Naperville half marathon gets hometown champion

Marisa Hird has run the Chicago Marathon and the Boston Marathon.

But for the Naperville resident, there was nothing quite like winning a half marathon in her hometown.

Hird finished first Sunday in the second annual Naperville Women's Half Marathon, posting a time of 1 hour and 22 minutes. She finished second in last year's inaugural event.

"It's a challenging course, but it was beautiful," she said. "The weather was perfect. No wind. Course support was great. It was wonderful."

She said first place is always a goal, especially in a hometown race.

"I was born and raised here. I work at Naperville Running Company, one of the sponsors of the race," Hird said. "For a day like today, my goal was just to have a good experience. So, goal accomplished."

The fact that the race is organized for women runners makes it a lot more fun, Hird added.

"The energy is so different," she said. "And I never would have said that if I hadn't experienced it last year. The energy, it's just amazing."

Bill Burke, whose Premier Event Management ran the event, said 2,700 registered for the half-marathon, while 1,200 others signed up for a companion 5K. He credited North Central College, which served as the start and finish, and the city of Naperville for helping to pull off the races.

Kelly McShea of Lisle took first in the 5K.

"It was fun. Perfect weather and good crowds," said McShea, who recently graduated from Illinois State University, where she ran track. "There were a lot of great helpers who were all cheering every time I ran by."

Among the runners finishing the 5K was 6-year-old Jordan Lohse of Naperville, who ran with her mom, Kathleen Lohse.

"I felt really good," Jordan said.

Amanda Ziupsnys of the Elmhurst area said the all-women format influenced her choice to make the race her first half marathon.

"It will be a nice empowering race," she said. "I (thought) a support system of fellow ladies would be good for my first half marathon."

Jim Riga, who coaches with Experience Triathlon in Naperville, said of the women-only event, "It's really nice that you can have a venue like this, with just women only. It really brings them in. Sometimes they'll get a little intimidated when you have a race that includes men and women. And when you have a women-only, it really kind of brings out the competitor in the women. And they have other women that are role models."

One of the runners Riga coaches, Marijo Wimbush of Maywood, agreed, saying she's experienced similar camaraderie at Naperville's all-women triathlon, the Esprit de She.

"It's kind of like a sisterhood," she said.

Michelle Kilty of Geneva noted that the Boston Marathon didn't allow women to participate until 1967, when Kathrine Switzer made her pioneering run.

"Doing a woman's event like this is kind of a big deal," she said. "We have come a long way."