6B
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2007
V
EXTREME RUNNING
Runners cross Saharan desert
Nasser Nasser/Associated Press
Three athletes, from right, U.S. runner Charlie Engle, 44, Canada Ray Zahab, 38 and Kevin Lin, 30, of Taiwan, are running during day 109 of their 111 day Sahara desert journey, northwest of Cairn, Egypt on Saturday.
Trek to travel 4,000 miles takes three men 111 days
BY ANNA JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
IN THE WESTERN DESERT Egypt — Three ultra-endurance athletes have just done something most would consider insane. They ran the equivalent of two marathons a day for 111 days to become the first modern runners to cross the Sahara Desert's grueling 4,000 miles.
"It will take time to sink in ... but this is an absolutely once in a life time thing. They say ignorance is bliss, and now that I know how hard this is, I would never consider crossing the Sahara on foot again," said American runner Charlie Engle, 44, hours after he and the others completed the run at Egypt's Red Sea.
Engle said he, Canadian Ray
Zahab, 38, and Kevin Lin, 30,
of
Taiwan, ran the final stretch of their journey that took them through the Giza pyramids and Cairo to the mouth of Suez Canal on four hours of sleep. Once they hit the Red Sea, they put their hands in the water to signify crossing the finish line.
"We touched the water in Senegal at the beginning, and we touched the water in the Red Sea at the end. They were the bookends of our journey," Engle, of Greensboro, North Carolina, said on the telephone from a hotel room in Cairo.
In less than four months, they have run across the world's largest desert, through six countries — Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and finally Egypt.
documentary.
A film crew followed them, chroniciing the desert journey for actor Matt Damon's production company, Live Planet. Damon plans to narrate the "Running the Sahara"
The trek is one of extremes. The relentless sun can push temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, but at night it sometimes dips below freezing. Strong winds can abruptly send sand swooping in every direction, making it difficult to see and breathe.
Running through turbulent conditions is nothing new for these athletes who have traveled the world competing in adventure races. But they say nothing has tested their physical and mental limitations like the Sahara.
Throughout the run, the runners have been stricken with tendinitis, severe diarrhea, cramping and knee injuries all while running through the intense heat and wind_often without a paved road in sight.
"This has been a life changing event." Engle said.
Let the madness begin
>> SECOND ROUND OR BUST
The exciting, and crazy time that is March Madness is a couple weeks away. With that said, the jayhawks have three games left in the regular season and there is still plenty of time for some interesting story lines to develop.
In the remaining games before the Big 12 Tournament, here are eight things to keep your eye on.
1. Will Sasha Kaun see less playing time?
BY ERIC JORGENSEN
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
JORGENSEN@KANSAN.COM
It's possible. In the last few games the Jayhawks have gone to Kaun early to try to establish him inside. When he doesn't perform early, he goes to the bench—and he stays there.
3. Will Iowa State's Brad Witherso boost his career points? The Cyclones won't be able to match up with the Jayhawks when they come to town Saturday. Plus, the Jayhawks want to prove they don't need overtime to beat the Cyclones this time.
What does all this Cyclone beatdown talk mean? It means Witherspoon will probably get into the game with a few minutes left,
He rarely sees time in the last minutes if the game is on the line. If he doesn't play well in the early parts of these last three games, he may get next to no playing time.
2. Offensively, the team is clicking better than ever. When a team is playing as in synch as Kansas has been since their loss to Texas A&M, you can expect to see them making long outlet passes and pushing the tempo.
This can be a weapon to really take the air out of their opponent's lungs. It also makes for an exciting game, and hopefully lots of alley oops.
thus giving him opportunities to score his fourth or dare I say five point of his career. Rest assured that any points Witherspoon scores will blow the roof off Allen Fieldhouse.
4. Kansas still has to travel to Oklahoma. The Sooners have flown under the radar most of the season. They aren't as great as seasons past, but they are good. First year coach Jeff Caple has his team playing excellent defense. They have the second best scoring defense behind Texas A&M — one ahead of Kansas.
This game is a sleeper, it is one most fans forget about, but it can be difficult. A win would simply add to this team's toughness.
5. An entertaining match-up will be Sherron Collins versus Texas point guard D.J. Augustin. This has the potential to be a good two-man rivalry over the next few seasons. When the Longhorns come to Lawrence, these guards will go right at each other.
Whichever player comes out on top will likely earn billing as a top two or three freshman point guard in the country.
