Shamrock Out-Takes

First, I'd like to salute the first three Chicago runners to finish against the strong regional field on Sunday at the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. Chad Ware, 25, of Deerfield, was our top dog, finishing 9th in 24:09. Greg Costello, 29, of Chicago, was 11th in 24:09, and Todd Ptacek, 24, of Chicago, came in 13th in 24:21. Yep, we had three of the top 15 finishers! Our local ladies, led by Claudia Becque, 33, of Chicago, who finished 4th in 28:10, did a little better, getting five finishers into the top 15. Next was Jean Marinangeli, 26, of Arlington Heights, who ran a 29:05 for 11th place. Jessica Langford, 38, of Rockford, was 13th in 29:11; Columba Montes, 30, of Chicago, was 14th in 29:16; and Elizabeth Chenoweth, 35, of Chicago, was 15th in 29:19.
As for the rest of us, the total amount of finishers is around 25,560, with final tweeking sure to add a few more. One thing I can say is the early age-group results seem to have some wrong times and splits but have the runners in the proper finish order. I'm a perfect example. I know I ran 48 seconds slower than the results show. I'm listed behind four runners with slower times, but I know for a fact they ran faster times. I'm hopeful that it all will be straightened out. I'll wait a while and then make sure they know they are wrong if it isn't fixed. I've noticed quite a few other results that aren't right, but that can be fairly normal at this point (Sunday night). Meanwhile, I thought the new course was fine. It could be a keeper as far as I'm concerned. My only problems were self-inflicted. I have sore ribs from an XC ski fall and couldn't really breathe well. Trust me. Bad breathing will slow you down!
I got in OK, and I have no complaints whatsoever. So how did your races go????

'National' Headlines

Thanks to my good friend Brenda Barrera for letting me know how things went on Saturday at the National Marathon and Half-Marathon in Washington, D.C. In her phone messages, she was quick to point out how many Midwesterners were there. In the men’s marathon, Michael Wardian, 35, of Arlington, VA, took first place with a time of 2:21:58, and in the women's race, Krista Vrombaut, 27, of Rock Island, IL (along the Mississippi), took first place with a time of 2:51:17. In the men’s half marathon, Mark Fruin, 24 of Bloomington, IN, took first place with a time of 1:05:03; Stephen Haas, 26 of Bloomington, IN, took second place with a time of 1:05:14; Jeff Jonaitis of Tinley Park, IL., took third place with a time of 1:05:58.
In the women’s half-marathon Laura Farley, 25, of Bloomington, IN., took first place with a time of 1:18:38; Phebe Ko, 27 of Bethesda, MD, took second place with a time of 1:19:03; Dani Prince of Bloomington, IN, took third place with a time of 1:19:38. Prince was the women's winner last year at the Community Bank of Elmhurst 4 on the 4th (4 on the 3rd this year). I'm the co-director, and I hope she comes back!

March Madness -- A Whole Lof of Half!

While 25,561 runners finished the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K, another 1,017 were finishing the cult-like March Madness Half-Marathon in far northwest suburban Cary. While driving to the Shuffle with some fellow Elmhurst Running Club members, none of us could recall a year when both of these special races were run on the same day. For many years, both were on the CARA Circuit (Runner's Choice these days). Now, the Shuffle is but March Madness isn't. Ryan Giuliano, 25, of Schaumburg, was the overall winner up in Cary with a very strong 1:12:16 on the hilly, challenging course. Shannon Fitzgerald, 27, of Rockford, was the women's winner in 1:22:44. Runner-ups were Tony Teunissen, 33, of Belvidere, with a 1:13:51, and Julie Zehr, 28, of Ottawa, in 1:23:11. Third-places were taken by Greg Castady, 36, of Homewood, in 1:15:18, and Jacqui Aubert, 23, of Crystal Lake, in 1:26:40. Nice work to all of you who got into this race and then ran it!

Kemboi, Moody Live Up to the Hype

Thanks to insider Jeremy Borling for tipping me off when I was preparing my pre-race blurb for the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. The favorites came through on a raw morning. It was chilly, but not ridiculously cold as another chapter was written in this storied event.
Here is the official news release.

