Chicago Marathon Draws Runners From Lake Forest, Lake Bluff

Amy Kessler looking sharp at the Chicago Marathon

By A. J. Goldsmith, GazeboNews contributor

Amy Kessler finished her third Chicago Marathon last Sunday with a personal best time of 4:25:07.

?It was a great day for running,? Amy told Gazebonews. The woman who finished first was Atsede Baysa from Ethiopia with a winning time of 2:22:03.

Amy, 40, the lead personal trainer at Lake Forest Health and Fitness Center, and 45,000 other runners began their challenge early last Sunday morning. Some 37,000 racers finished while an estimated 1.7 million watched and cheered from the curbside along the route.

Amy was representing the Williams Bay, Wis., One Step Camp, where children suffering from cancer can spend a week or two during the summer. She is a volunteer aide.

Marathon day for Amy started with a wake-up call at 3:45 a.m. She checked the weather report and dressed for the morning chill including a long-sleeved tee shirt and gloves, both of which she jettisoned along the 26-mile route. Her breakfast consisted of rice cakes with peanut butter, coffee and water.
Her friends picked her up at 5:15 a.m. They arrived downtown at 6 a.m. At 8:07 she stepped over the starting line.
A runner who she had trained for the race was awarded VIP status and started his race at 7:30. Amy passed him at 10 ? mile mark.

At mile nine she shed her tee shirt. At mile 16 her legs started cramping, but she kept going. At mile 20 the gloves went. Sponsors of the marathon donated all discarded clothing to various charities.

Amy enjoyed running through various Chicago neighborhoods, especially ?Boys Town? around Broadway and Belmont and Old Town a bit south of there.

After mandatory stretching, Amy and her friends headed back to Lake Forest for a couple of cool ones at Authentico on Western Avenue. Monday, she took a day off from work to stretch and relax.

Lake Forest and Lake Bluff finishers included the following:

Lillie Romeiser (3:11:28), Allison Grumley (3:31:50), Marianne Alkemade (3:33:41), Ann Nedeau (3:39:34), Wendi Kreutz (3:44:31), Ashley Tanney (3:54:54), Emily Lang (4:06:12), Katherine Belcher (4:08:20), Kate Amaral (4:08:55), Maria Harkelroad (4:11:57), Penny Strang (4:12:27), Joanne Lee (4:14:11), Stefanie Elitharp (4:16:31), Katie Rowe (4:16:32), Nicole Hoskins (4:17:18) and Margaret Hsu (4:20:47)

Source: http://gazebonews.com/2012/10/11/chicago-marathon-draws-runners-from-lake-forest-lake-bluff/

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