Batavia's Moody finishes 10th among women

American elite runners in the Chicago Marathon held their own in a fast field on both the men's and women's front, especially the women who had three runners in the top 10. Desiree Davila finished fourth with a time of 2:26:20 while Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (2:28:44) and Batavia resident native Tera Moody (2:30:53) were seventh and 10th, respectively.

Moody, who ran cross country and track St. Charles High School, was especially impressive.

She shaved nearly two minutes off her previous best personal time, set at Chicago last year (2:32:59). Entering the Chicago Marathon, she was dealing with an injured left foot. During the post-race press conference, she had on a black immobilization boot, but she said the injury did not slow her, especially with the support of the hometown crowd.

“It was easiest marathon I have ever run, Moody said. “My foot was hurt, but I knew it was not going to be an issue. I had so much adrenaline that it didn't hurt until after the race. I felt great and have a lot of confidence for the next one. Let's do it tomorrow.

“It was such an amazing experience out there. Everyone was cheering and yelling my name. I had a lot of support.

Moody would not say whether the injury was a joint issue or a stress reaction, but she was looking forward to resting and getting her foot healthy.

Davila, who ran in college at Arizona State, adjusted her race plan to deal with the conditions.

“It is about having a race plan that you are confident in, Davila said. “I got everything out of it today and felt pretty taxed in the end. Everything came together, just about right.

On the men's side, Jason Hartmann was the top American make finisher. Prior to the race, the Grand Rapids, Mich., native had to deal with a change in his coach, a stomach issue the night before the race and hearing about a family member who was ill from his girlfriend.

“Before the race, I was really nervous and was not feeling that well, Hartmann said. “I wanted to stay within myself and conserve my energy. Any opportunity to get water, I wanted to stay hydrated and cool throughout the race. I let the race unfold in front of me.

“This has been the toughest marathon training I have been though. I had every excuse to not do well, but I took the opportunity and ran smart.

After Hartmann, U.S. runners Mike Morgan (2:14:55), Luke Humphrey (2:15:49) and Pat Rizzo (2:16:12) finished just outside the top 10 at 11-12-13.

Thanks, Mr. Mayor: With his impending retirement next year, Sunday was the last Chicago Marathon for city of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. He started in office in 1989, a year before Casey Pinkowski became executive race director. Under Mayor Daley's direction, the city provides a lot of resources and works closely with the marathon organizers to ensure the event goes off smoothly.#8220;Chicago loves its sports whether it is high school, college and professional, Mayor Daley said. #8220;Sports brings out the best in people. The Chicago Marathon shows the beauty of Chicago.Wheelchair race: Heinz Frei, a native of Switzerland, won the men's race in a new course record 1:26:56. Amanda McGrory, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois, became a three-time Chicago Marathon wheelchair champion in 1:47:25, two seconds ahead of Wakako Tsuchida of JapanThe stats: Of the 45,000 runners who registered for the race, 38,132 made it to the start line of Sunday while 36,159 finished the 26.2-mile course.