Defeated runner in Bensenville race crying foul

Alfonso Ramirez says he was feeling especially light on his feet when he took first place in his division during a 5K run in Bensenville.

But the man Ramirez beat that day isn't buying it.

Robert Williams and Ramirez were the only ones competing in the division for runners 60 and older during the July 15 race.

Williams, a 65-year-old avid jogger from Bensenville, is having a hard time believing that Ramirez completed the course in 16 minutes, 25 seconds -- more than six minutes faster than Williams' time.

"I've never won a thing in my life," Williams said. "The one time I do legitimately win something, a cheater steals it from under my nose."

Ramirez insists he beat Williams fair and square.

"I didn't cheat anyone out of anything," said Ramirez, 62 and also from Bensenville. "Just look at the time clock and the chips we wore."

Apparently, race organizers are going to do just that.

Stan Urban, Bensenville's director of special events, said other competitors questioned Ramirez's finish. So chip data will be reviewed, he said.

The small, lightweight chips worn on runners' shoelaces uniquely identifies them as they cross strategically placed, electronic mats.

Urban said the chip system protects against cheating, records accurate split times, provides instant race updates and compensates for slow starts caused by crowded starting areas.

That system worked at least once during the July 15 race through Bensenville's streets.

"On the day of the race, we disqualified a woman because her chip information made it clear that she joined the race midstream and did not make three laps," Urban said.

Williams said he believes Ramirez finished only two of the race's three laps "before coasting into the finish chute with the group that just lapped him."

According to official race results, Ramirez averaged a little more than five minutes per mile -- eclipsing the pace of former Olympic runner Jim Spivey, 47, and 38-year-old Bloomingdale resident Jerry Vondruska who recently completed the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon.

Both Vondruska and Spivey participated in the July 15 race. And Williams says Ramirez isn't in their category.

"I saw the guy, and he's a pot-bellied old jogger like myself," Williams said. "So there's no way he ran three five-and-a-half-minute miles."

Ramirez, a soccer player in his youth, said he runs competitively, and often beats much younger competitors.

"I feel happy when I look back at the finish line and see 25-year-olds running back behind me," he said.

Ramirez also runs several miles a week on the track at Bensenville's Tioga School, where he says he averages about five miles per hour on his morning jogs.

So how does a guy who admittedly runs a 12-minute mile finish a 5K race in just over 16 minutes?

"I had a really good day that day and my feet felt good," Ramirez said.

Nevertheless, Urban said he is holding on to the $150 prize money until the dispute is settled. Monetary winnings in all of the other race categories have been dispensed.

"$150 is $150," Williams said. "And as far as I'm concerned, it's mine. It may seem petty. But I actually trained and prepared for this, and I'd like to be recognized for it."

Williams suggested the two joggers could settle the debate over who is faster during the Bensenville Park District's Blue Hawaiian 5K on Aug. 11.

"We'll be in different age categories because I'll be in the 65 and over division but that would be one way to settle this," Williams said.

Ramirez seems willing to accept the challenge. He's planning to register this weekend for the race.