Turning the Corner

Well, a tight-knit bunch of us, 280 to be exact, ran the Palatine Race for Young Life 5K this morning in humid but manageable heat. I hadn't done this one in two years, and this time we apparently ran the course the way it was measured, with six left turns coned off down the middle of the street. There was no tight tangent running with tight corners this time out. We all got somewhat slow times, but as someone once said, time is relative. The reality is that when we ran fast times here in the past, the course probably was short. I was left in the dust in my age group, but still ran OK with a 20:46. Sure, I'd love to go faster, but it is what it is.
The men were led by Patrick Rizzo, 24, of Rochester, Mich., who ran a blistering 14:54.40. Dave Wilson, 39, of Brookfield, followed in 16:02.30 and Dennis Baliga, 18, of Rockford, was third in 16:22.30. On the women's side, Katie Hauser, 26, of Ingleside, coasted in 18:18.60. Next were Sanya Syrstad, 42, of Glen Ellyn in 18:57.80 and Stephanie Hughes, 19, of Chicago, in 19:48.30. It was fun to meet Nettie before the race. Here's a big hello to a loyal reader.