Foot Mechanics -- One FAST Mile

Here are the Elite Wave results from Monday's Foot Mechanics Memorial Day Main Street Mile on a downhill course in St. Charles. As you can see, they were moving. Lukas V. was second, but look at the time. Holy cow!
MEN
1 Richard Kandie, 25, Coon Rapids, MN 3:53.70
2 Lukas Verzbicas, 17, Orland Hills, IL 3:56.88
3 Moses Waweru, 32, Sun Prairie, WI 3:59.72
4 Todd Ptacek, 25, Chicago, IL 4:03.90
5 Adrian Myers, 25, Indianapolis, IN 4:04.74
6 Shawn Lucas, 26, Seattle, WA 4:11.23
7 Jacob Austin, 22, Hinckley, IL 4:15.16
8 Adam Currie, 25, South Bend, IN 4:15.74
9 David Wheeler, 26, Waukesha, WI 4:20.22
10 Patrick Quinn, 27, Chicago, IL 4:22.05
11 Peter Johnson, 18, Elburn, IL 4:22.79
12 Mike Landy, 23, Indianapolis, IN 4:23.46
13 Andrew Nelson, 19, Geneva, IL 4:23.49
14 Kyle Zankowski, 18, Elburn, IL 4:24.78
15 Sean O'Connor, 23, Rockford, IL 4:27.85

WOMEN
1 Rebecca Donaghue, 33 4:34.01
2 Mason Cathey, 28, Indianapolis, IN 4:44.31
3 Tera Moody, 29, Colorado Springs, CO 4:46.76

Giulano, Aubert Toughest at Ridge Runs

Ryan Giulano, 25, of Schaumburg, and Jacqui Aubert, 24, of Crystal Lake, came very close to pulling off daily doubles on Monday at the 33rd Ridge Runs in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood. Giulano won the 10K in 33:37, and then ran a 15:47 in the 5K, but lost to Lars Juhl, 33, of Chicago, who posted a 15:27 two days after making the top five at the Soldier Field 10-Miler. Kathryn Hague, 22, of Chicago, won the women's 5K in a very impressive 17:56. Getting back to the 10K, Mike Luchesi, 31, of Lisle, was second in 33:57, and Aleksander Suchecki, 22, of Arlington Heights, was third in 35:31. In the women's 10K, Sue Dehaan, 43, of Chicago, followed Aubert with a 41:37 for second, and Mary Sullivan, 19, of Chicago, was third in 43:06. In the 5K, Brian Hague, 25, of Chicago, placed third in 15:50 and Columba Montes, 31, of Chicago, ran a strong second in 18:25. There were 1,584 5K finishers and 949 10K finishers in this special event on the Chicagoland running calendar.

Quednau Leads Tower Trots

Todd Quednau, 28, of Downers Grove, opened with a 33:44 vbictory run in the Tower Trot 10K in Western Springs, and followed up with a second-place 5K time of 17-flat to be the "Double" champ at this long-standing race in the west suburbs. Bob Mathews, 43, of Chicago, won the 5K outright in 16:33, and Lloyd Christmas, 19, of Sycamore, took third in 17:22. Back in the 10K, Alex Lyons, 19, of La Grange (perfect name or what?) was second in 33:53, and Mark Holt, 17, of La Grange Highlands, was third in 34:08. In the women's races, starting with the 10K, Lauren Haberkorn, 20, of Oak Lawn, won in 40:06; Kilsea Kilrea, 17, of La Grange Park, was second in 41:59, and Stephanie Wagner, 36, of Lombard, was third in 42:45. The women's 5K was won by Megan Baganz, 33, of Naperville, in 19:07. Second went to Jane Simpson, 20, of Western Springs, in 19:51, and third went to Katie Roth, 30, of Lockport, in 20:48. Kilrea appears to be the women's "Double" champ off her 30th-place 24:25 in the 5K. I'm not positive. There were 434 finishers in the 10K and 864 in the 5K.

Jonaitis, McGregor Win Soldier Field 10-Mile

Jeff Jonaitis, 29, of Tinley Park won the Fleet Feet Soldier Field 10-Mile Presented by adidas on Saturday in 50 minutes 46 seconds, and Katie McGregor, 32, of Savage, MN, won the women's race in 55:51, an event record. Runner-up male was Chad Ware, 25, of Deerfield, in 51:20, and third was taken by Lars Juhl, 33, of Chicago, in 52:08. Second to McGregor, very well-known on the national scene, was Tera Moody, 29, of Boulder, CO, but formerly of St. Charles, in 57:42. Moody also has been in the national picture since placing fifth in the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials in 2008. Third went to Jennifer Houck, 26, of Minnesota, in 58:53. Both fields were loaded, as you would expect in such a high-caliber race. Conditions were warm and humid, and before all participants completed the race, official conditions of "black" were announced, cancelling the race for those still on the course. Photo shows the post-race venue atmosphere. It was gorgeous. Here are the top 10 men and women from the race results Web site:

********** FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
Place O'All Name No. Ag Div St Nettime Pace Guntime
===== ===== ===================== ===== == ===== == ======= ===== =======
1 6 KATIE MCGREGOR 10 32 F3034 MN 55:51 5:36 55:51
2 12 TERA MOODY 18 29 F2529 CO 57:42 5:47 57:42
3 22 JENNIFER HOUCK 19 26 F2529 MN 58:53 5:54 58:53
4 33 JEAN MARINANGELI 1898 26 F2529 IL 1:00:03 6:01 1:00:03
5 43 SUZANNE RYAN 145 35 F3539 IL 1:01:15 6:08 1:01:15
6 44 HEATHER PREKOP 17 28 F2529 IL 1:01:18 6:08 1:01:18
7 52 MARLENE KEY 1635 26 F2529 IL 1:02:15 6:14 1:02:15
8 60 CHRISTINA OVERBECK 8 24 F2024 IL 1:03:05 6:19 1:03:05
9 66 TAMMY LIFKA 1805 39 F3539 IL 1:03:56 6:24 1:03:56
10 67 KRISTIE HAWKINS 16 29 F2529 IL 1:04:00 6:24 1:04:00

********** MALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
Place O'All Name No. Ag Div St Nettime Pace Guntime
===== ===== ===================== ===== == ===== == ======= ===== =======
1 1 JEFF JONAITIS 1 29 M2529 IL 50:46 5:05 50:46
2 2 CHAD WARE 2 25 M2529 IL 51:20 5:08 51:20
3 3 LARS JUHL 52 33 M3034 IL 52:08 5:13 52:08
4 4 BRENT ALEXANDER 3 29 M2529 IL 53:46 5:23 53:46
5 5 MARK WEHRMAN 143 23 M2024 IL 53:53 5:24 53:53
6 7 MICHAEL BIGDA 683 28 M2529 IN 56:07 5:37 56:07
7 8 JESUS ESCARENO 1117 20 M2024 IL 56:40 5:40 56:40
8 9 PHILIP LATTER 203 28 M2529 CO 56:48 5:41 56:48
9 10 TONY TEUNISSEN 81 33 M3034 IL 57:15 5:44 57:15
10 11 VERDO GREGORY 150 31 M3034 IL 57:27 5:45 57:27

Ream, Prekop Win Corporate 'Chase'

(From JP Morgan Web coverage)
Jason Ream of event owner and operator JP Morgan Chase (17:59) and Heather Prekop (19:20), representing Euromonitor International, were the overall winners on Thursday night at the 29th annual JC Morgan Chase Corporate Classic run in Chicago. It was the first Corporate Challenge triumph for either runner in the 3.5-mile race that had 19,865 finishers from 557 businesses.
“I've won races before, but never one of this size,” said Prekop, who topped Jean Marinangeli of Porsche by 10 seconds in the women's competition. Bob Mathews of RBS was second among men in 18:04.

Corporate Classic -- The Business of Running

Thousands of you will be be running in the J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Classic tomorrow night. This is another of the great Chicago running traditions that has survived the times and presented a special running opportunity for people from all walks of life. Race time is 7:10 p.m. As usual, it will be team and individual competition. I used to run this when I worked at the Sun-Times and had a blast. Start and finish of the 3.5-mile event are at Columbus and Balbo in Grant Park. Plenty of liquid refreshment will be available during and after the race. Good luck and have fun.

It's Never Too Early To Think Boston!

The B.A.A. site has posted registration information for next year's Boston Marathon. Things to remember include 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 18 as the time when registration opens and that standards remain unchanged for 2011. Here is most of what appeared on the B.A.A. site:


BOSTON, Mass. – Registration for the 2011 Boston Marathon® will open on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. (ET) and will be conducted online at www.baa.org. The 115th Running of the Boston Marathon will be on Monday, April 18, 2011.

Entrants qualify for the Boston Marathon by meeting time standards which correspond to age and gender, and the qualifying standards for the 2011 race remain unchanged from recent past years. Qualifying standards for the 2011 Boston Marathon must be met on or after September 20, 2009 at a marathon certified by USA Track & Field, the national governing body for the sport (or foreign equivalent). Also, the registration fee will remain at $130 USD for residents of the USA. For last month’s event, the race filled in just over two months, and the B.A.A. anticipates the maximum field size for the 2011 race also to be reached quickly.

The field size for next year’s Boston Marathon remains as it has been in recent past years. In 2010, the race had 26,790 entrants and 22,721 finishers. Full registration information, including a list of qualifying marathons, and a list of the B.A.A.’s Official Charities for the Boston Marathon is available at www.baa.org.

