Giuliano, Marinangeli Win 33rd Park Ridge Charity Classic

As I wondered why my lungs and legs weren't cooperating as we ran the first half of the Park Ridge Charity Classic 5K on Saturday, I marveled at the parade of great local runners coming back the other way on this fast, flat out-and-back course. Knowing I wasn't where I wanted to be as we fought a vicious headwind before the turnaround in this key CARA Runners Choice Circuit race, I got to watch first-hand as the battles within the battle took place on the other side of the road. First up and down Busse Highway this blustery fall morning was Ryan Giuliano, 25, of Schaumburg, who posted a fine 15:44.77. Second went to Michael Straza, 40 (yep, a master), of Bloomington, IL, in 15:53.94, and third belonged to Cyril Pinchak, 26, of Chicago, in 16:00.81. Jean Marinangeli, 26, of Arlington Heights, solidified her lead in the CARA overall standings with a first-place 16:53.43. Columba Montes, 31, of Chicago, was second in 17:26.77, and Suzanne Ryan, 36, of West Chicago, took third in 17:43.79. The top threes don't tell the whole story. The fields were deep, overall and in most age groups. There were 372 finishers, small but a quality field all the way. I saw a lot of runners I hadn't seen in quite a while. It was a fun day despite my own sluggish performance.