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Armstrong ready for New York Marathon

The world famous New York City Marathon will take place in the streets of the Big Apple next Sunday, November 5. Drawing special attention, both from the media and from sports fans will be Lance Armstrong. The seven time Tour De France winner will trade his bike for running shoes and try the new sport.

Armstrong told reporters: "It?s been a goal of mine for a long, long time." He said training was tough, especially on his knees. The race, 26.2 miles long, is considerably shorter than the grueling Tour, 2,241 miles long. According to his cycling coach Chris Carmichael, the physical and mental demands for each event are different.

And what are the goals a seven time Tour champion has from his marathon adventure? Armstrong says a sub-3-hour run, or finishing somewhere around an hour behind the winner "in the middle of the pack of 40,000 runners" would make him happy. This could be a first step in a long journey for Armstrong.