Outdoor Sports

One of the most imposing figures both on screen and in sports, Hafthor Bjornsson, is retiring from the World's Strongest Man Competition:

Known best among wider audiences for portraying Ser Gregor Clegane on HBO's Game of Thrones—better known as "The Mountain"—the 6'9", 452-pound athlete earned the title of World's Strongest Man in 2018, earned three consecutive Arnold Strongman Classics (2018, 2019, 2020) and currently holds the record for the heaviest deadlift at 1,104 pounds.

Bjornsson, 31, made his decision following his 10th-straight win at Iceland's Strongest Man competition where he finished first in all six events. 

"Great way to finish my strongman career," Bjornsson said. "Now a different journey starts and I'm super excited. Maybe I'll never return but never say never right. I'm still only 31 years old and could come back in a few years if my heart wants it."

The Iceland native says right now his heart tells him to be with his family. 

He deserves just as much credit for not ending his career with the Game of Thrones cliche that would fit way too perfectly here. 

The death sentence of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was vacated by the U.S. Appeals Court on Friday. 

According to Melissa Hanson of MassLive.com, three other convictions against Tsarnaev were reversed as well because of errors made by the judge in the form of the judge not meeting Patriarca standards and not granting Tsarnaev's post-trial motion for judgments of acquittal.

Despite the vacation of the death sentence and three reversed convictions, Tsarnaev will still spend the rest of his life in prison, as explained in the decision:

"And just to be crystal clear: Because we are affirming the convictions and the many life sentences imposed on those remaining counts [which Dzhokhar has not challenged], Dzhokhar will remain confined to prison for the rest of his life, with the only question remaining being whether the government will end his life by executing him."

Per ESPN Radio's Chris Villani, a new trial will be needed to determine whether Tsarnaev will be put to death.

Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, placed pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. The bombs killed three people and injured hundreds more.

Dzhokhar was 19 years old at the time and his brother was 26. Tamerlan died days after the bombing during a shootout with police.

The younger Tsarnaev brother was later found hiding in a boat in the backyard of a residence in Watertown, Massachusetts, and was subsequently arrested.

Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 charges against him in 2015 and was later sentenced to death before the sentence was vacated Friday.

The New York City Marathon announced Wednesday this year's race has been canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The event was scheduled for Nov. 1.

The pandemic also forced the cancellation of the Boston Marathon in May, the first time the race has been scrapped altogether.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement on Wednesday's decision, per ESPN.com: "While the marathon is an iconic and beloved event in our city, I applaud New York Road Runners for putting the health and safety of both spectators and runners first. We look forward to hosting the 50th running of the marathon in November of 2021."

A number of sports leagues in the United States have laid out plans to return this summer, but they're attempting to do so in tightly controlled environments. That isn't possible with a marathon that winds through New York City.

According to Hailey Middlebrook of Runner's World, 53,640 people finished the 2019 marathon, and another 50,000 were expected to run this fall.

With many states letting businesses reopen and removing coronavirus-related restrictions, the pandemic is surging once again in the U.S.

The New York Department of Health confirmed 597 new positive tests Monday, the fourth straight day in which the number decreased. While the state appears to be limiting the spread of the coronavirus, a gathering as large as the New York City Marathon would have the potential to be a "super-spreading" event.

Tokyo Summer Olympics hopeful Luce Douady died Sunday after falling in a climbing area in the French Alps, the French Mountain Climbing Federation announced (h/t the Guardian).

The 16-year-old was the reigning world junior climbing champion and earned a bronze in the 2019 IFSC Climbing European Championships.

"Luce was a young athlete on the French climbing team, very promising," the FFME said. "Brilliant in competition."

French paper Le Dauphine (via the BBC) reported there is an investigation into Douady's death. The Guardian wrote she and some friends "were crossing a tricky path equipped with a handrail between two climbing areas" when she fell about 500 feet.

In August 2016, the International Olympic Committee approved sports climbing as a recognized competition, starting with the 2020 Summer Olympics. The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to delay the event until 2021.

Douady was poised to be one of the contenders in the bouldering discipline after earning gold in the 2019 World Youth Bouldering Championship and placing fifth in bouldering at the senior World Cup.

The Boston Marathon announced Thursday that this year's event has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In lieu of honoring runners as they cross the finish line, officials are allowing participants to complete a 26.2-mile run on their own to receive any Marathon-related items:

The Associated Press' Jimmy Golen noted this is the first time in 124 years the Boston Marathon has been canceled.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh made it clear that staging the Marathon in the fall isn't possible.

"There's no way to hold this usual race format without bringing large numbers of people into close proximity," he said during an official briefing. "And while our goal and hope was to make progress in containing the virus and recovering our economy, this kind of event would not be responsible or realistic on Sept. 14 or anytime this year."

According to Golen, the format of the 1918 Marathon was changed because of World War I, while the 2013 installment was abandoned after a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line.

The 2020 Marathon was originally scheduled for April 20 but then postponed until Sept. 14 as the pandemic took hold in the United States.

While a number of states across the country are relaxing their stay-at-home guidelines, the status of large public gatherings in the fall remains unclear, especially with the fear a second wave of COVID-19 cases could arise.

Per Golen, more than 30,000 people traditionally run in the Boston Marathon, and crowds as high as 1 million watch the race.

Thomas Waerner's victory at the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race concluded on March 18.  

He has been stranded in Alaska since but may finally get the chance to return to his home of Norway in June.

