Beginners shine at annual Fox Valley Marathon

Organizers of the 5th annual Fox Valley Marathon say the supportive nature of the event makes it particularly attractive to beginners.

It's no surprise, then, that the top two finishers were marathon newbies.

Chuck Wysong of Wawaka, Ind., and Jordan Kremer of Naperville finished first and second overall in Sunday's marathon, which started and ended in downtown St. Charles. For both, it was an auspicious start to their marathon "careers."

Wysong finished first with a time of 2 hours, 44 minutes. He wasn't able to celebrate right away because after reaching the finish line, he began to feel sick. St. Charles paramedics walked him immediately to the medical tent.

"I was fine until about mile 20, and then I started to get dehydrated," Wysong said later. "But I'm OK now, and I'm thrilled that I won."

Wysong, 26, has been a runner for many years, but Sunday was his first attempt at a marathon. He said he started training for the event in June. "I'd love to do another one, if my wife lets me go through all that training again," he said.

Kremer, who came in second with a time of 2 hours, 50 minutes, is also a veteran runner who ran his first marathon Sunday. An alumnus of North Central College in Naperville, Kremer is now a graduate assistant coach of North Central's men's cross country and track & field teams.

"I definitely want to do another one, though it will probably be a while before I try again," he said.

Kremer said he loved the scenic nature of the marathon route, which takes runners through parts of Geneva, Batavia, Aurora and North Aurora before finishing next to the Fox River.

"Parts of it were really beautiful," he said. "I loved running along the river."

The first female finisher on Sunday was Marisa Hird of Naperville, who completed the marathon in 2 hours, 53 minutes. Sunday was Hird's sixth marathon.

"I love the course," Hird said. "The fact that there are some hills is great, it forces you to use different muscle groups. The only problem this morning was the wind, which was brutal. At times it felt like you'd just hit a brick wall."

More than 1,200 people signed up to run the marathon, race director Craig Bixler said. The event also included a half-marathon and the Fall Final 20, a 20-mile run.

"What makes this event unique is that the route is so interesting, going through downtowns and along the river," he said. "It's also a really supportive event, which is why we get so many beginners. There's a feeling among these runners that 'we're all in this together.'"

For full race results, go to foxvalleymarathon.com.