Lakefront 10 Forecast: Wet

The Saturday morning forecast looks cool and wet for runners doing the Lakefront 10 and other big races in the area. The big challenge for the LF10 is what to wear. Just as the Shamrock Shuffle presented some unusual conditions when it got hot last Sunday, it looks like some preparations are in order (maybe hats, gloves etc.) for this CARA Runner's Choice Series race on the north lakefront. I can take temps in the 40s. I can take the rain. I can take the puddles. I just hope the wind dies down. Hope everyone racing tomorrow has a good one.

River to River Relay -- Southern Exposure

Southern Illinois is hilly, woodsy and rural, aesthetic qualities a lot of runners from northern Illinois don't see on a regular basis. This weekend, rain or shine, 250 teams of eight runners, a good share from the Chicago area, will compete in the River to River Relay. For those of you not familiar with this famed event, runners go 80 miles from the Mississippi River across "Little Egypt" to the Ohio River.
A few showers are predicted with temps ranging from the mid-40s to low-50s on Saturday for this annual event about 350 miles south of Chicago. The stories I hear every year from people who do this relay make me want to do it, but so far, I haven't. I am, however, a member of "The Fossils," who annually do the Madison-Chicago 200-mile relay in June. At any rate, good luck to everyone doing River to River!

Boston Countdown Is On

For those who qualified and managed to get registered for the 115th Boston Marathon, this is a great week of tapering, resting and anticipating for one of the great experiences available in running. I won't be there this year, but will be following many of you via the Internet. I hope the weather cooperates on Monday and some nice times in good conditions are recorded by the 1,011 people who are registered from Illinois. Good luck to all the Boston runners on Patriots Day! This just in: Lukas Verzbicas wil be running in the Elite Mile on Sunday in Boston. He is the slowest runner in the field. It will be interesting to see how he does! Well-known running guru Bud James predicts on Facebook that Verzbicas will run a 4:01.41. We'll hold you to it, Bud! By the way, Bud predicted the winning time of the Shamrock Shuffle would be 22:39. It was 22:38.

The Old Fly Young!

So often we (me included) focus on the young, fast runners. Too often we ignore the other end of the spectrum. Yesterday, in very warm (high 70s) and humid conditions with little or no time for bodies to adjust from the cool days leading up to the race, two stalwarts from the Men's 85-89 age group and one from Women's 85-89 started and finished the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. When you saw 20-year-olds having trouble out there, it added to the perspective. These three are tough. Here's a salute to Robert Taylor, 86, of Oak Park, who ran a 1:12:28, and Frank Waldeck, 88, of Lake Forest, who wasn't far behind in 1:16:1. On the women's side, it was Dottie Gray, 85, of St. Louis, who posted a 1:17:16.

Bairu, Verzbicas; Yoder, Marinangeli 1-2 at Shamrock

Canadian 10,000-meter record holder Simon Bairu and local high school phenom Lukas Verzbicas went 1-2 in a warm and humid Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K on Sunday. Bairui made a move around 3.5 miles to secure the win. He won it in 23:38 to a 23:55 by Verzbicas, who attends Sandburg High School in Orland Park. Amy Yoder Begley, a U.S. Olympian, won the women's race handily in 26:50. Local standout Jean Marinangeli of Schaumburg was second in 28:11. It was very warm out there. I pitched my singlet at about 2.2 miles (picked it up later) and just tried to keep an even pace without going overboard. I held a pace just over 7 minutes, which included a couple of stops for water, and I was pleased with that considering how warm it was. One thing we all noticed was the medical tent was very busy. Heat was taking its toll of runners in the registered field of 40,000. Men's 60-64 and women's 50-54 age group results have been adjusted. Kudos to the race organizers! Here are top five men, women:
MEN
1. Simon Bairu, Portland, OR, 23:38
2. Lukas Verzbicas, Orland Hills, IL, 23:55
3. Kyle Brady, Naperville, IL, 24:07
4. Andrew Baker, Indianapolis, IN, 24:10
5. Tyler Sigl, Green Bay, WI, 24:14

WOMEN
1. Amy Yoder Begley, Beaverton, OR, 26:50
2. Jean Marinangeli, Schaumburg, IL, 28:11
3. Erin Moeller, Mt Vernon, IA, 28:23
4. Jessica Monson, Powers Lake, WI, 28:25
5. Katie Fenstermaker, South Bend, IN, 28:38

Ware, Montes Win Race That's Good for Life 5K

The third time was definitely the charm on Sunday for Chad Ware. The 26-year-old from Deerfield (right in upper photo near 2-mile mark) said it was like getting a monkey off his back after his victory in the highly competitive Race That's Good for Life 5K in Oak Park that included racing the final straightaway into a strong headwind. Ware won in 14:50.8, soundly beating runner-up Jeff Jonaitis, 29, of Tinley Park (left in upper photo), who ran a 15:12.6. Last year, Jonaitis beat Ware to win the race by one second. Two years ago, Ware lost to Greg Costello for the championship by less than a second. Third this year went to Mike Ptack, 24, of Elmhurst, in 15:24.2; with Andrew Jellema, 24, of Lansing, taking fourth in 15:31.9; and Emisael Favela, 34, of Berwyn, grabbing fifth in 15:45.5. Columba Montes , 31, of Chicago, was the women's champion with a 17:40.3. Jacqui Aubert, 24, of Crystal Lake, was second in 18:04.1; Jessica Langford, 39, of Rockford, was third in 18:30.4; Suzanne Ryan, 36, of West Chicago, was fourth in 18:35.8; and Shannon Javaras, 36, of Palos Park, was fifth in 18:38.8. As usual, the Oak Park Runners Club put on a great race, which served as the opener on the prestigious CARA Runners Choice Circuit. The main events included 415 male finishers and 456 female finishers. The age groups were loaded with fast times and deep talent pools. It was a good day for racing. Photo: Jonathan Cain, Chicago Athlete.

Giuliano, Marinangeli Win Home Team 10K

The Home Team Charity 10K, sponsored by the Bulls, Hawks and White Sox on Sunday, took a field of 1,736 runners from a start line near the United Center on the West Side to a finish at U.S. Cellular Field on the South Side Sunday. Despite going head to head against the CARA Runner's Choice Circuit race in Oak Park, this new event drew a large crowd and some very fast runners. Ryan Giuliano, 26, and Jean Marinangeli, 27, made it a Schaumburg sweep as Ryan won in 32:22 and Jean commanded the women's field in 36:48. Marinangeli won the Oak Park race last year, but opted for the newbie this time. Rounding out the top five men were: Jesse Kleinjan, 27, of Chicago, in 33:14; Jeremy Ruston, 30, of St. Charles, in 34:08; Tyler Zwagerman, 26, of Chicago (last week's Chi-Town Half champ) in 34:12; and Matthew Thor, 24, of Arlington Heights, in 34:16. Rounding out the top five women were: Christina Overbeck, 25, of Chicago, in 37:13; Alissa Hunt, 27, of Chicago, in 39:36; Beth Chenoweth, 36, of Chicago in 39:36 (same time); and Cari Knapp, 27, of Chicago, in 39:48. It's good to see a new 10K on the local racing landscape. It's been a somewhat forgotten distance. It's too bad it was at the same time as the Oak Park race.