|
 | |
Illinois with Bob Richards Four new half marathons and other developments on the running scene Want to go the distance? That will be no problem this year in Illinois. The state's running landscape is changing dramatically with four new half marathons, one new marathon and a remake of Park Forest's traditional Labor Day event. Keeping in mind that many long-standing, quality half marathons remain on the calendar, here's what's new. The Palos Bank Southwest Half Marathon is set to launch at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, May 4, in Palos Heights, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Organized by Running for Kicks, the weekend will include a health fair and pasta dinner. The race will be on a "fast, flat course with only three turns," according to organizers. $10,000 in prize money will be offered, including $1,000 to each of the overall male and female winners. Masters (age 40 and over) and veterans (50 and over) also will be in the money. Registration closes on April 30. For information, go to www.palosbankhalfmarathon.com. The new Rockford Marathon will be run at 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 18. There also are half-marathon and four-person relay team options. The Rockford Road Runners event is being produced by Special Events Management. A sports expo will also be held. Check out www.rockfordmarathon.com for further details. The Foot Mechanics Half Madness Half Marathon will debut on Sunday, Aug. 31, in Batavia, a far western Chicago suburb. The event will feature a course on historic city streets and the Fox River Bike Trail. The race, billed as a warm-up for the fall marathon season, is part of Batavia's 175th anniversary celebration. A field of 800 to 1,000 is anticipated by race director Dan Delgado of the Multisport Madness Triathlon Club. For information, go to www.halfmadness.com. A day later on Labor Day, the inaugural Oak Brook 50th Anniversary Half Marathon kicks off at 7 a.m., and the re-tooled Park Forest Scenic 5-miler (formerly 10 miles) starts at 8 a.m. The Oak Brook race is organized by Universal Sole running store in Chicago and Tom Heppelin of the Madison-Chicago 200 Relay. The western suburban race will be run on mostly paved surfaces but will include a three-mile section on crushed limestone in Fullersburg Woods. The field will be limited to 2,500 runners. Go to www.universalsole.com for more information. Park Forest will see the biggest changes. The new Park Forest Scenic 5-miler replaces the internationally known Park Forest Scenic 10-miler, run for the 30th and last time in 2007. The 5-miler will be locally competitive as part of the Chicago Area Runners Association Circuit, but will not invite athletes or dole out as much prize money. The idea is to create a more community-based atmosphere. In that spirit, a 5K walk and family-style three-mile bike ride have been added. For the latest information, go to www.scenic10.com. (That's right. The website address has not yet changed.) Looking ahead to next year, the first-ever Illinois Marathon is in the works for April 25, 2009, encompassing another "fast, flat" course in Champaign-Urbana that will finish on the 50-yard line at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium. Bob Richards is a journalist and advocate for all silent sports. He lives in Villa Park, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. Reach him at bobnanrun@aol.com. | |
Back to the top Waupaca Publishing: 717 Tenth Street * P.O. Box 152 * Waupaca, WI 54981 © 1999-2008 Site last updated 07/01/08 Designed by PBW |
|
|
