I know it ended two days ago – possibly, when this guy finally crossed the finish line – but I had to follow up on Edward Norton’s running of the New York City Marathon – for I haven’t been this enthused about Norton since the first time I saw the final scene in Primal Fear.

I posted on Friday that Norton was running in his first ever marathon to raise money for Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust in East Africa. According to Ecorazzi, that little initiative raised $763,000 – with Norton pulling in over 300 K himself! He even brought these dudes – actual Maasai he met while on an excursion to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro – over from Africa to run the race with him.

That picture and the boku charity dollars don’t fully encapsulate Norton’s marathon badass however; he also murdered the course. 40-year-old Norton finished the 26.2 mile race in 3 hours 48 minutes and 1 second. That’s a sub 9 minute (about 8:42 by my estimation) pace. According to Eonline, that made him the top celebrity finisher this year.

Finally, not to be overlooked, he also realized one other marathon goal…

Note: Palin came in at 3:59:36 when she ran the 2005 Humpy’s Marathon in Anchorage, AK

Standard, right? Celebrity, seemingly insurmountable cause, arduous charitable task such as running. It’s all very nice in a sort of conventional way.

Norton refuses to be conventional…

He’s bringing along these dudes. Genuine Maasai warriors to run the race with him on Sunday – that’s two of them with Norton running last week in Central Park. Those sneakers bare a stark contrast to their usual running footwear…

David Blaine and Alanis Morrisette are also part of the team. I guess that’s cool.

Get more info, and check out the organization’s web-based fundraising effort at their website Maasaimarathon.com

• Has run a marathon in all 50 states
• Has run a marathon in 20 world capitals
• Has run marathons on all seven continents
• Also, competed in an Iditarod
• Also, one time ran 157 miles across Death Valley in the summertime.

I know I’m a lazy waste compared to this guy, who happens to be 72-years old and planning to run the Road Runners Marathon this weekend in Akron, OH.

Thompson is a member of the Oatmeal Millers, a marathon team where the average age is 73. On Saturday, they’ll compete in a five-person team relay marathon – after Thompson passes the baton, he plans to continue on and finish the full 26 miles.

“If you have five 20-somethings, that’s almost 100 years between them,” Thompson said. “With us, it’s over 365 years. We hope to finish in the top half of the relay teams and beat some of these younger guys.”

Forgot to mention his self-proclaimed “shortest run” ever – against the bulls in Pamplona. (This guy is a sicko. What a legend.)

Competing at an average age of 73, Oatmeal Milers still going strong (Cleveland.com)

Fellas, In stark contrast to how most average guys live their lives, you are on the verge of actually following through and completing a life challenge. What I need to know is, can you give me an example of an endeavor where you came up short in a fashion that so many of us have grown use to and apathetic by…?

Jeff: To be honest, we originally talked about running the Marathon last year and never followed through with it for whatever reasons. It’s one thing to talk about doing something like this, but when it comes down to actually ‘pulling the trigger’ and making the decision, it can be easy to make up excuses and not follow through. So this year, we decided that we were going to run the Race, but in our own way, and that’s where the idea for [the website] originated. We wanted to provide an engaging way for our friends and family to get more involved in our training, our fundraising and the race.

Your website promoting the race is called We Are Not Athletes. You are a year into your brutal training regime, and if that were entirely true you would surely either be dead or in some decrepit state. What is your most impressive athletic achievement from your past? Mine was winning the town Little League championship when I was 12 (I’m now 24…)

DAN: It’s a toss up between winning the New England Regatta for men’s crew in high school or holding the high score in photo hunt for a couple of hours.

I’ve heard varied advice for racers post-marathon – ranging from your not supposed to drink, to don’t even try to walk. What is the point in doing something like this, if there is no bruhaha when you’re done? Can you shed some light here?

Jeff: They say you’re supposed to walk for at least 20 minutes after the race. If I can still stand by the time I finish, I’ll probably try to walk for a bit, have some water, then most certainly have a celebratory beer with my friends and family. I mean, how could you not have a beer after completing the NYC Marathon? Guess we’ll see how it goes though.

There’s a place your bets option on WeAreNotAthletes.com. I like this, because it reflects my personal code that in life, gambling is almost always a viable option. Care to elaborate on how this works?

Dan: Who doesn’t like a good competition? We added the place your bets functionality to make the site more interactive and engaging for anyone visiting. The way it works is simple, you enter the time in which you think Jeff or I will complete the race and this number is averaged along with every other bet placed during the last couple of weeks, the updated number is reflected in the race time estimates on the home page. As of today Jeff is predicted to be a little faster than me, I can assure you that will not be the case on race day.

Let me read you the first sentence of Ryan Reynolds story, ‘Why I’m Running the New York City Marathon’, from The Huffington Post: A couple of years ago, I walked uptown to Central Park on one of those perfect November days. The air had a bite to it while the sun shone bright! (guh…) What kind of retribution will you rain down (on behalf of the people) if you see him on the course?

Dan: So the tone of the quote is a bit cheesy, but I can’t knock it too hard, as I am a huge fan of Just Friends. Everyone has their own reason for running 26.2 miles, you could put together a very interesting reel of all the different reasons and causes people run the NYC Marathon for. Parkinson’s disease research is a great cause to be running for and if that is Ryan Reynold’s, than I support it. When I smoke him on the course I will give him a Van Wilder shout out.

(Indeed, to be fair Reynolds is running as a tribute to his father. This question was merely a bitter jab on my part, directly related to Reynolds locking up Scarlet Johannson. Why did you make me do it, Reynolds? Why?)

As someone who plans to join in the raceday festivities, but is only up for about 20 minutes of watching exasperated people scurry by, breathing like a herd of wounded wildebeest before I move on and start celebrating on your behalf, optimum location?

Jeff: Well, the Finish at Tavern on the Green in Central Park will be very exciting for starters. From what I hear, it seems as though another great spot to watch the race from is on 59th and 1st by the Queensboro Bridge. At the 16th mile, it’s the pivotal point in the race where you can really see the effect the Marathon has on everyone. First Avenue, in general, will be a great spot to cheer on all the runners though, and join in on the race day festivities.

Dan: If you are in Manhattan, First Avenue is the most rowdy and the most fun location to watch the race from. Bar Coastal is on 78th and first and probably will be where we direct our friends to stand and cheer. Just don’t be one of those people offering the runners doughnuts and cigarettes, we don’t appreciate it.

Jeff and Dan’s hit the five borough course of the ING NYC Marathon next Sunday, Nov. 2nd. They didn’t have to say it, but I got the impression this interview gave them the added boost they were looking for to get through the last few weeks of training. Don’t mention it guys.

So far, Jeff and Dan have raised close to $6,000 for the American Cancer Society and Hole in the Wall Camps, which was founded by Paul Newman and is the world’s largest family of camps for children with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions.

Go to WeAreNotAthletes.com to make a donation, and check out Jeff and Dan’s training video below…

From Run to Race from Wana on Vimeo.