Down syndrome team participates in Septemberfest 5K
Clark Raymond of Elk Grove Village followed the lead set by his brother and sister and went out for the swim team when he attended Conant High School.
Now graduated, he continues to work out, playing recreational soccer, working at Pirate's Cove in Elk Grove, which gives him access to the pool, and he likes to run.
His enthusiasm is contagious.
That was evident last week when Raymond and other young adults with Down syndrome met for their weekly training session at Meineke Park in Schaumburg. All through the summer, they have partnered with peer buddies to walk and ultimately run through the surrounding neighborhood.
Their goal was to participate in the Schaumburg Shuffle 5K on Monday. The race was added five years ago to the Septemberfest celebration and this year was sponsored by Chick-fil-A and benefited initiatives of the Rotary Club of Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates.
More than 35 charity athletes signed up to compete as part of the UPS for DownS Endurance Team.
The last two years, the endurance team had competed in the mini-marathon, a 5K event held in conjunction with Chicago's Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon. But when organizers of that event changed it to a 10K this year, parent volunteers with UPS for DownS looked for a more local event for their athletes. Participating in the group's hometown of Schaumburg fit the bill.
"These athletes have our full support," race director Lynn Crim of Schaumburg said before the race. "They'll start in the back, where they have plenty of room to spread out, and we'll have marshals at every corner in case they cannot make it.
"I think it's wonderful," Crim added. "I once saw a Special Olympics competition in person, and the joy I saw on the faces of these adults when crossing the finish line was something I will not forget."
At last week's practice, team members received their T-shirts for the race, a neon green that would make them stand out and be hard to miss.
"They may not look like endurance athletes, but they are," said Terri Devine of Orland Park, one of the parent volunteers, whose 23-year old son, Jack Ford, participates.
She pointed to Allison Fogarty of Roselle, who breathed through a tracheostomy tube until last year, and who was to run in Monday's 5K for the first time without one. Likewise, Allie Reninger of Schaumburg didn't walk until she was 5, but now she trains every week with the rest of the team.
"Our young people have gone from simply cheering on the sidelines to being on the course as athletes themselves," Devine said. "It's really powerful for the community to see this group being able to be ambassadors for themselves."
Of course, they don't think of themselves as ambassadors. At last week's practice, they all sat around a picnic table talking and joking before setting out on their training loop.
The Monday night training sessions drew mainly teens and young adults, who ranged in age from 14 to 27, organizers said.
The team grew out of a walking club that was designed to get children and young adults with Down syndrome into a lifestyle that includes fitness.
"Weight is an issue for the Down syndrome community," said Pat Fogarty of Roselle, who with her husband John, ran the weekly training sessions.
"Exercise is the key - for all of us."