Payton's spirit reigns as runners defy 'monsoon'

Walter Payton never let adversity stop him, and it seemed as if his spirit prevailed Saturday, as more than 500 competitors ran in his name through the driving rain to raise money for cancer research.

Of the 940 participants registered for the Walter Payton 16,726-Yard Run in Arlington Heights, about 525 turned out despite the monsoon-like conditions.

The event started and ended at South Middle School. Competitors and volunteers alike found a welcome respite inside the school's gym following the race for the awards ceremony and photos with Payton's wife Connie and son Jarrett.

"I haven't run that fast since high school," said Steve Kane, 28, of Addison, the overall winner of the 5K portion of the race, who ran for Driscoll Academy in his teens. "The conditions weren't that bad. It was humid, but the course was laid out well."

Timothy Henry, 24, of Wheaton was the overall winner of the longer, 16,726-yard run, matching the distance of Payton's all-time NFL rushing record. He finished the 9.5-mile run in 51:40, setting a 5.26 minutes-per-mile pace.

Yvette Lambersie, 33, of Chesterton, IN, was the first woman to finish, and the 11th overall, with a time of 67:02, and a 7:03-mile pace.

Among the top five finishers, was Dave Shafron, 28, of Naperville, who came in fifth overall, with a time of 53:39.

Shafron is an Arlington Heights native who ran track and cross country at Wheeling High School, with Jorge Torres, who made his Olympic debut last month, running the 10,000 meters.

"I was a little worried about the conditions and thought there would be more standing water, but once I got out there and started running, it didn't seem to slow me down," said Shafron, who ran at North Central College. "If you're a crazy runner like me, you like that there's some kind of diversion."

Officials with the Walter Payton Cancer Foundation, based in Schaumburg, said they came "this close" to calling the race on Saturday morning, but after conferring with the Arlington Heights Police, they went forward.

"We traced the entire course with the Arlington Heights Police, and they said it was safe," said Bonnifer Ballard, race spokesperson.

Lois Conklin of Mount Prospect, interim president of the foundation, agreed, saying that since it was a new course taking runners through downtown Arlington Heights, they reviewed it even more closely before going ahead.

"We were 10 minutes from calling it," Conklin said. "We would never have gone forward, without the OK from the Arlington Heights police chief."

The initial 943 registered participants made up the race's largest draw in the five years it has been held, organizers said, and generated nearly $100,000 for cancer research.