Beth Bragg of the Anchorage Daily News reported the news, noting travel restrictions and flight cancellations amid the COVID-19 pandemic mean Waerner and the 16 dogs who helped him win the race have been in Alaska for months.

"I like Alaska a lot," Waerner said. "It's kind of my dream place. But I have a family."

Per Bragg, Waerner's wife, five children and 35 sled dogs are waiting for him in Norway, and the reunion is now planned for June because a historic DC-6 plane that is parked in Fairbanks, Alaska, is scheduled to fly to Sola, Norway, to become part of the Air History Museum.

The plan is for Waerner to take a COVID-19 test and then return home on the DC-6.

"We are hitchhiking," Waerner said. "The plane is going to Norway, and we are going with them. We are so lucky."

Countless people have probably utilized their home treadmills in recent months.

None of them have used the treadmill like Zach Bitter.

The 34-year-old American ultramarathon runner completed 100 miles in 12 hours, 19 minutes and 15 seconds to break the all-time 100-mile treadmill world record:

Bitter achieved the feat in his Phoenix home—maintaining a seven-minute, 18-second pace per mile—and logged the journey on his YouTube:

Bitter took a break for "two, maybe three minutes" prior to the final 13 miles to rest his brain and rest his focus, he disclosed during an Instagram Live video after he finished.

He added:

"It felt like I was running a lot closer to around a seven-flat most of the day, but then between taking breaks and switching treadmills and things like that, you add a little bit of time. And then, having to catch up on hydration, probably had a few slower miles in there too. But I'm not sure if I wanna try to do it again. Certainly not if there's races in the schedule, but I'm glad I did it. It's something just really different."

Bitter previously broke the 100-mile land world record, doing so in 11 hours, 19 minutes and 13 seconds at an indoor Milwaukee track last August.

Drone Racing League pilot Amari kicked off the 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup with a victory in Week 1 on Saturday.

The tournament featuring 12 elite pilots is being contested virtually over the next eight weeks with competitors from around the world to benefit Direct Relief, a charity that supplies protective gear and other medical essentials to health facilities, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Direct Relief is so deeply grateful for the leadership and commitment reflected by the Drone Racing League and its players," company president Thomas Tighe said. "This support translates into immediate, practical help, and is such a wonderful example of everyone pulling together and doing whatever we can to protect those who are most vulnerable."

Here's a look at the complete Week 1 results:

First Semifinal

• Heat 1: Amari
• Heat 2: Amari
• Heat 3: Amari
• Sudden Death qualifiers: Mewo and Phluxy

Second Semifinal

• Heat 1: HeadsUp
• Heat 2: HeadsUp
• Heat 3: Vanover
• Sudden Death qualifier: Gab707

Finals

• Heat 1: Amari
• Heat 2: Amari
• Heat 3: Amari
• Heat 4: HeadsUp
• Heat 5: Vanover
• Golden Heat: Amari

It was a dominant performance from Amari (real name Christian Van Sloun), who won seven of the 10 heats he took part in. Several of those wins were by multiple seconds, a significant gap in the fast-paced world of virtual drone racing.

HeadsUp (Evan Turner) looked like a legitimate contender as he breezed through the second semifinal. Although he did qualify for the Golden Heat with a win during the Finals, he never seemed to find a consistent line to provide competition for Amari in the end.

Vanover (Alex Vanover), the defending DRL world champion, was the only other pilot to earn a berth in the Golden Heat.

Amari earned five standings points to take the lead after Week 1. HeadsUp (two points) and Vanover (one) also got on the scoreboard Saturday.

The 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup continues May 24 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Lance Mackey, who is one of the most decorated dog mushers in the sport's history, has tested positive for methamphetamine, per Casey Grove of Alaska Public Media on Thursday (h/t Steve Gardner of USA Today).

As a result, he has been disqualified from the Iditarod, which Mackey finished 21st on March 19. His spot will be vacated.

Mackey released the following statement through the Iditarod:

"I'm tired of lying to myself, friends, family, and fans, who have all supported me, rooted for me, or been inspired by me. I apologize to all of you. The truth is that I need professional help with my latest life challenge. I am in the process of making  arrangements to go to a treatment center where I can get the professional help and real change I need. I'm ready to confront this with all of my focus and determination."

Mackey is four-time winner of the Yukon Gold Quest, a 1,000-mile international race from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. He is just one of two people to win the event four times and was the first to do so thanks to a four-peat from 2005 to 2008.

The 49-year-old also pulled off a four-peat at the 1,000-mile Iditarod, winning from 2007 to 2010. Only one person, five-time champion Rick Swenson, has won the race more than four times since its inception in 1973.

Mackey is also the only person to win both races in the same year.

The Professional Bull Riders returned to action Saturday for an event in Oklahoma, which took place without fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PBR said the event followed "strict health protocols" for the 41 bull riders and bulls along with the arena employees who worked the event. 

Rider Taylor Toves walked away with the highest score of 89.5, besting Ezekiel Mitchell by 0.5 points, in Round 1 of the two-day event. The event was originally scheduled for Las Vegas and is known as the PBR Las Vegas Invitational.

PBR moved the rodeo to Oklahoma because the state's COVID-19 orders are less stringent than Nevada, and the state approved the event. PBR CEO Sean Gleason said the organization has taken precautions to ensure the safety of all participating parties, including taking the temperature and screening every person who enters the arena.

"Our team has done an absolutely phenomenal job of leaving no stone unturned,” Gleason said, per 
Erin Beu of KOCO 5.

Round 2 and the championship of the Las Vegas Invitational will be held Sunday.