New York City Marathon - two olympians try a new sport

Olympians Kerri Strug and Brandi Chastain obviously know how to train for and commit to a sport -- Kerri took home a very memorable gold medal in gymnastics, while Brandi is a gold medalist in soccer. This year, the two partnered up to serve as ambassadors for ING's Run for Something Better program, which encourages kids to live healthier and more active lives.

This cause is something both really believe in, with Chastain saying, "I learned the value of physical fitness early on in life. I also know that being healthy as a child can lead to good habits as an adult." She hopes her participation will "encourage thousands of children ... to embrace physical activity and create their own personal fitness goals."

Still, going from playing a team sport to spending hours training alone has been a big adjustment for the soccer star. By the time the training period was over, though, she learned to love it and finds peace in those long runs.

Strug has a bit of experience in completing the 26.2-mile race, having run in two Houston marathons and one Boston, but this was her first time running New York. Since retiring from gymnastics, Strug has become passionate about running. She loves the carb-loading of running, compared to the high-protein diet required for gymnastics.

As a gymnast, Strug was always focused on "proper exercise, training, and nutrition," and those things are still important, so running the NYC marathon as part of Run for Something Better provided an opportunity to teach kids those values.

The program is clearly effective -- the ING Run for Something Better program has provided more than a million dollars to schools and organizations supporting running and fitness programs, and the plan is to provide over two million in the next couple of years.