Spain, Boyle Capture 2011 4 on the 4th

Mike Spain and Kyle Brady know each other well from their North Central College connection, and on Monday at the Community Bank of Elmhurst 4 on the 4th, they stuck together pretty much from the start to the finish. Neither could break the other and it looked like a dead heat, but Spain was the official winner with Brady, the defending race champion second. Both were given the same time: 19:31. Spain, 22, of Schaumburg, and Brady, 22, of Naperville, broke away from a pack of 10 runners near the two-mile mark and worked off of each other the rest of the way. Matthew Flaherty, 26, of Chicago, was third in 19:49; Tyler Jermann, 18, of Naperville, was fourth in 19:54; and Eric Wallor, 28, of Chicago, was fifth in 20:08. The women's race was won by Elizabeth Boyle, 23, of Elmhurst with a 22:26. That was just good enough to beat Jean Marinangeli, 27, of Schaumburg, who ran 22:28. Columba Montes, 32, of Chicago, placed third in 22:53; Amanda Laesch, 23, of Wheaton, placed fourth in 23:05; and Kathryn Hague, 23, of Chicago, placed fifth in 23:40. The top three men and women earned $200, $125 and $75 and received certificates for free Saucony Shoes redeemable at The Runner's Soul in Elmhurst. Some great runners in all age groups took to the streets of Elmhurst on a day with tolerable heat and humidity. There were 809 official finishers in the race, which is part of the CARA Runner's Choice Circuit.