Armstrong improved his time by 13 minutes at the New York City Marathon yesterday, and didn't have to battle shin splints.

"I enjoyed it much more this year," said Armstrong, who finished 698th in 2 hours, 46 minutes, 43 seconds. "Last year, I had no idea what to expect with 26.2 miles, and I paid for it."

The seven-time Tour de France winner trained harder, was injury-free and drew upon the experience of running in the showcase event. Last year, he called the five-borough race "the hardest physical thing I have ever done."

About 130 runners competed in the marathon for Team LIVESTRONG, which raises funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The group expected to bring in more than $500,000 dollars for cancer research and programs.

Armstrong looked fresh in his yellow jersey at the finish after hobbling in last year.

"I came in better prepared, but perhaps I started faster than I wanted," Armstrong said. "I sort of got out there and realized I was either going to finish OK or be crawling home."

Armstrong said he needed about four months to recover from the shin splints last year, when he finished 856th. This time, he trained more consistently and included faster 18- and 19-mile runs.

The already-fit Armstrong dropped seven pounds, weighing 173, to help reach his goal of finishing under 2:50.

"Just like in cycling, your body weight is a huge factor," Armstrong said. "It's no accident that the best in the world weigh 120 pounds."

Mike Richter, the former New York Rangers goalie, ran his debut marathon in 3:54:35. He's working to fight childhood obesity as part of the national ING Run for Something Better program.

"I loved it, it was beautiful going through the city," Richter said. "People were unbelievable. I started between the men's pros and the fire department."

The winningest goalie in Rangers history, who retired because of a series of concussions, completed an ironman triathlon this summer in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Tim Borland wrapped up his 63rd marathon in 63 days yesterday, all for research toward a rare childhood genetic disease. The disease — it's name shortened to AT — causes progressive muscle loss and often death by the teens and early 20s.

Borland ran in marathons across the country for 16-year-old Cathyrn Achilles of Hollister, Calif.

A personal trainer, he ran the first marathon Sept. 23 in Anaheim, Calif. With his wife Michelle and two young children in tow in a 29-foot RV, they racked up 14,000 miles and raised $700,000 along the way.

"It was great meeting a lot of neat families and kids," Borland said. "If they can have such a passion for life, I can compete in 63 marathons."

Armstrong said work with his foundation has taken him to Europe, Canada and Mexico in the last three months. He's not interested in training for much faster times.

"My lifestyle doesn't lead to that right now because I travel all the time and I hang out with my kids," he said. "(I) still like to go out and have fun and eat what I want and have a beer every now and again. I don't want to cut that out in order to run faster.

"I've done a lot of things in my life fast, so it's now time to do them just for fun and recreation."

He's not sure if he'll run the marathon next year.