Overview of Top Performers at the 2019 Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon
Image: boston.com

Graeme Queen joined Portland, Oregon’s Standard Insurance Company in 2011 as the senior director of IT solution delivery. Graeme Queen leads a healthy, active lifestyle and is particularly fond of running. He has competed in marathons throughout the United States and plans to run in the Boston Marathon.

More than 30,000 runners competed in the 2019 Boston Marathon. Lawrence Cherono of Kenya edged Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa for the top time, finishing in two hours, seven minutes, 57 seconds, just two seconds ahead of Desisa.

Kenneth Kipkemoi followed eight seconds later, with a total of five runners finishing within one minute of Cherono’s time. Worknesh Degefa posted the best time for women – two hours, 23 minutes, 31 seconds, a comfortable 43 seconds ahead of second place Edna Kiplagat.

Seven of the top 15 times were recorded by American women, compared to six of the top 15 men. Winners of the wheelchair competitions included Daniel Romanchuk of Illinois and Manuela Schar of Switzerland.

Registration for the 2020 Boston Marathon opens in September. The event will take place on April 20.

The Wire – HBO’s Groundbreaking Series

 

The Wire
Image: imdb.com

As the senior director of IT solution delivery at Standard Insurance Company of Portland, OR, Graeme Queen oversees applications and support services for the firm’s business units. In his leisure time, Graeme Queen enjoys The Wire, a television series that ran for five seasons in the 2000s on HBO.

Ten years later, many critics still consider it to be among television’s finest series. Writing for Slate magazine, Jacob Weisberg praised the show for its portrayal of broken social institutions in the city of Baltimore.

The Wire takes an unflinching look at the isolation of the African-American underclass. While the show focuses on drug dealing and anti-narcotics police work, it also examines the city’s political and educational systems. Its multiplicity and richness of characters reminded some observers of Dickens.

Although its producers had to fight for renewal every season, The Wire has had a significant impact on Hollywood. It featured several black actors in its large cast, and boosted the careers of Michael K. Williams, Idris Elba, and Michael B. Jordan.

Winner of the prestigious Peabody Award in 2004, The Wire became more popular after its run on HBO, thanks to DVD sales and the then-new phenomenon of binge watching.

Breathing Tips for Runners

Breathing
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A senior director at an Oregon-based application development and support services company, Graeme Queen oversees budgeting and handles setup and management of offshore development. An avid runner, Graeme Queen has competed in multiple marathons as well as 5K and 10K races.

In addition to proper form and appropriate footwear, proper breathing is key to success in any running endeavor. Running coaches recommend that runners employ deep belly breathing while running instead of chest breathing. Belly breathing allows for deeper breaths and ensures the body gets the oxygen it needs to stay active. On the other hand, lung expansion and therefore oxygen intake is limited with chest breathing.

To practice belly breathing, begin by lying on the floor and placing your hands on your stomach. Take a deep breath, making the belly expand, then exhale all the air in the lungs until the abdominal muscles contract. As you breathe in and out, you should see your hands rising on the stomach. Over time, you can consciously employ this breathing technique during short walks, jogs, and eventually runs.

In addition to breathing through the stomach, runners should breathe through the mouth instead of the nose. The mouth is capable of taking in more air and helps runners achieve maximum oxygen intake during a run.

How to Qualify for the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon
Image: baa.org

Graeme Queen is an information technology professional who has mentored several coworkers into leadership positions in his capacity as a senior director. An avid runner, Graeme Queen is training to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Because the Boston Marathon’s field size grew significantly throughout the 1960s, organizers instituted an official qualifying time in 1970. Interested participants were required to submit certification from their district or college coach or the Amateur Athletics Union’s long distance running chairman that they trained enough to complete the marathon within 4 hours. The qualifying time was shortened to 3 hours and 30 minutes the following year and continued to fluctuate for men and women of different age groups throughout the next few decades.

For the 2018 Boston Marathon, men between the ages of 18 and 34 must achieve a qualifying race time of 3 hours and 5 minutes, while men 80 and over are given a time of 4 hours and 55 minutes. The qualifying times vary by 5, 10, and 15 minutes for ascending age groups, which, starting at 35, are grouped by five-year periods. Women, meanwhile, receive an additional 30 minutes in each age group.