6. Another interesting match up in the game against the Longhorns will be between two superstar freshmen — Kevin Durant and Darrell Arthur.
Durant is a front runner for the National Player of the Year and for the first pick in this year's NBA draft. Although Arthur doesn't have the perimeter presence of Durant, you should expect some big plays under the net from both as they try one-upting each other.
7. As it stands, Kansas has 49 conference titles. If they can sweep these last three games they will reach a huge milestone with a 50th conference championship. If Texas A&M wins as well, there would be a split of the title, which is okay.
However, an Aggies let down would mean an outright championship for the Jayhawks. It's nice to share —unless it's a historic championship.
8. It was around this time last season when Julian Wright and Mario Chalmers caught fire. Chalmers played so well he went on to be the Big 12 Tournament MVP. So who is going to get hot to finish off this season?
Chalmers is an easy guess. He had an excellent game against Kansas State and appears to have come out of his mini scoring slump, although his defense never slumped. Collins has been hot and will probably stay that way. His style of getting to rim could only go cold if his legs fall off. Even then, expect Brandon Rush and Wright to pick it up. They know what time of the year it is. Also, if Sasha Kaun sees less time, Arthur's minutes go up, which means more rebounds and points.
Jorgensen is a Baldwin City senior in journalism.
Edited by Stacey Couch
>> PGA
Tournament format inconsistent
BY DOUG FERGUSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
There was a chill in the air Tuesday morning at the Gallery Golf Club, which beats a lake in the middle of the fairway at La Costa.
MARANA. Ariz. — A change of scenery only helps so much.
In the high desert north of Tucson, the Accenture Match Play Championship is a sellout for the first time in its nine year history. In late February, north of San Diego, the only sellout was umbrellas in the merchandise tent.
But no matter where this World Golf Championship goes, it has a hard time living up to its expectations.
Two longtime British writers were at a hotel bar in downtown Atlanta in 1998, a few months before the start of these WGC events. Match Play got their attention above the others, and one of them — the late Bill Blighton — thought it might be the best new tournament in golf
since Bobby jones invited top players to his new golf course called Augusta National in 1934.
Golf needed this format.
Ever since the PGA Championship went to stroke play in 1958, match play was mainly found in amateur golf.
The World Match Play Championship in England began two years later and has a roll call of champions that includes Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros. But it only had an eight-man field when IMG founder Mark McCormack created the event, and it later was perceived as the IMG Invitational until it came up with set criteria to get in.
The PGA Tour tried match play in Tucson from 1984 to 1986, but it didn't always get the best field.
That's what made the Accenture Match Play Championship so appealing when it began in 1999. It featured a 64-man field, taken exclusively from the world rankings, and players represented 17 countries. First prize
was $1 million, back when $1 million meant something.
The winner was Jeff Maggert
The stage was set. The curtain was drawn.
Never mind that his 38-hole victory over Andrew Magee remains the most exciting championship match in this tournament. Maggert knocked out Tiger Woods in the quarterfinals, and never had the lead in the final until chipping in for birdie on the second extra hole.
PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said that over time, the stars would reach the weekend, if not the final. He got his wish a year later when Woods, David Duval, Davis Love III and Darren Clarke were the final four remaining, and Clarke beat Woods in the final.
"If you have the right match-up in the final, then I think it could be wonderful for the ratings," Woods said. "But if you don't get the people who are household names, then the ratings won't be all that good."
That was about as good as it got.
》 NHL
Colorado defenseman fractures wrist
BY PAT GRAHAM ASSOCIATE PRESS
DENVER — Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold will miss approximately four weeks after revealed a fractured wrist, team officials said Tuesday.
Leopold, who hurt his wrist in the third period against Calgary last Thursday night, had the MRI exam on Monday. He is scheduled for surgery this week.
It's the third significant injury this season for Leopold. He missed
the first 25 games of the season as he recovered from offseason hernia surgery and then another 17 games due to a groin injury he suffered in December.
Leopold has missed the last two games — both Avalanche losses — because of the wrist injury.
"Tough year," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "Another tough blow"
Defenseman Jeff Finger was called up from Albany of the AHL on Saturday and is expected to make his NHL debut Tuesday night against
Calgary.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him," Quenneville said.
The Avalanche lost defenseman Patrice Brisebois for the season to a back injury in late December against Dallas.
"ToLose Briser and Leo, a couple of important guys for us," Quenneville said. "It's one after the other."
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