Memorial Day Weekend

Frankly, there are too many races to even try to keep with everything this weekend. My favorite local race was always the Elgin Fox Trot 10-miler, which until a couple of years ago, was on the CARA Circuit. It was replaced on the Circuit last year by the Fleet Feet Soldier Field 10-miler sponsored by adidas, which I'll run for the first time this Saturday. It should be fun finishing on the 50-yard line, but I have to get there first! Other classics such as the Ridge Run in Chicago's Beverly neighborhood, Tower Trot in Western Springs, the new Foot Mechanics Memorial Day Main Street Mile in St. Charles and a host of other smaller, quality community races, make this quite the weekend. Then, of course, there are events out of town like the Madison Marathon or the new Elkhart Lake Marathon, both in Wisconsin. The list goes on and on. If you're racing, have fun.

Main Street Mile Draws Big Names

Middle-distance star Rebecca Donaghue and Sandburg High School running and triathlon sensation Lukas Verzbicas will run in the elite ranks on Monday at the first annual Foot Mechanics Memorial Day Main Street Mile in St. Charles. Race time is 8 a.m. on what will be a downhill course, and therefore a very fast one. Spokesperson for the event is Tera Moody, a two-time state champion in the 1,600 meters for St. Charles East High School and a fifth-place finisher at the 2008 women's U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Boston. This looks like quite an event. Go to onemilerace.com for more info and to sign up.

48-Year-Old Egle Wins Alternate Route 8K

Mike Egle still isn't too old to win an indidual title. The talented 48-year-old masters runner won the Alternate Route 8K on Sunday in Chicago, running a 27:19. Runner-up John Bartels, 43, also a masters runner from Chicago, was impressive as well, posting a 30:29. Third went to Michael Werner, 23, of Chicago, in 31:47. Mary Byrn, 31, of Chicago, was the women's winner in 36:27. Sue Abraham, 43, of Evanston, was second in 37:25, and Glena Cabrera, 31, of Chicago, was third in 38:36.

Behr, Bruzan Win Woodridge 10M

Summer-like conditions greeted runners on Sunday for the 7 Bridges Season Starter 10-Mile and 5K in west suburban Woodridge. In the 10-miler, Mike Behr, 33, of Aurora, won in 58:52.8. No one else broke an hour with Nathan Kennedy, 24, of Bolingbrook, taking second in 1:01:32, and Ken Osmun, 41, of Naperville, nabbing third in 1:03:44. Kara Bruzan, 34, of Bolingbrook, was the women's champion with a 1:08:41.1. Second went to Colleen Sullivan, 34, of Clarendon Hills, in 1:11:41.1, and third was taken by Tiffany Cruickshank, 40, of Hinsdale, in 1:13:15.2. In the 5K, Stetson Steele, 32, of Lisle, won in 16:36.9. Jessica Hopkins, 24, of Lisle was the women's winner in 19:37.8.

Ancona, Cicero Win Magellan Half-Marathon

It was nice to see some different names atop the leaderboard at the Magellan Development Chicago Spring Half-Marathon on Sunday along the lakefront. Matthew Ancona, 29, of Roselle,was the overall winner in 1:15:25, and Maria Cicero, 27, of Elmhurst, won the women's race in 1:24:21. Taking second and third overall were Benjamin Pankow, 26, of Williamston, MI, in 1:17:17, and Tobias Woelfert, 38, of Evanston, in 1:19:22. Second and third women were Kayla Goreham, 24, of Winsted, MN, in 1:29:18, and Kimberly Gooch, 42, of Downers Grove, in 1:30:03. There were 2,286 total finishers, 1,358 of whom were women. Light northeast winds and temperatures in the 50s made for a decent set of running conditions.

Barefoot Running, Or Almost

So what's your take on barefoot (or is it barefooted) running or almost-barefoot running with some of the new low- or no-impact shoes coming out? Much of it stems from the great book, "Born to Run," but there are others who have done it, pro or con in the past. I am one of those people. Way back in the day, I ran cross-country at Glenbrook North High School. We ran barefoot and we won conference at the varsity level when I was a sophomore and again when I was a senior. People then thought we were a bit looney, and a couple of schools made their courses extremely tough to run on without shoes. It obviously was not a disadvantage to go sans-shoes as we took home the hardware. I really haven't run barefoot much since then, but did see a guy running with nothing on his feet at Boston this year. He was running about 3:50 pace when I saw him at 15 miles. I have no idea if he finished. So have you tried it? Any thoughts????

