Unknowns (To Us!) Win Fox Valley Marathon

Tim Cunningham and Shannon Bixler made sure their trips to Chicagoland were worth it on Sunday as they won the en's and women's titles at the Advocate Dryer Fox Valley Marathon, which started and finished in St. Charles, but included pavement in Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora and Aurora. Cunningham, 33, of Washington, D.C., won in 2:56:24. Second was the only other runner to break three hours, Richard Hornstrom, 40, of St. Charles, who ran a 2:58:35. Third place was taken impressively by 52-year-old Paul Ciesiun of Frankfort with a time of 3:00:19. I guarantee he's wondering where he could have sliced 20 seconds to crack three hours! Bixler, 24, of El Paso, TX, paced the women in 3:06:10. Runner-up was Ellen Dohan, 22, of St. Charles, in 3:11:37, and third went to Nicole Mitchell, 24, of Lake Forest, in 3:16:42. There were 855 finishers in the marathon, 479 men and 376 women. The half-marathon was won by Dan Montgomery in 1:17:49 and Angie Dudman in 1:34:46. So does anyone out there know Cunningham or Bixler??