Lance Armstrong enters the 10th mile of the NYC marathon in 2006. (AP/Mary Altaffer)
Hey New York, fancy going for a run with Lance Armstrong?
The seven-time Tour de France winner and sometimes-marathoner tweeted an invitation to his followers today to join him on a 4- to 5-mile run this weekend.
It's not his first run in New York -- in both 2006 and 2007 Armstrong ran the New York City marathon with help from one of his sponsors, Nike.
His invitation instructs runners to meet up at Niketown, at 6 West 57th St., in Midtown, on Sunday Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.
"Hey NYC! - how bout a "Fight Like Hell" Twitter Run? Meet at Nike Town (57th St) @ 6pm this Sunday. 4-5 miles thru the city" he tweeted, shortly after 12 p.m. today.
The athlete is a prolific Twitter user, with 3,056,112 followers. He has used the site to announce the birth of his fourth child, Maxwell, as well as his wife Anna's pregnancy with his fifth child, Olivia.
The Twitter message calls it a "Fight Like Hell" run, and ends with the same hash-tag, using a phrase he's been quoted for in relation to the battle so many cancer victims face. He suffered his own 1996 battle with testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain.
"When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell," he is credited as saying.
The now-celebrity, who first retired from competitive cycling in 2005 (only to return in 2009 and retire again in February of this year,) is a well-known advocate of cancer research and support for survivors.
He founded LIVESTRONG, an organization devoted to raising awareness and money for cancer research.
The father of five resides in Austin, Texas and Aspen, Colorado.
Twitter: @lancearmstrong
21 comments