More than 1,000 runners expected at NCO 5K and 10K event

You can excuse Dawn Portner if she doesn't get a full night's sleep Saturday.

She may have a few things on her mind as she prepares for the start of the NCO Spring Ahead 10K and 5K races that step off Sunday morning in Naperville.

No, she's not actually running in any of the contests - that probably would be a lot less stressful.

She's the race director, which means she's responsible for virtually everything that can happen when you block off streets, set up routes and bring together roughly 1,100 runners of all skill levels along with 125 volunteer workers.

Chat with her for only a few minutes and you get the feeling that if Portner was running Sunday, she'd leave everybody else in the dust.

Fast-talking. No nonsense. Lots of things to do, not much time to do them. Keep up or get out of the way.

She acts, in fact, like someone who's been planning this race for between six and eight months. She acts like someone who's going to make darn sure nobody gets lost on the course ("we'll have someone at every corner and every turn") and that there won't be a single problem with the new disposable timing chips each runner will receive to ensure the accuracy of their finishes.

This is the 10th time NCO Youth and Family Services has sponsored the Spring Ahead race and the fifth time Portner has been involved. Now NCO's special events coordinator, she started as a race volunteer, then joined the race committee and eventually became the race director.

"We take a lot of ownership in the event to make sure everyone stays happy," she says.

This year's festivities open with a kids fun run at 8 a.m., followed by the 10K trail run at 8:15 a.m., a wheelchair race at 8:25 a.m. and a 5K street run at 8:30 a.m.

All the races start at Calamos Investments, near Route 59 and Ferry Road in Naperville, which is handy because the company also is the main sponsor.

The 5K is open to anyone, but there's a 500-runner limit for the 10K because the route takes participants through the nearby McDowell Grove Forest Preserve.

Last year's 10K sold out for the first time and Portner is hopeful it will again this year. Nearly 800 runners had registered by Monday afternoon for a spot in one of the races.

Portner says the event attracts both serious runners in the early stages of training for the season ahead and less-serious runners in search of some exercise and a little quality time with their families.

In either case, their entry fees - or, in some cases, the pledges they collect - will benefit NCO to the tune of about $40,000.

Brian Scott of Naperville has won NCO's 10K race for two years running, pardon the pun, but he's battling a balky hamstring and won't be able to compete Sunday.

A former cross-country runner at North Central College, he says he always enjoys the trail course through McDowell Grove.

"Getting to run back there in the forest preserve is nice," he says. "It's a very well-run event from start to the finish and it's for a good cause."

Scott may not be able to defend his crown, but he says he'll probably be on hand anyway because his wife and daughters might compete.

And, oh yeah, he also wouldn't mind watching his neighbor, city Councilman Grant Wehrli, try his luck in this year's race.

Scott says Wehrli has been training, but he doesn't see the council member as a threat to break any records.

"It might be funny to watch him," Scott says.

NCO Youth & Family Services was created in 1971 by area community and religious leaders who saw a need for professional services for youths and families.

The agency provides counseling, prevention programs, education, transitional housing and a group home for teen boys.

The Spring Ahead event is one of its three major fundraisers during the year. The group's annual auction is coming up in July in Glen Ellyn (Portner already is deeply involved in the planning) and its annual Chocolate Festival is held each January.

The latter, of course, usually attracts a slightly different crowd than Sunday's event, where we can pretty much guarantee very few of the runners will be munching bonbons.

Ask Portner about the contradiction, though, and she barely blinks an eye.

"You've gotta work off all that chocolate somehow," she says.

If you go

What: NCO Spring Ahead 10K, 5K and Kids Fun Run

Who: Roughly 1,100 runners expected to participate in race to benefit NCO Youth and Family Services

When: Kids 1-Mile Fun Run at 8 a.m. Sunday, April 19; 10K trail run at 8:15 a.m.; wheelchair race at 8:25 a.m.; 5K street run at 8:30 a.m.

Where: Starts at Calamos Investments, 2020 Calamos Court, near Route 59 and Ferry Road, Naperville

Cost: $15 for kids run; $30 for 5K; $35 for 10K

Info: (630) 961-2992, ext. 234, or ncospringahead.com