78-year-old has run 500 marathons - and counting

For Bill Rex, it made all of the sense in the world. He simply felt better after running. So he kept doing it.

Whether you would call him Geneva's version of Forrest Gump or Marathon Man is up to you, but the 78-year-old runner has notched an incredible number of marathons in the past 40 years.

In fact, his pals recently got together for pizza to celebrate the fact that his hips, feet, ankles and knees have held up well for a guy who recently completed his 500th marathon.

Rex has easily run more than 30,000 miles since 1979 when he ran his first marathon at Waubonsee Community College at age 39.

"I didn't get serious about this hobby until 1995, then I kind of went goofy on it," said Rex, who has lived in Geneva with his wife Cathy since 1992.

Prior to 1979, Rex mostly ran 5K or 10K events - like every day for five years. But the marathon bug took over as he got older.

"When I hit my 100th marathon in 2000, I was 60 years old and was feeling so good, I just figured I would go for it," Rex said. "When I hit 250, I thought it would be good to try for 365, to represent each day of a year."

He has shot well past that goal, marking his 500th a few weeks ago in Lake Village, Arkansas, and following that up a week later with his 501st in Mississippi.

A day after we spoke last week, Rex was on his way to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for yet another marathon.

"It's an addiction, that's all it really is," said Rex, who knows he certainly is not running marathons at a fast pace any longer, saying he finishes near the tail end of the packs these days.

"I still get butterflies at the start of a race, but once I am out there, I feel fine - and I feel so much better from running," he added.

His wife chooses to stay behind and tend to her gardening and other things that keep her busy in Geneva.

"She stays home and I take off, and that works out best for both of us," said Rex. "I guess you could consider me a loner, as I enjoy being out there by myself."

Still, at his age, Rex questions himself on occasion about this passion for long-distance running.

"I enjoy doing them, but when I am about 20 miles into it, I start asking myself why I am doing this stupid hobby," he said, with a laugh. "But when I cross that finish line, it feels so great."

It's so great that Rex admits he often finds himself on the computer later that same day "to see what other races are out there."

It mostly doesn't matter to Rex where the next marathon will be, though he tries not to run the same one a second time. In that regard, he's participated in the Fox Valley Marathon only once.

Earlier in his career, he would run events many times, such as the Chicago Marathon, which he has participated in 11 times.

"Chicago just got overwhelming, and I couldn't handle the crowds anymore," Rex said.

For now, Rex simply plans to run well past the 500 mark. In doing so, he has run marathons in all 50 states many times, as well as in Canada.

"In 1995, I made a resolution to myself that I would do one marathon a month," he said. "And I have kept that going, even doing as many as three or four a month."

Tres Bien: The Bien Trucha Group should be well known in Geneva, having brought area residents the five-star Bien Trucha Mexican restaurant.

Now, the group is shouting it from the rooftops - literally.

JC Gonzalez-Mendez of St. Charles, the chief strategy officer and a partner of the group, says the restaurant developers have opened "the first rooftop restaurant in the Western suburbs" with Santo Cielo on the fifth floor of the Hotel Indigo in downtown Naperville.

The group owns and operates Bien Trucha in Geneva, A Toda Madre in Glen Ellyn, and Quiubo, also in downtown Naperville.

But Santo Cielo, which opens Wednesday, brings a new twist - an international one that features cuisine from all over the world, as well as "new American" dishes from the U.S.

We went to the recent launch party at this new site and found the food and atmosphere to be excellent. And here's full disclosure: In addition to knowing this group has its roots in the popular Geneva site, we also felt compelled to try the food at Santo Cielo. Our nephew, Ryan Heun, is an assistant chef to executive chef Jamie Davis.

The kitchen and preparation area, in full view to restaurant patrons behind windows as they walk into the dining room, was an extremely busy place during this media event - and figures to remain that way as more people discover this unique site.

Learning foreign policy: A journalism instructor many years ago suggested I take a course in foreign policy called "Great Decisions."

It was a fascinating class, one that provided solid insights into the issues of the mid 1970s. Turns out, those issues remain relevant today - the spread of deadly weapons, the Middle East caldron, U.S.-Soviet relations, China and the U.S., food and population, and concerns in Panama and Cuba.

The St. Charles Public Library has noticed its patrons also have a keen interest in foreign affairs, having offered a "Great Decisions" monthly program.

The last session before the program takes a summer break will be Thursday, May 17, with the topic of "Media and Foreign Policy."

In the current atmosphere of wondering what and who to believe on reports of foreign affairs, it should make for an interesting evening.

After this topic, the Great Decisions meetings will resume in September.

An inn with history: A fair amount of public debate unfolded when Sho-Deen Inc. proposed building a hotel on the Fox River in the early 1990s on property that dated back to Geneva's first settlers, James and Charity Herrington.

It centered on what could or should be done with the creamery building that had been on that property along State Street on the east bank of the Fox River since 1874. Ultimately, The Herrington Inn was built, with part of the creamery building becoming part of the project.

It's been 25 years since that impressive 40-room inn became a new part of Geneva history.

Paul Ruby, the president of Shodeen Hospitality, teases us when saying he has "quite a few good stories about some of our famous guests … although I can't share these stories."

We believe Ruby on this one, and also that the construction of The Herrington Inn was a wise move for the city.

Of course, we're hoping for the same kind of result on the other side of the river with another Shodeen project on the former Mill Race Inn site, which also has a historic structure on the property that is under debate.

Maybe another 25 years from now, city historians will be talking about the great developments on both side of the Fox on the city's east side.

dheun@sbcglobal.net