³P. Diddy² Combs named Athlete of the Week
INDIANAPOLIS Sean ³P. Diddy² Combs has been named USA Track &
Fieldıs Athlete of the Week for raising $2 million for charity by finishing
the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday.
A first-time marathoner, P. Diddy finished with a chip time of 4
hours, 14 minutes, 54 seconds, accomplishing his goal of bettering Oprah
Winfreyıs marathon time of 4:29:00 she set at the 1994 Washington D.C.
Marathon. His performance raised $2 million for charitable causes, which
was double the amount he had expected to raise. A native of Harlem, P.
Diddy trained two months for the race and ran with an injured right knee.
Combs plans to split the money between New York Cityıs public
school system, the Children's Hope Foundation and Daddy's House Social
Programs, which are two childrenıs advocate groups. The entertainment
mogul called his charity effort, ³Diddy Runs the City.² Major donors to
Combsı cause included New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, rapper Jay-Z,
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. "We set a bar and we crushed that bar,²
said P. Diddy. ³This is just a start. This wasn't a publicity stunt."
Combs' efforts generated interest to thousands of kids about long
distance running in bringing it to a new light due to his pre-marathon
coverage through non-sporting and track & field media outlets.
