because Puffenstuff threatened to plug 'em otherwise.

BTW, instead of running the marathon and boring our dicks off, why didn't he just poney up the cash from his own personal blow fund?

Edited November 3, 2003 by bertrand

[Soulstation1]

[Dmitry]

BTW, instead of running the marathon and boring our dicks off, why didn't he just poney up the cash from his own personal blow fund?

I don't see what difference it makes to you or to any of us. Really.

Guy raised 2 million bucks for children.

...You don't have to like Jerry Lewis to acknowledge his saintly role in helping kids with his telethons.

Way to go, P. Diddy, whatever your name means.

Now if only Rebecca De Mornay ran next year... I might just start training.

[bertrand]

There are tons of people who make substantial contributions to worthwhile charities every day without turning it into a publicity stunt. Obviously, we don't know their names or the amount of their contributions.

Obviously, he was going to give the money to unimpeachable charities. He needs all the publicity he can get to off-set the negative publicity from that shooting incident he was involved in.

When a tribute concert was held in November(?) 2001 to raise funds for a September 11th victims fund (it was mostly but not all jazz, and if I remember correctly, Michael Cuscuna was the producer), the review I read in Down Beat or Jazz Times mentioned that a good chunk of the money was contributed *anonymously* by one of the performers. Not only did this person give up his or her time, but he/she contributed a large amount of money, and got absolutely no publicity for it.

Bertrand.

Edited November 3, 2003 by bertrand

[randissimo]

There are tons of people who make substantial contributions to worthwhile charities every day without turning it into a publicity stunt. Obviously, we don't know their names or the amount of their contributions.

Obviously, he was going to give the money to unimpeachable charities. He needs all the publicity he can get to off-set the negative publicity from that shooting incident he was involved in.

When a tribute concert was held in November(?) 2001 to raise funds for a September 11th victims fund (it was mostly but not all jazz, and if I remember correctly, Michael Cuscuna was the producer), the review I read in Down Beat or Jazz Times mentioned that a good chunk of the money was contributed *anonymously* by one of the performers. Not only did this person give up his or her time, but he/she contributed a large amount of money, and got absolutely no publicity for it.

Bertrand.

I just basically have a problem with so called rappers in general. They get way too much media attention, negatively influence too many kids, and make way too much money off of their "cell block banter" and then have the nerve to call themselves musicians!

Ok, I admit I sound like an old geezer... I dug rap when it was done creatively by The Last Poets, Gil Scot Heron, and Arrested Development... For me most rap is just obnoxious crap.

[Jim Alfredson]

Ok, I admit I sound like an old geezer... I dug rap when it was done creatively by The Last Poets, Gil Scot Heron, and Arrested Development... For me most rap is just obnoxious crap.

Yeah, but the beats are dope!

[Brandon Burke]

Ok, I admit I sound like an old geezer... I dug rap when it was done creatively by The Last Poets, Gil Scot Heron, and Arrested Development... For me most rap is just obnoxious crap.

Yeah, but the beats are dope!

You must be talking about a different producer, then. Not Puffy. His stuff is awful. There's a good chance I might own a Biggie Smalls record if someone else were in the director's chair. Questionable lyrics or not, Biggie was very, very good. Those beats are terrible, though. Rap music has had some fantastic and very musical producers/DJs over the years: Pete Rock, Premier, Large Professor, Hank Shocklee (Public Enemy), Dr. Dre, Eric B., DJ EZ-Rock, RZA, Marley Marl, etc. Guys (mostly) who understood how beat-making is a very *sedimentary* process, employing layer-upon-layer of sounds that might otherwise have nothing to do with one another. It works quite literally like layers of rock in that, in combination with one another, these layers form a cohesive whole; often at the expense of a sound's original purpose. I would have much rather heard B.I.G. over any of their beats. Pete Rock, Hank Shocklee and Premier are some of the better examples of this. Sorry for being such an old crumudgeon on this matter but I miss the days when it was about dusty *BOOM-BAP* funk loops and not stuff more suited for VIP dance clubs.

"Can it be that it was all so simple then......" B)

Edited November 3, 2003 by Brandon Burke

[Dmitry]

I don't care if Diddy needs publicity. He raised 2 mill for children.

Something tells me that he probably spends well over 2 mill on charity per year, tax-related or not.

The subject is nolo contendere..really.

Bertrand, I accept that you're way more informed about P.Diddy's life than me, so I'll leave the implications to you.

[Jazzmoose]

Yeah, but the beats are dope!

Randissimo thinks he sounds old; I thought you were talking about Alan Ginsberg and such until I read further...

[catesta]

He raised 2 mill for children.

He did and that is great.

I still think he's a piece of shit.

These fuckers do nothing but half ass raps and videos about how much cash they spend. I honestly don't believe it's healthy for the young and poor to see that shit all the time.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031029/325/ecgdz.html

[AfricaBrass]

Here's a funny article about the marathon.

http://sports.yahoo.com/s/onlyinny/

So as I spun and saw Combs, my feet became lighter, my legs turned up a notch and my mood went from happy-go-lucky to go-get-'em. It was another year of horrific pain, but I sucked it up in the name of the little guy

P. Diddy might have gold records.

But I stomped his butt by 41 minutes.

[AfricaBrass]

He raised 2 mill for children.

He did and that is great.

I still think he's a piece of shit.

These fuckers do nothing but half ass raps and videos about how much cash they spend. I honestly don't believe it's healthy for the young and poor to see that shit all the time.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031029/325/ecgdz.html

Yup!

And he can't even rap.

You tell 'em Chocula (I mean Catesta).

[Soulstation1]

don't playa hate, dawg

pd1

[vajerzy]

What's a P-Diddy??

Why did he change his name from Puff-Daddy?

And what's a Puff Daddy?

Never mind- I don't care........

[randissimo]

He raised 2 mill for children.

He did and that is great.

I still think he's a piece of shit.

These fuckers do nothing but half ass raps and videos about how much cash they spend. I honestly don't believe it's healthy for the young and poor to see that shit all the time.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/031029/325/ecgdz.html

Maybe the P stands for "Punk" .. And the 2 mill is maybe guilt driven restitution for all the "blatant violence" "drug addiction" and "bad attitude" influence rappers like "Piss- Dawgy" have had on generations of young kids...

The biggest rap market seems to be backward ball cap wearin' young white suburban "Ghetto Wannabes" in their expensive and obnoxious "sub woofer shuttle crafts" with the lights under the car...They really get off on upsetting their middle class parents and neighbors with this dumb shit.. And who's making BIG BUCKS off of all of this shit? You guessed it,, Corporate America"...

..."and they rap about how many people they fuck up, all the ho's they sexualize, brutalize, womanize, and victimize, yo, yo, yo"..Go P-diddy go"...... ..

Edited November 4, 2003 by randissimo

[Dmitry]

Some people to money are like flies to honey

©Grandmaster DZ

[catesta]

©Grandmaster DZ

I've got all his shit!