John Kemboi and Tera Moody Lead Largest Field in Event History to Win 31st Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K

CHICAGO (March 21, 2010) – Kenyan John Kemboi, 19, and American Tera Moody, 29, outran the largest field in Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K history today posting wins in the 31st edition of the iconic Chicago road race. An event-record field of 25,561 runners followed the champions across the finish line to officially welcome the arrival of spring to Chicago amid 35-degree weather.
Kemboi broke the finish line tape in 23:39 in his first race on U.S. soil. Following his finish, Kemboi reflected on his first American race by saying, “I feel pretty good after this race. It is very nice here, although very cold this morning. It was a good experience for me and I will definitely be coming back to America to
compete in more races.”
Moody’s 27:21 victory marked her second Shamrock Shuffle win. A native of St. Charles, Ill., now living in Colorado Springs, Colo., Moody won the 2007 event in 27:09. Following the race, she said, “I have been battling some injuries so I didn’t know until this morning if I was going to run. It wasn’t extremely cold, but it
was windy and that slowed me up in the last few miles. I had such a blast though and just wanted to soak up and enjoy every moment.”
In the second annual Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle Elite Club Competition, a division for USA Track and Field member runners, Wisconsin Runner Racing Team A placed first for the men and Runablaze Iowa ranked first among the women. Tyler Sigl, Eugene Dennis, Aaron Nodolf and Ryan Meissen posted a joint time of 1:37:11 to edge the second-place team by 13 seconds. Erin Moeller, Marie Schofer and Jen Van
Otterloo posted a combined 1:25:45 finish time to place first for the women.
The day concluded with the traditional Post-Race Party in Grant Park where Bank of America officially presented checks to the event’s benefitting charities. Girls on the Run and MGR Foundation, two local youth fitness organizations, each received $72,000 to continue fitness programming for local youth throughout the
year.
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Brandt's OK after Taking Tumble (Updated)

Prominent M50-54 runner Barry Brandt took a nasty fall on Sunday during the Lisle Spring Sprint 10K, but he is OK. Brandt, who lives in Villa Park and runs for the Elmhurst Running Club, was in second place overall around 4.5 miles when he fell on a slippery bridge. He said he hit his head and blacked out, and was in an ambulance for 45 minutes but was not taken to a hospital. Initially on Sunday, he said he ended up with a slight concussion, bruised rib and a face he said makes him look "like I got in a fight." He says everything is stiffening up, but he'll be all right. However, after seeing doctors on Monday morning, things were worse.

Here are Barry's own words:
"I just got back from four hours in emergency. Here is the list: severe concussion, three broken ribs, partially collapsed left lung, can't tell if wrist is broken so in a splint. The good news is my face has no fractures which they were sure would be the case. The doctor said that if it would have happened on concrete instead of asphalt or if I hit a curb it could have killed me. I go to a lung specialist on Wednesday to find out how long until I can run. Being injury free lasted about a month!"

Yes, runners can fall and get hurt. Remember Robert Cheruiyot falling at the finish of the Chicago Marathon?

As for the Lisle race itself, Don Whipple, 30, of Bolingbrook, whom Brandt was chasing, was the 10K winner in 35:31.4. Angel Saenz, 41, of Franklin Park, was second in 38:50.5, and Eric Wedow, 51, of Batavia, was third in 38:51.5. Angela Kidd, 33, of Clarendon Hills, was the women's champion with a 40:17.7. Christina Sliepka, 19, of Oswego, was next in 40:44.0, and Lisa Teunissen, 31, of Belvidere, was third in 42:40.5. In the 5K, Nathan Kennedy, 24, of Bolingbrook, won in 16:55.9, with Jason Moderi, 36, of Naperville, taking second in 17:51.4, and Ray Heriaud, 34, of Oswego, placing third in 18:22.8. Janeth Salazar, 42, of Naperville, was the women's winner in 19:57.2. Second went to Tammy Kalbaak, 29, of Dubuque, IA, in 21:36.3, and third went to Jamie O'Connor, 33, of Naperville, in 22:40.9.

Photo of Barry was taken at the Westchester Veterun last November.

Ware Doesn't Need Luck of the Irish

Chad Ware, 25, of Deerfield, showed some early-season speed on Saturday, easily winning the first annual Fleadh 5K at Midlothian Meadows Forest Preserve in south suburban Oak Forest. Ware won it in 15:01.6, with Archie Bareikis, 23, of Oak Forest, running second in 16:59.2, and Kris Smrekar, 43, of Aurora, grabbing third in 17:39.3. On the women's side, Laura Bestrick, 41, of Orland Park, won in 24:02.3. Jean Powell, 44, of Oak Forest, was second in 24:09.5, and Michelle Wilson, 39, of Chicago, was third in 24:21.7. So you think "Fleadh" was a typo? Remember, St. Patrick's Day is next week. This run was part of the first annual Oak Forest Fleadh, which is pronounced "flah" in Gaelic and means festival. The race was part of a full day of fun and activities.

Khannouchi Comeback Under Way

I did not do this interview with 38-year-old Khalid Khannouchi, but it is so good, you should read it. It was done by Matt Fitzgerald of Competitor Magazine and was linked to CARA's latest e-newsletter. For those of you who didn't see it, Khalid is on the mend and hoping to run a fall marathon. Here you go: http://running.competitor.com/2010/03/features/khalid-khannouchi-back-on-the-radar_8940