Keith Levasseur, swapping running shoes for flip flops, completed the Baltimore Marathon this weekend in 2:46:48, believed to be the fastest marathon time ever in beach footwear. (The above photo of Levasseur is from a different race; a photo of him running in flip flops can he found here.)

Amazingly, the 34-year-old finished 29^th overall. He told Runner’s World afterwards that he plans to file paperwork with the Guinness Book of World Records in hopes of having the feat (catch the pun here?) declared as the world record time for running a marathon in flip flops.

No word on whether the constant clapping sound of his flip...

I saw Ben Affleck's movie Argo last night (it was great—see Max's blog for a more elaborate review) and, while I realized the main character Tony Mendez (played by Affleck) still lived in Maryland, I just figured out that his son, Toby Mendez, is the sculptor of all the Orioles Legends sculptures from this past year.

I attended five of the six Orioles Legends ceremonies this year (sorry, Earl) and was in awe as they unveiled each of Medez's creations, each incredibly lifelike and detail-oriented. In fact, I wrote about Jim Palmer's sculpture unveiling when Eddie Murray observed that Palmer's statue was "about to throw a fastball—you can tell by his grip."

Toby was portrayed in the movie as a young kid very into Star Wars memorabilia. Turns out, he's grown up into a highly accomplished sculptor, who's produced...

In case the presidential debate this evening isn’t enough of a reminder, here’s another: Today is the last day to register to vote.

You can register online until 9 p.m. on the Maryland State Board of Elections website here — or, in other words — until the debate begins. Otherwise, you’re out of luck and no one will want to listen to your complaining for the next four years. (You can also register at your local board of elections office until 9 p.m. and at some state agencies until the close of business today.)

You can also check and make sure that you’re registered to vote here, simply by plugging in your name, date of birth and zip code. After you check that you're registered, several handy links pop up, such as the location of your polling place and a link to a sample ballot.

However, the Maryland State Board of Elections site is not yet...

The 22nd mile is tough in any marathon. Grim, even. In Baltimore’s annual death march, err, marathon, it leads uphill to Guilford and 30^th Street, which is why Nate Sweeney and Peggy O’Leary are standing on their car, in full-body tiger costumes, madly cheering and encouraging runners while blasting Survivor’s epic “Eye of the Tiger,” theme to Rocky III.

“Risin' up, back on the street

Did my time, took my chances

Went the distance

Now I'm back on my feet

Just a man and his will to survive”

You got it!” “You look great!” “Ok, let’s go! “Start it up!,” Sweeney and O’Leary shout out to runners, who can’t help but break into smiles. A few, forced to walk up the end of the hill, begin jogging again.

Sometimes you laugh to avoid crying, right?

It started 10 years ago, in Milwaukee, actually, where Sweeney and some buddies went to cheer for a friend running in a marathon there. Sweeney brought his boom box, put in “Eye of the Tiger” and set it on repeat for six hours.

The...