PICTURE THIS

March 17, 2003

As marathons go, this one wasn't fast, but it was memorable. Using only his hands, Bob Wieland, a 57-year-old Army vet who lost his legs when he stepped on a booby trap in 1969 in Vietnam, finished the L.A. marathon last Saturday in 173 hours, 45 minutes—a little more than a week. (He slept for just 11 hours.) A crowd of 100 people, including some fellow marathoners, cheered him across the finish line.