Thousands tackle arboretum course in Fall Color 5K
Saying the course was "surprisingly tough," a River Forest man was the overall winner of The Morton Arboretum Fall Color 5K Run and Walk Sunday.
"There were a lot of hills on the course," said men's winner Jacek Kafel, 32, of River Forest, who won with a time of 15 minutes, 25.2 seconds. Kafel, whose one-mile pace was 4 minutes, 58 seconds, called conditions "perfect for running."
Finishing second was 27-year-old Chicagoan Brian Runyon, in 16 minutes, 1.4 seconds, while the third-place finisher was Dan Scheffler, a 42-year-old from Oswego, in a time of 16 minutes, 14.4 seconds.
The top women's finisher was Megan Baganz, 31, of Naperville in 18 minutes, 49.8 seconds. Baganz, who says she usually runs one 5K per month in the summer, had to curtail training when she fell in May and broke a collarbone. All of which made Sunday's victory that much sweeter.
"It was so good to get back into it," Baganz said.
The Arboretum Fall Color 5K Run and Walk drew 2,185 participants, with some from neighboring states and even one from California. The total includes about 250 youngsters for the Kids Dash. Competition occurs on a closed course through the arboretum's tree collections with no vehicular traffic.
Only those who preregistered were chip-timed, and only chip-timed competitors were eligible for official times. Full race results are available at www.mortonarb.og, search 5K Run.
Contestants received a goody bag and a T-shirt upon arrival and, following the race, were invited to the Fitness Fair, which offered recovery foods and beverages and experts teaching stretching exercises. Additionally, contestants were entered into a raffle, with prizes of an arboretum membership, clothing and more.
The race was sponsored by AthletiCo, Dick Pond Athletics and REI.