Help a runner couple out!
 | posted by LHiggs, a Women Talk Sports blogger About LHiggs: Former competitive fast-pitch softball player and dancer turned steeplechaser with a best finish of 2nd in the NCAA mile and a finalist in the 2008 Olympic Trials 3000m steeplechase...more |
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Former Hansons-Brooks runners Nick Cordes and Leigh Daniel, now Brooks athletes, are racing three other couples to the altar on NBC’s “TODAY Throws a Wedding.”
Some of you may remember Leigh Daniel from her dominating year at Texas Tech in 1999 (at least I do, because I was an awe-struck freshman in the Big XII at the time). Leigh was so dominant in the 10,000m that at the NCAA championships, when her shoe was stepped on early in the race, she stopped, untied it, put it back on, retied it, found herself 200+ meters behind the pack and still managed to take home the title. She took home two NCAA titles in all (indoor 5000m and outdoor 10,000m, both in 1999) and a total of seven All-American honors and seven Big XII championships.
Her fiance, Nick Cordes, is an Ashland University grad (where they are now coaching together), and was a 2007 Olympic Trials marathon qualifier.
Leigh is still a somewhat competitive runner, competing for Run Ohio and finishing 10th at the USATF Club XC championships in Spokane just this past December. She has a marathon PR of 2:46.47.
Leigh and Nick began dating while training with the Hansons-Brooks program, and being subsequently kicked out for breaking the training group's rules on dating. I will not pretend to know any details about what went on there...
So, onto the new challenge: The Today Show pits four couples against one another, with the ultimate prize being a very public, all-expenses paid wedding on the Today Show, followed by a not-quite-as-public all-expenses paid honeymoon.
The couples participate in weekly (Wednesday) challenges on the Today Show. This Wednesday (and likely each subsequent Wednesday) was filmed at the studio at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The winner of each challenge gets to pick an aspect of the wedding (today was the honeymoon location). However, contestants do not get kicked off for losing challenges, nor do they get immunity like other reality shows. Rather, after each competition, the viewers get to VOTE for their favorite couple.
This is where you come in.
The couple with the fewest votes is elliminated each week. You can help keep them in the running to win their dream wedding by voting for Leigh and Nick: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30370935/. Voting ends Friday! And don't forget to watch again each Wednesday until they are the only ones left.
You can also cast a second vote by texting the number 4 to 46833. Standard text messaging rates apply.
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- Filed Under:
- Cross Country, Marathon, Running, Track & Field, Sports, Media/Marketing, Events
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