Hird, Bruzan Win Quarryman

I'm not sure if they dodged the raindrops or not because I wasn't there, but 316 runners braved the tough course and cool, raw conditions on Saturday at the Quarryman Challenge 10-miler in Lemont. Nick Hird, 26, of Rock Island, made his trip in from the Quad Cities worth it with a going-away victory in 53:17. Second belonged to Garrett Ash, 26, of Manchester, CT, in 55:33, and third went to Noah Lawrence, 29, of Oak Park, in 55:54. Some other big names on the local running scenes filled out the top 10. On the women's side, Kara Bruzan, 34, of Bolingbrook, took first place with a 1:07:43. She was followed by Tiffany Cruikshank, 39, of Hinsdale, in 1:12:24, and Jill Bonniwell, 32, of Lisle, in 1:13:59. How was it out there? Anyone have a comment on the race?

Palos Half the Whole Deal (Revised)

Fields were deep again this year at the Palos Bank Southwest Half Marathon in Palos Heights. The third annual event on Sunday, May 2, had 1,428 finishers on a weekend that included the Wisconsin (full and half) and Illinois Marathons, the Great Western and Hawthorn Woods Halfs and a potpourri of shorter races including the Run to Remember CARA Runners' Choice Circuit race. Hats off to Mel Diab and Running for Kicks for putting the Palos Half together so well. First-place woman was Camille Herron, 28, of West Lafayette, IN, in 1:19:20; second was taken by local shoe rep. Eric Moffett, 28, of Chicago, in 1:21:37; third went to Amanda Domich, 25, of Crystal Lake, in 1:21:49; and fourth was taken by Suet-Fei Li, 34, of Schaumburg, in 1:23:54. Kenyan Mathew Chesang, 28, who once starred at Kansas State, was the overall champion in 1:06:14, just beating local favorite Jeff Jonaitis, 29, of Tinley Park, who ran 1:06:21. Third went to Chad Ware, 25, of Deerfield, who currently leads the CARA overall standings, in 1:07:35, and fourth was taken by Richard Kandie, 25, of Palos Heights, in 1:07:58.

40 Years Ago, Where Were You?

Sure, I always wondered when and where my next run would be, but 40 years ago today, I was a journalism student and member of the reporting staff for The Daily Egyptian at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. It was May 4, 1970 and four Kent State students had just been killed by national guardsmen as the U.S. expanded the Vietnam War into Cambodia It was a troubling time, and protest, violence and destruction took place at college campuses across the country. Our staff at the Daily Egyptian won a national award for its coverage of the events and eventual closure of the school in May, 1970, something I am very proud of to this day. Here is part of what I wrote for a staff reunion last week, which I was unable to attend.
"I was present at various places at various times as a student and as a journalist during the unforgettable days of early May, 1970. What I remember specifically from a journalistic standpoint was being called off of sports by my bosses at the Daily Egyptian and sent to cover the unrest and destruction going on at Woody Hall. I recall standing inside the building, notepad in hand, while rocks came through windows from one side and police stood their ground on the other. I recall being very scared and very excited to be covering such a thing at such a young age. I took my notes, which included descriptions of the destruction, and headed back to the DE office. There, my notes were added to those of many other fellow DE reporters and used in the long story that appeared the next morning.
"I also recall rounding up information on what would happen to the SIU athletic teams. Most were planning to carry on, but some were canceling events or scaling down, including the track team. Other universities were experiencing the same thing. It was a very unique type of sports coverage I never duplicated in my career at Pioneer Press, the Milwaukee Sentinel and the Chicago Sun-Times.
"Finally, I was a senior during the unrest, protests and violence that took place at SIU in May, 1970, after the Kent State deaths and the U.S. escalation into Cambodia, and had a good level of stress about all of it because I was No. 10 in the draft lottery. I was able to "stall" my graduation ceremony until June, 1971, but still was in the Army two weeks later. I can honestly say my SIU journalism degree might have saved my life or at least prevented me from going into the infantry. I was the only draftee in America in the summer of 1971 who had a journalism degree, and the Army wanted one to serve as an information specialist in Washington, D.C. The job was mine. Thank you, SIU!"
Anyway, thanks to you runners for letting me voice my deep feelings about a unique period in our history. By the way, I did quite a bit of running in the Army! I remember once running a 5:32 mile in combat boots. I couldn't run a 5:32 mile today, period!

Wilson, Marinangeli Win Run to Remember

Dave Wilson and Jean Marinangeli are proving to be two of the most consistent "A" level runners in the Chicago area. Wilson, 41, of Brookfield, won the Run to Remember 5K along the lakefront on Saturday in 16:05. Marinangeli, 26, of Arlington Heights, took women's honors in 17:20. The CARA Runner's Choice Circuit race had strong fields on both sides of the aisle with Jason Ream, 28, taking second in the men's competition in 16:14, and Jose Benitez, 25, taking third in 16:23, while Claudia Becque, 33, of Chicago, was runner-up woman in 17:36, with Jessica Langford, 38, of Rockford, third in 17:58.