Victory and mirth at the Elgin Fox Trot
Editor's note: This article reflects corrections of misidentified runners and race lengths.
The Elgin Valley Fox Trot certainly has appeal, and not just for five Elgin natives who donned banana costumes to run the 5K portion of Saturday's race, which also consisted of a 10-mile run and a 2-mile walk.
Now in its 38th year, the Fox Trot is among the longest-running events of its kind in the suburbs, said Barb Keselica, Elgin's special events and community engagement manager.
Besides promoting good health, the race "brings the community together and brings people from around the region to Elgin to see how great a community it is," Keselica said of the race which attracts about 2,000 runners annually.
Among them was Jordan Kremer, 23. A North Central College graduate from Naperville, Kremer won the 5K, crossing the finish line in just under 16 minutes, about a minute ahead of everyone else.
A runner for 12 years, Kremer works for the Naperville Running Company and trained for the race with his co-workers, who he says like to enter races with "decent competition." The Fox Trot didn't disappoint.
"The competition was good. There are a lot of good (runners) here," said Kremer who ran as an undergraduate and now serves as a graduate assistant at the college.
Ricardo Martinez, 40, finished fifth in the 10-mile race. This marked the sixth time the Streamwood resident has competed in the Fox Trot, which he called well-organized but challenging.
"It's always hard because the route is a little hilly," said Martinez who works for Dick Pond Athletics and ran with its team.
Logan McNamara, 29, and his brother Brennan, 22, and their friends ran as a bunch, wearing the aforementioned banana costumes "to raise banana awareness."
"Literally none of us trained," said Connor Kearns, 21.
It was all for fun, said Logan McNamara, adding that most contestants cheered them on.
"We heard a lot of banana puns," added Kyle Tomshay. Most had to do with their "appeal" quipped McNamara.
James Sitz, 29, admitted he might have held the group back, but nobody split on him.
"We don't leave any bananas behind," Logan McNamara said.
Rick and Bonnie Poulton have run the Fox Trot for about 10 years. The Elgin couple ran the 5K, and plan to compete in a combination bike and foot race in June in Batavia.
"She's competitive, which is good because it pushes me," said Rick Poulton, 63.
An outdoor enthusiast, Bonnie Poulton, 57, started running at 35 to spend time outdoors and keep fit.
"I do it to lose weight," added Rick.
The Fox Trot has become something of a tradition for a trio of West suburban moms, friends since high school, who've run together for the last three or four years.
"A lot of (the course) was challenging, but it was worth it," said Katie Buss, 30, of Batavia.
"You couldn't ask for a better start to the Memorial Day weekend," said Buss, who runs about 25 miles a week and ran a half-marathon last Sunday.
Saturday's race marked the first Natalie Aspengren has run since the birth of her baby in December.
"It's OK to walk a little bit," said the 30-year-old North Aurora woman. "It's OK to take it easy."
Speed isn't the point, added Alison Rakow, 31, of Aurora.
"I'm not the fastest runner," she said.
"It's all about getting out and doing something."