Perfect temps for Fox Trot in Elgin

Runners of all ages took part Saturday in the 35th annual Elgin Valley Fox Trot, but few were as enthusiastic as three Elgin siblings who say running is just ... the best.

“It is my favorite sport,” said Enrique Delgado, 11, cheeks ablaze with exertion but only a little out of breath after finishing a 5K run. His sister, Andrea, 8, nodded emphatically. “I love it because it makes me go faster,” she said.

The kids and their older sister Cassandra, 16, are members of the Elgin Sharks Track Club, which had a solid presence among the 1,400 or so runners who registered for the 5K run and the 10-mile run. The event also featured a 2-mile “Walk for a Cause,” which allowed about 200 walkers to contribute $9 out of their $12 registration fee to a local nonprofit of their choice.

Friends Kathy Danowski and Stacey O’Connell picked the Community Crisis Center of Elgin, where O’Connell works as a transitional living case manager. “With the funding streams getting reduced, we definitely need every chance we can get to help out,” O’Connell said.

For the first time, the Fox Trot didn’t take place on Memorial Day, a decision city officials made to respect the holiday’s focus on veterans, said Barb Keselica, special events and community engagement coordinator for the city of Elgin. The change in the race’s route meant fewer road closures and savings to the city, she added.

Runners loved the mid-60s temperature, especially welcome because of the record-breaking heat predicted for Sunday and Monday, said 5K first-place finisher Shawn Lucas of Elgin. “It’s a great course, very pretty. Elgin Academy has a beautiful campus,” he said.

Cortnie Lueders of Poplar Grove had looked forward to running her first 5K in her hometown, but had to settle for walking after a recent injury to her Achilles tendon. She pushed a double stroller with her 8-month-old twins while her mother, Kathy Myers of Elgin, pushed one with her 2-year-old daughter. Five-year-old Jacob walked alongside them.

“I grew up in Elgin and I was always so out of shape that I never ran a 5K,” said Lueders, who has since embraced fitness and is aiming to run a 10K next. “It was always my goal to run in Elgin. I am kind of bummed.”

Many, like Gus and Judy Vaughan of Huntley, came to cheer on their loved ones.

The couple brought folding chairs and claimed a spot along with granddaughter Katie, 9, right by the finish line, ready to greet their daughters and grandsons at the end of the race. “We just thought we’d hang out here and enjoy the day,” Gus Vaughan said.