Favela, Montes CARA Runners of the Year

From Chicago Athlete Magazine Newsletter
The winners of the 2012 CARA Circuit have been announced by the Chicago running group. The male winner is Emisael Favela, 35, from Berwyn, and the female winner is 33 year-old Columba Montes from Chicago. Both winners have been regular top competitors in the area for years, with success in multiple races ranging in all different distances.
Favela, who was the March 2006 winner of the Clif Bar Athlete of the Month, had a year that rarely saw him outside of the top five finishers. In the 16-race season, Favela finished with a total of 118 points. The next-closest finisher was more than 30 points behind Favela, who highlighted his season with a first-place finish at the Roselle Run for the Roses 5k. The Chicago resident also finished first in his age group in the Community Bank of Elmhurst 4 on the 4th, Downers Grove 5 Miler, Park Ridge Charity Classic and Peoria Steamboat Classic. In his only marathon of 2012, Favela finished the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon in 2:31:43 and in 5th place overall.
Female winner Columba Montes had a year few could top. In nearly every race Montes competed in she finished atop her age group. In the CARA sponsored Lakefront 10 Miler, Montes was the first female to finish and was the 25th runner overall. Montes ran in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and finished with a sub-3 hour marathon at 2:55:02. Her finish was good enough for a 36th best from all women and 15th in her age group. A single mother, Montes told Chicago Athlete in September that she worked especially hard this year to set an example for her daughters.
The full rankings, along with final point totals for both men and women are available on CARA’s web site. The 2013 CARA Circuit starts off with the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k, which is April 7 this year. There are 16 races in and around Chicago. For more information, visit CARA’s homepage.