Toomer Will Be 1st NFL Player in NYC Marathon in 17 Years
Amani Toomer has Hall of Famer Lynn Swann’s achievements in his sights, even after retiring from football.
Toomer, the former New York Giants wide receiver, on Nov. 7 will try to become the first National Football League player to run the New York City Marathon since Swann covered the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) distance in 1993, according to the New York Road Runners, which organizes the race.
Swann, the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, ran the marathon as a 41-year-old in 4 hours, 26 minutes, 21 seconds.
“We definitely know that that is the mark that has been set,” Toomer said in a telephone interview. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to beat that.”
Toomer, 35, is running on behalf of closely held watchmaker Timex Group BV, which has sponsorship agreements with the Giants and the New York City Marathon.
Toomer played 13 seasons for the Giants, catching 668 passes for 9,497 yards and 54 touchdowns. He led the team with six catches and 84 yards in the 2008 Super Bowl as New York upset the New England Patriots 17-14.
After spending the 2009 training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs, Toomer was released on Sept. 1 and said he struggled to stay fit during his first season out of football.
“For six months there, I was doing just what most guys do, just kind of blowing up, getting out of shape,” Toomer said. “I missed training.”
Heart Rate
To prepare for the marathon, he’s been supplied with a personal trainer and Timex’s latest watch technology, which includes a heart-rate monitor and GPS tracking device. Toomer has never run a marathon.
Timex has agreed to donate $1 to NYRR youth programs for every person Toomer beats in the race. Someone finishing with Swann’s exact time a year ago would have placed 24,522nd out of the record field of 43,741, meaning he would have beaten 19,219 runners.
Toomer, who grew up in California, lives in the New York area and said that he is planning to stay there as he tries to build a career in broadcasting.
“You never know, maybe I’ll run a couple more marathons; maybe I’ll get an Ironman triathlon in,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get into better shape than when I was playing.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.
Rate this Page