News

Naperville Olympian makes local appearance

Posted September 24, 2016 1:00 am

By Paul Michna

Olympic swimmer and gold medalist Kevin Cordes of Naperville was the special guest during Saturday's Run for the Mind 5K at St. James Farm near Warrenville.

Cordes gave high-fives to runners at the start of the race. He also handed out medals to winners and took photos with participants.

Saturday's event raised money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of DuPage County.

NAMI DuPage Executive Director Angela Adkins talked about why Cordes decided to participate.

"Kevin recognizes that the challenges that many individuals face daily when dealing with mental illness are some of the same that an athlete faces, such as perseverance, discipline and courage," Adkins said.

Cordes competed during last month's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 23-year-old helped the United States win gold in the 4X100-meter medley relay by swimming breaststroke in the preliminaries.

After winning his race, Wes Schoenfeldt of Naperville was congratulated by Olympic swimmer Kevin Cordes during Saturday's Run for the Mind at St. James Farm near Warrenville. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com

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