By Anne Baker For the past four years I have run the Women's Distance Festival two-mile race in Washington Park. It's a great race that gets better every year. But sometimes a change is in order. For reasons that defy logic, Steve and I signed up for the Tour de Donut Bike Ride in Staunton, IL. The premise is simple. Ride 10 miles, eat as many donuts as you care to, ride 10 more miles, eat … [Read more...]

By Matthew Hitchcock The first organized run I ever participated in was a marathon when I was 23.  I had absolutely no running experience prior to the 2005 Chicago Marathon; no previous cross country experience during my high school days, no weekend 5K’s,  nothing. So imagine the feeling when the race started and along with the 40,000 other runners, I began running through the streets of one … [Read more...]

By Lance Cull June 23, 2007… 15th Scholastic Challenge… Approximately 28 minutes. That was my first race since starting to run races (about a 20 year layoff). I’d only been running for about a month but I needed a baseline. I knew I could run faster, but in order to do so I needed a point to start from and to set some personal goals. I’m a firm believer in goals and I’d like to … [Read more...]

Paddy Pallin Adventure Race [Photos] After having ditched my team, I was adamant that I was not going to participate in this race, but rather watch and support them from the sidelines. That was until I got the call up from a colleague who had an injury in his team and needed a fill in. Reluctantly, I agreed to race. My new teammates finished 7th in the all male category last year, so you … [Read more...]

  2008 River to River Relay [Photos] The Illinois River to River Relay is probably one of the more unique races in Illinois. Every April, the maximum of 240 teams made up of 8 runners make the 80 mile trek across the southern tip of Illinois from the Mississippi River Valley to the Ohio River. Each runner gets three sections ranging from 2.5 to 4 miles to complete. As part of the relay, … [Read more...]

I started running again in 2004 after a three year break from the sport during which I finished college, got married, got fat (for me) and learned how to box (with limited success, a broken nose and limited weight loss). The impetus behind my comeback was a two mile run I undertook that made me think about running a 5K. I ran the Premier Bank 5K a few weeks later hoping to run about eight-minute … [Read more...]