Runners high on inaugural Fox Valley marathon

Those trying to negotiate the rerouted traffic through downtown St. Charles to get to church services or a tavern for the Bears game Sunday may not have thought much of the first Dick Pond Fox Valley Marathon, but runners and spectators couldn't have been happier.

With perfect weather for running as the backdrop, more than 1,200 runners and hundreds of spectators crowded First Street between Indiana and Illinois streets to welcome the first marathon to the valley in 30 years.

"It's been a dream come true for us," race co-organizer Craig Bixler of St. Charles said, while co-organizer Dave Sheble of St. Charles said the hundreds of volunteers and numerous sponsors made the event a reality for the runners who came from 30 different states.

Sheble was tacking on miles of his own before the race, moving around the starting-line area to make sure everything was in place before runners headed out.

"The last-minute details come into play in making sure the medical stations are ready and the logistics of getting 30,000 pounds of water delivered up and down the route is being done," Sheble said.

Before the race, the parking lot north of Blue Goose supermarket became a sea of runners in various colors indicating their participation in the full marathon, the Dreyer Medical Final 20 event or the half marathon. Other than the 30 portable toilets set up, the busiest place at 6:30 a.m., a half-hour before the start, was the event command center, where participants picked up final instructions.

Roger Hauge of Excelsior, Minn., the oldest participant at age 79, was preparing to run the marathon with his friend from Japan, Hajime Nishi, who was fresh off another marathon event Saturday in Madison, Wis.

"I arrived very late last night, and I was going to stay in Chicago, but Roger had a hotel room here in St. Charles, so I stayed there," said Nishi, who was marking the Fox Valley event as the 579th marathon of his running career.

Nishi needed all the rest he could muster, having run 26.2 miles on what he described as a "muddy path" the day before in Wisconsin.

Not every runner was looking to complete an Iron Man feat along those lines, but most were proclaiming personal best scores because of the perfect weather and generally flat course through the Tri-Cities and North Aurora.

Brian Gudowski of Schaumburg was the first runner at the Illinois Street finish line, coming in from the half marathon at 1:09.06, while Joan Vitro of Naperville was the first female finisher at 1:39.24.

In keeping with the Schaumburg flavor, Steve Breese of Schaumburg won the Final 20 event at 1:57:02, while a St. Charles favorite, Tera Moody of Colorado Springs and a former standout at St. Charles East High School, was the first female in at 1:59:47.

"I thought I might actually be a little slower," Moody said. "But overall, it was a great workout and I felt like I never really went to the well."

Moody has been fighting a foot injury and was noticeably hobbling after the race.

"It was kind of a relief to get through the race with this foot," Moody said as she prepares for the Chicago Marathon. "I felt it during the race, but it wasn't terrible. It was really fun to be back here and back on the Fox River path."

The cheering crowd at the finish line grew bigger as the first full marathon runners reached the end of their 26.2-mile journey.

Michael Iacofano of Medina, Ohio, captured his first marathon victory by grabbing the inaugural title with a time of 2:41:44, while Anna Silician of Madison, Wis., won the female division at 3:06:00.

"The weather was absolutely perfect and the course was flat, so it was really nice," Iacofano said after topping his previous best finish by more than three minutes. "It was just a good, easy course to cruise on, with the trees being like a canopy of shade, and the cloud cover allowing me to just put it on cruise control."

A marathon has an emotional moment each time a runner crosses the finish line, but it was particularly so for Kerrie Branson of North Aurora, whose twin sons, Zach and Luke, both born with severe cerebral palsy, waited at the finish line in wheelchairs with other family members and friends.

"This was the first time in our hometown area that they have been able to meet me at the finish line of a local race," Branson said after she completed the Final 20 event.

"I found a running partner early on, and we had a great time," said Branson, who also served on the marathon planning committee.

The event also helped raise money for local charities such as CASA and TriCity Family Services through some of the entry fees.

Gloria Bunce of CASA carried the flag for her organization, saying the effort and her personal letters for support helped raise more than $5,000 for the child advocacy group.

"I can't sleep the night before a marathon," said Bunce, who was competing in her fifth marathon. "Your adrenaline is really pushed to get through, even in the training sessions."

There were no serious medical problems, which was good news for St. Charles Fire Chief Pat Mullen and his ambulance crew.

"We were happy to see it was cloudy and cool this morning, so we knew we wouldn't have to deal with heat-related problems today," Mullen said.