Fearful runner does 7 miles of therapy
By Wire services
Published April 23, 2006
MARATHON - A North Carolina dentist who has a fear of bridges won his second consecutive Seven Mile Bridge Run in the Florida Keys on Saturday.
Jason Bodnar of Clyde, N.C., crossed the longest of 43 bridges that comprise the Overseas Highway in 34 minutes, 32 seconds.
"I still have a fear of bridges, but the last two years have been a bit therapeutic," said Bodnar, 35, who lived in Fort Lauderdale when he won last year.
Sonja Friend-Uhl, 35, of Wellington, won her fourth women's title in 38:49.
The race, in its 25th year, was conceived by community leaders in Marathon to dedicate a new Seven Mile Bridge and 36 additional spans. The run was so successful that organizers made it an annual event, and the field is limited to 1,500 runners.
Officials closed the bridge to traffic for about two hours, which was costly to Bodnar.
"They closed the bridge at 6:45, and the guy bringing our beer didn't get here (to the finish line)," Bodnar said. "That's a little bit of a crisis."
DIVING: Coach pulls injured diver from waterGreg Ferrucci, 15, of Huntersville, N.C., struck his head on the springboard during a dive at the U.S. Open in Indianapolis. His coach, Ted Hautau, dove in fully clothed to rescue Ferrucci, who was taken to Methodist Hospital where he was reported in serious but stable condition. Thomas Finchum, 16, won the men's 3-meter springboard after the delay.
MORE DIVING: Jia Tong and Chen Ruolin won gold in the women's 10-meter synchronized platform event, while Li Ting and Guo Jingjing won the 3-meter springboard to keep up China's dominance at the FINA diving Grand Prix in China.
TENNIS: Federer, Nadal reach Monte Carlo finalTop-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland and defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain will meet in today's Monte Carlo Masters final after winning their semifinals Saturday in Monaco.
Federer beat 12th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-2, 6-4, and No. 2-ranked Nadal downed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Federer reached his 12th consecutive final, equaling John McEnroe's mark set in 1984. Only Guillermo Vilas (13 straight in 1977) and Ivan Lendl (18 between 1981-82) have reached more in a row.
Nadal, who extended his winning streak on clay to 41 matches, leads Federer 3-1 head-to-head.
MORE TENNIS: The United States, playing without its top stars, took a 2-0 lead over host Germany after the first-round singles in the Fed Cup on Saturday. Fed Cup rookie Jamea Jackson and Jill Craybas won for the U.S. team, playing without injured stars Venus and Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport. The record 17-time champion United States needs to win either of today's reverse singles or the doubles to advance.
"We know it's not over yet," Craybas said.
ET CETERASOCCER: Alecko Eskandarian scored two goals to lead D.C. United to a 4-1 victory over the Red Bulls on Saturday in Major League Soccer. Eskandarian scored in the fourth minute and made it 2-0 in the 59th for D.C. United. ... Thierry Henry scored in the 84th minute to give Arsenal a 1-1 draw with Tottenham in the last game at Highbury Stadium between the north London rivals. Also, Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the semifinals of the FA Cup at Old Trafford. The loss will prevent Chelsea from claiming more than one trophy this season. ... Romario's debut for Miami FC will be delayed because he's in Brazil waiting for his visa to be stamped by the U.S. Consulate, the team said.
CYCLING: Tom Danielson won the Tour de Georgia's most difficult stage for the second straight year Saturday and overall leader Floyd Landis was right with him as both finished the 94.5-mile race in 4 hours, 5 minutes, 56 seconds. Landis maintained a four-second lead on Danielson for the third straight day. The final stage is today.
FISHING: Professional angler Tammy Richardson of Amity, Ark., earned the first win of the inaugural five-event Women's Bassmaster Tour series with a three-day total of 33 pounds, 3 ounces.