From the August 2004 issue of Runner's World
What part of running do you hate?
"The first mile. The first mile of every run I'm like 'Ugh! I hate this. Why am I doing this? Forget the marathon. Forget it, I don't want to do it.' "
What is it that motivates you to run?
"Being able to have desert basically. That and those moments of endorphin release when you can pretend that you're a Kenyan winning the 10,000 meter at the Olympics."
I know you were training for the Ironman?
"I wanted to do the Ironman. They invited me and I was completely thrilled. I actually qualified on my own to do it when I did the Vineman Triathlon. But if you do a full Ironman it's like a full-time job to train. As much as I love to run and do triathlons, my first job is acting. I'm just starting to direct. Working as an actor is my great, great love. It was just too much work. I have a lot on my plate."
Would you ever do a full Ironman?
"I would love to. That would be fantastic. I'd really love to accomplish that. I think me doing the marathon is part of that. Can I do a marathon? Okay I've ridden a 100 miles on my bike before and I've swam three miles but to do them all in one day is a lot. We'll see what my schedule's like. If I never get another job as an actor or as a director then maybe you'll see me out there, but you won't care because I won't be working as an actor or director."
Added after he ran the ING New York City Marathon in November 2005. He finished in 3:28:43
So how was the New York Marathon?
"It was quite an unbelievable day I've got to tell you. It's one of the greatest experiences of all time. It's 37,000 runners and two-million people screaming the whole time. It's just going through all these amazing neighborhoods; Brooklyn where my parents are from. Going over the Staten Island Bridge. It's just spectacular. I was running really well. I felt surprisingly good and relaxed, I was taking my time. I wasn't pushing it. I found myself running it at 3:15 pace, which I was happy with. My strategy was to just really relax until mile 16 and then try to push it up to see if I could do a decent time. I hit the wall so hard. When you come into Manhattan you feel like a gladiator. You're coming downhill off this bridge and there are thousands of people and they're just going nuts. You feel just fantastic. I saw my family there. My family came from all around just to come out and see me. My fiancée's family was there too. I stopped, I hugged and kissed them all. They gave me some banana and I went on my way. I was like, 'This is fantastic. This is the most amazing day of my life.' Then I'm on mile 23 and I hit the wall so hard. Every muscle in my body was cramping. I was in total anaerobic shock. This was just insane. My time dropped precipitously. The last three miles I just ate it. I'm coming in, like mile 24, and I'm the agony of defeat and my fiancée runs out and I put my arm around her--basically she's holding me up. My brother, who ran the marathon before, was like 'Oh that dude is in trouble.' And my fiancée, in her flats and silk shirt, she didn't have running gear on at all, ran the last two miles with me. It was hysterical; the crowd just went nuts. They loved it. Here's this guy in total agony and this gorgeous woman in a silk top. It was really awesome. Literally, I was like, 'Oh my god, am I marrying the right woman or what?' The way it worked out was great. Perfect for someone who is about to enter marriage."
