Fox Valley Marathon a homecoming for many runners
"Born on the Streets I Run."
It sounds like the title of a country music hit, but for Paul Gerardy of Oregon, Ill., it's the truth - and an interesting twist on his story as he attempts to qualify for the Boston Marathon by turning in a good time Sunday at the inaugural Fox Valley Marathon.
More than 1,100 runners are expected to fill the streets of downtown St. Charles when the Dick Pond Fox Valley Marathon, the Dreyer Medical Clinic Final 20, and half marathon events unfold.
It's not likely any of those runners will be able to claim they will run by their exact birthplace - except for Gerardy.
On Sept. 18, 1969, Gerardy was born in the back seat of his parents' car at Main Street (Route 64) and Route 25 as the family attempted to reach Delnor Hospital in time for his delivery.
"Most would like to believe that my dad delivered me," Gerardy said. "But as the story goes, I was out before the car door opened.
"My mom mentioned a library being nearby, so that's why it had to be near that intersection," Gerardy added. "It will definitely be on my mind when I get to that point in the race."
The marathon route will actually cut back toward downtown a block or so away from Gerardy's "birthplace," but he admits he is tempted to vary off the route just enough to say he went by the exact spot.
Other portions of the marathon route, through Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora and Aurora, will also remind Gerardy of the short time he lived in the Fox Valley region.
"One thing that I can remember about that time period is walking through the woods behind the house to get to Wheeler Park, which is at mile one of the marathon course, to play on the rocket ship slide," Gerardy recalled.
He will also run past areas that were part of his family history, where his wife's grandparents owned Springborn Floral Supplies at the northeast corner of First and Water streets in Batavia. He will go past the Metra tracks in Geneva, where his grandfather worked for Mid-Valley Lumber Co. most of his life.
"I want to do well in this marathon as a testament to all of the hard work my family put into the Fox Valley area," Gerardy said.
His other motive is to do well enough (3:20.59 or less) to qualify for the Boston Marathon, which has eluded him in previous tries.
"My best attempt was a 3:42 in 2005, and I had a good 20 miles in a marathon in 2008 before I fell apart," Gerardy said.
One person who knows about the agony of those last six miles is Tera Moody of Colorado Springs, who set state records in the mile run during her years at St. Charles East High School in the late 1990s, and has gone on to international prowess as a long distance runner.
"They say that a marathon is a 20-mile run and a six-mile race," said Moody, who will compete in the Final 20 on Sunday in her hometown in preparation for the Chicago Marathon in October. "Runners know that their bodies can only sustain themselves for those 20 miles, and those last six become a real challenge."
That challenge will depend greatly on weather conditions, which will also affect how many spectators come out to see the first marathon in the Fox Valley in 30 years. Most runners agree that a 55-degree day with light winds and cloudy skies would be ideal. Spectators, for the most part, just prefer to stay dry.
"This has become a spectator sport as much as anything else," said marathon organizer Dave Sheble of St. Charles. "Not all people come out just because they know one of the runners. They come out for the spectacle of it."
The foxvalleymarathon.com website provides a spectator guide, which highlights good locations to watch the race, which starts and ends at First and Indiana streets in St. Charles.
Some of those prime spectator spots include Fabyan Forest Preserve, Clark Island in Batavia, the Fox River Trail at Route 56, and the Red Oak Nature Center in North Aurora.
The race begins at 7 a.m. and the first half-marathoners should be reaching the finish around 8 a.m., with the Final 20 event runners at 8:40 a.m. and the full marathoners at 9:20 a.m.
The west bank of the river path from Illinois Street south to Prairie Street is considered an ideal location for spectators to watch the last half-mile of the race.
<img src="/graphics/KaneMarathon_mg090810.jpg">