Chad and Karen, Who Are They?

2008 champions Chad Ware and Karen Prisby took the Ravenswood Run 5K by storm on Sunday, but who are they? I've learned more since the first post on this subject. Chad, an assistant track and cross-country coach at Northside College Prep in the city, placed second at the Jacksonville, Fla. Marathon on a very humid day in December, running a 2:29:09. He ran collegiately at Butler and is in divinity school now at Trinity International in Deerfield. Karen is a true rags-to-riches story. She walked on at Colby College in Maine after an undistingushed running stint at Cathedral High School in Massachusetts. At Colby, she started out 20th out of 22 on the cross-country team and ended up placing 12th in the NCAA Division 3 meet, attaining All-American honors, before she was through. Locally, she was under the radar at the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle, placing third in 29:16. She is an assistant manager at Fleet Feet Elmhurst and is dating men's runner-up Jim Akita, the Elmhurst College track and XC coach. Now we know we've got some new players in town. As I learn more, I'll keep updating.