F^3 Lake Half Marathon to Naughton, Czarnik

On a cold, wintery day on the Chicago lakefront, Neal Naughton and Jill Czarnik bested the men's and women's fields in the third annual F^3 Lake Half Marathon on Saturday. Naughton, 26, won in 1:18:12.85, and Czarnik, 23, led the women with a 1:28:38.4. Second on the men's side was Mike Comstock, 25, who ran a 1:19:04.10, and third was taken by Rasmus Porsgaard, 33, in 1:19:19.8. Runner-up female was Helen Nuttall, 30, who ran a 1:31:14.85, and third went to Britta Dahlberg, 27, in 1:31:42:00. Those are some very good times for this time of year in Chicago. A total of 805 runners finished the half-marathon. There also was a 5K.

Shamrock Shuffle Passes 17,000 Mark

If you're planning to run the 2012 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle on Sunday, March 25, it's time to take some action and register. They reported today that they've gone past 17,000. This always popular rite of spring, running season opener, is one of my favorites. Wanna run it? Sign up soon.

Polar Dash Dodges Storm

Already postponed a week because of winter weather, the Polar Dash Half-Marathon, 10K, and 5K came off on Saturday, a day after the latest 5-9 inch snowstorm hit the Chicago area. Overall results are not easy to find, but I'll go with the following winners in the half-marathon: Kevin Lyons, 26, of Evanston, 1:16:46; and Erin Ashley Mink Garvey, 28, of Chicago, 1:35:34. The race is part of a series put on by Team Ortho. Did you run? How was it?

Congrats to Our Trials Finishers!

What a flashback to how it once was yesterday to actually be able to see the Olympic Marathon Trials on TV, even if they were edited. I made sure I didn't know what had happened and thoroughly enjoyed the delayed telecast on NBC. Here is a special salute to the finishers from Illinois or with Illinois ties. On the men's side, Patrick Rizzo, 28, of Boulder, CO, a former Schaumburg resident, ran a terrific race, clocking 2:13:42 for 13th place. Jeff Jonaitis, 30, of Tinley Park, also ran extremely well, putting in a 2:17:56 for 41st place. In the women's race, which started 15 minutes after the men, former Chicagoan Claudia Becque, 35, of Emerald Hills, CA, finished 78th in 2:45:00. Another former Chicagoan, Christina Overbeck, 25, of Portland, OR, came in 108th in 2:48:25, and Kate DeProsperis, 32, of Downers Grove, finished in 134th with a 2:53:29. Great running by everyone! What effort, what training. You all deserve some time off for a job very well-done!

Marathon Trials: Excitement and Suspense

This Saturday's Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston have dodged the horrendous weather that hit there Monday (rain, flooding etc.), so things should be good to go on race day. Speaking of good to go, the fields look great. I'm focusing my good-luck salutes on Illinois runners and other runners with Illinois roots or connections. There is no doubt I will miss someone, so let me know, please!
Starting with the men, who run at 8 a.m., here are some "locals:" for whom I am rooting hard:
MEN (8 a.m. start)
Bib 8 -- Jorge Torres, Boulder, CO. He grew up in Prospect Heights and starred at Wheeling HS.
Bib 23 -- Patrick Rizzo, 28, Boulder, CO. He is from Schaumburg.
Bib 46 -- Jeff Jonaitis, 30, Tinley Park, IL. Go, Jeff, go!
Bib 61 -- Chris Siemers, 30, Arvada, CO. Chris is from Bensenville and starred at Fenton HS.

WOMEN (8:15 a.m. start)
Bib 10 -- Tera Moody, 31, Colorado Springs, CO. The native of St. Charles has been a major player on the national and international scene in recent years.
Bib 99 -- Claudia Becque, 35, Emerald Hills, CA. Former Chicagoan has been in trials before.
Bib 112 -- Christina Overbeck, 25, Portland, OR. Former Chicagoan is running well.
Bib 156 -- Kate DeProsperis, 32, Downers Grove, IL. No one tries harder. She's tough!
You can watch an edited Trials program from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday on Channel 5 (WMAQ-NBC).

WHO DID I MISS????

There are 123 men and 205 women on the start lists. Plenty of other big-name runners who have run in Chicago and the suburbs are also entered. This will be a huge day for running and running enthusiasts. By the way, the Olympic Marathons in London are Aug. 5 for women and Aug. 12 for men.

Giuliano, Sullivan Take S-NO-W Fun Run Titles

In this non-winter of winters, the always fun and hilarious (serious, too during the actual run) S-NO-W Fun Run 5-miler (32nd Annual John Jantz Memorial 5-mile), which is hosted by the Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI, went to Illinoisans Ryan Giuliano and Megan Sullivan on Saturday. Under sunny skies and April-like temperatures, Giuliano, 27, of Schaumburg, cranked out a great 25:50.2 to best the finishing field of 1,001. Second went to Christian Escareno, 23, of Schaumburg, in 26:23.9, and third went to Chris Setzler, 39, of Wonder Lake, in 26:25.3. Other big names weren't far behind. On the female side, Sullivan, 32, of Oak Park, won in 30:28.3. Jessica Langford, 40, of Rockford, was second in 30:42.7, and Hillary St. John, 23, of Madison, WI, was third in 30:57.5. If you ran this race, you know there is crazy partying, tons of fun and individual-year age groups. I haven't run it in ages, but I know a lot of you who were there this year. The 2012 results are at www.wisconsinrunner.com if you haven't found them.