Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners and the race director, is giddy with delight when she talks about Lance Armstrong's participation in November's New York Marathon. "Lance epitomizes both the American spirit and the spirit of the marathon and it is no surprise that his drive, motivation and focus leads him to his next challenge - 26.2 miles on foot. Lance is a born winner and has a Midas touch. I can guarantee this year's New York City Marathon will have a shine to it like never before because of Lance."

Lance Armstrong, winner of seven consecutive Tour de France races and quite possibly the most famous and publicly visible cancer survivor of our day, refers to the race as something to fill a void in his life after he quit competing as a professional cyclist. New York Daily News Christian Red, who wrote the article about Armstrong's marathon participation, muses that in this race Armstrong certainly won't be able to draft - cycling jargon for conserving energy while riding behind other cyclists. He'll be lucky if he gets a favorable wind blowing from behind.

Well you knew he wasn't going to retire from competition and go home to sit in an easy chair. Armstrong conquers things, and he is a man who needs something to conquer. He has taken on cancer survivorship and cancer survivorship issues on behalf of all cancer survivors with the same determination and will he used in his cyclist racing days. And Wittenberg is right -- the New York Marathon will be just that much more interesting with Armstrong running in it.