O'Neill makes impressive debut

As far as debut marathons go, American runner Kate O'Neill turned in an outstanding performance at The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

While she didn't reach her goal of finishing the 26.2 miles in under 2:30, O'Neill did capture third place (2:33:49) in a talented field that had to persevere through hot, humid conditions.

O'Neill, a seven-time All-American at Yale and a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic 10,000-meters team, wanted to gain valuable experience at running the marathon distance because she is planning to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Boston in April 2008.

"I was hoping to run fast, but I heard the weather report," O'Neill said. "The most important thing I learned today was to finish and learn as a marathoner. It was a great experience."

O'Neill said her coach and other friends on the course fed her valuable information about where the rest of the field was. They told her that third place was within striking distance -- and that got her fired up.

"I have great teammates and they gave me some great advice," said O'Neill, who trains with Team USA in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

Two other U.S. women punched their top-10 tickets -- Paige Higgins, seventh in 2:40:14 and Tera Moody, ninth in 2:46:40.

Njenga says he'll be back: Daniel Njenga has run the Chicago Marathon five times but has never won and finished runner-up last year to Robert Cheruiyot.

In 2007, he was considered one of the favorites given the race-day weather forecast. He lives and trains in Tokyo, Japan, where summers are usually hot and humid.

Njenga showed his guts and stayed close almost the entire race before Patrick Ivuti and Jaouad Gharib pulled ahead. Njenga finished third in 2:12:45, and he plans to give it another shot next year.

"I am going to plan a secret training for next year," Njenga said. "I will do my best to try to win this race next year."

Wheelers: Kurt Fearnley of Sidney, Australia, won the men's wheelchair race in 1:28:06. The top finishing female wheeler was Amanda McGrory of Champaign in 1:45:27.

Time to celebrate: When asked by race commentator Tim Hutchins during her post-race interview if she planned to celebrate with a glass of champagne or a glass of wine, women's winner Berhane Adere of Ethiopia said no, she was planning to take it easy.

But Kate O'Neill planned to take in a little of Chicago's best.

"I want to go out for good deep-dish pizza, but it doesn't sound good right now," O'Neill said. "Maybe in a few hours when I lie down a bit."