Kings of the road
Lists of top marathoners don't often reveal familiar names, but there among the top 100 male finishers of the Oct. 12 Chicago Marathon was Chris Siemers.
A 1998 Fenton graduate, Siemers ran the distance in 2 hours, 35 minutes, 42 seconds, 66th overall and 53rd among male finishers. (James Akita, a York alum who coaches men's cross country at Elmhurst College, finished 43rd overall and 38th among men.) A reported 31,401 runners finished the race.
"To be honest," Siemers said over the phone a couple of days after the race, "it was a pretty depressing day for me."
What?
A three-time all-state cross country runner at Fenton and three-time All-America at Division II Western State College of Colorado, Siemers explained he'd previously projected to finish in 2:15 in perfect weather, or in 2:18 if the temperature reached 80 degrees, which it did.
It'd be a natural progression from the 2007 Glass City Marathon in Toledo, where he'd run 2:21.22, breaking the course record by more than six minutes.
Two weeks before Chicago, though, he hurt his knee.
Siemers - one of seven siblings to go through Fenton, the last being Mike in spring 2008 - averaged 130 miles a week training over the summer. For 16 straight weeks he ran a minimum of 100 miles.
Already a veteran of five surgeries, the 27-year-old overdid his training and hurt his knee on his last hard workout, two weeks before the marathon.
"I probably put too much pressure on myself," he said.
Nonetheless on Oct. 12 he set off to surpass his personal-best time from Toledo but started questioning himself around the seventh mile.
Midway through the race he said he was still in decent shape to get local prize money - which goes to the three fastest Illinoisans - but by the 18th mile he started feeling sharp pains in the knee.
Siemers admitted it may have been wise to drop out, but he took pride in finishing.
Like all banged-up long-distance runners, he must rest. That'll give him time to think.
"Hopefully, I can keep at it and get some more healthy training and get a breakthrough some day," he said. "I've got to start running faster or get a job."
Chris is not the only Siemers still running marathons.
On Oct. 5 in Portland, Maine, 36-year-old Art Siemers won the Peak Performance Maine Marathon in a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 24 seconds.
The head men's and women's cross country and track coach at a Division II power, the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., Siemers was running 5:20 miles "before hitting the wall," he said.
"I haven't done that many (marathons)," said Art Siemers, who graduated from Fenton in 1990. "I just wanted to see if I could go out and do that. I'm getting a little bit slower."
"Slower" is a relative term for us huffers and puffers out there, but his personal best time over the 26 miles was 2:18.51, which qualified him for the 2004 Olympic Trials. That dream got waylaid because of injury.
Art and Chris remain the only Siemers still running. Art said sister Nancy ran track for a year at Lewis University and also played basketball, which was the sport of choice for Kristie Siemers at Judson College.
Brothers Scott and Will Siemers both ran in college. Kid brother Mike left track and cross country for baseball while still at Fenton.
Last spring Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Famer John Kurtz entered his 40th season as a track coach. He sounded as eager and upbeat as if he were breaking in his first stopwatch and clipboard.
No wonder Chris and Art Siemers are still running.
"I think for my brothers and I, the program that Coach Kurtz has at Fenton was outstanding. All the motivation he instilled in us was a positive experience," Art Siemers said.
"A lot of his athletes run in college and are really successful, and that's a good testament to him."