Q+A Sean (P. Diddy) Combs

The music and fashion mogul, 33, is running the Nov. 2 New York
City Marathon to raise money for several charities. He's being
trained in part by three-time New York marathon winner Alberto
Salazar.

SI: Why run a marathon?

COMBS: I woke up one day and said, 'Yeah, I'm gonna run NYC.'
Life is like a marathon, and I'm going through a new phase in my
life. I'm going to be the first rapper to represent hip-hop in a
race.

SI: So, how did the 20-mile run you did with Salazar (right) on
October 16 go?

COMBS: Incredibly. I hit a lot of walls, especially at mile 16
and mile 19 when my knees were hurting. But Salazar kept wanting
to go harder. He helped me see that you have to be tough. If you
ain't tough, you ain't made for the marathon.

SI: Can you finish 26.2 miles in under four hours?

COMBS: I'm going after Oprah Winfrey's time [4:29 at a marathon
in Washington, D.C., in '94].

SI: Did you really run track at Howard University?

COMBS: Oh, yeah. I ran 400 yards.

SI: Don't you mean 400 meters?

COMBS: Yeah. I was fast. I was so fast that I don't even remember
how fast I was going.

SI: You've talked about wanting to buy the New York Knicks. How
would you turn the team around?

COMBS: I'd have them running the floor more and focus on offense.
I'm not disrespecting the people who own them. I love the Knicks.

SI: What is your fascination with sports?

COMBS: I have always been fascinated by the way athletes are both
psychologically and physiologically fit, and also by the way that
they focus on strategies.

SI: You're running in the marathon in part to promote good health
for children, and yet McDonald's is one of your main sponsors.
What's up with that?

COMBS: Aw, man. Let's not shut down McDonald's. You've got all
those vegans and vegetarians with their gripes. There are health
issues in every brand of food. Imagine if we didn't grow up with
a McDonald's? McDonald's don't kill nobody.

SI: So, to prepare for the race have you been living clean?

COMBS: Four weeks before the marathon, I started to abstain from
everything. I cut back on the drinking and extensive partying.

--Yi-Wyn Yen

For more from Sean (P.Diddy) Combs, go to si.com/siexclusive

COLOR PHOTO: CAPAK/WIREIMAGE.COM (COMBS AND SALAZAR)

COLOR PHOTO: RENA DURHAM/ZUMA PRESS, INC. (COMBS ALONE) Aiming for Oprah