Despite chilly temps, full crowd for Naperville's half marathon

Colin Mickow runs the streets of Naperville just about every day.

But Sunday, he won a medal for it.

Micklow was part of a healthy crowd that showed up for the Healthy Driven Naperville Half Marathon & 5K, with just under 1,200 registered participants in the 5K and more than 2,700 in the half marathon.

Mickow, a 28-year-old who ran for the University of Illinois, took first among the men in the half marathon, with a time of about 1:07.

"It was my first half (marathon)," he said. "I didn't know exactly what I would run."

He and fellow runners were greeted by challenging weather conditions, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees at the start.

"That wasn't fun," he said.

Erika Edmonson, 38, of Riverside, crossed the finish at the Eagle Street bridge about 15 minutes later to capture the women's half-marathon. She said the time of about 1:24 beat her best by five minutes.

"This is definitely the biggest, most important race that I've won," she said.

The race is an event that involves the community in more ways than one. Naperville Councilman Paul Hinterlong delivered preliminary remarks prior to the race and then joined the runners.

Naperville city workers were out in force, with one of the city's finest perched on a rooftop overlooking the scene and EMS personnel ready to respond.

At least one Naperville business benefited from the extra guests, as runners gathered at a local Starbucks to warm up before the race.

"It's phenomenal. It brings so many people to the community who enjoy running," Councilwoman Patty Gustin said. "It brings people downtown to our restaurants, which is great for our economy."

The event also benefited local community organizations. Mike Hoffman of St. Charles, walked to support GiGi's Playhouse, a Down syndrome achievement center. He has a niece with Down syndrome.

A number of other participants sported Indian Prairie Education Foundation T-shirts. Vicky Chow, a member of the foundation, ran in the 5K.

"It's a great organization. It raises a lot of money that goes back to all the schools in the district," she said.

Melissa Couch, principal at the district's Crone Middle School, was cheered on by her family, including her parents, Martha and Marvin in town for the event from Champaign. Her husband, Kris, also ran the event.

"It's kind of cool seeing both your parents running," said their son, Cameron Couch.