They were rail thin and heavy-set. Young guys from Lincoln Park and middle-age mothers from the other side of the world. And they glided past the finish line or staggered across like zombies. But they all finished the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday. These are a few of their stories.
Johnathon O’Hagan, Minooka, 3:08:17
Judy Havlicek, Chicago, 3:08:17
You taste salty!” said Havlicek after kissing O’Hagan. They’re not sweethearts (they hadn’t even met before the race), but Havlicek says the kid 15 years her junior was heaven sent. “I had some rough spots during the race, and he kept pushing me,” said the 34-year-old doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago. “I couldn’t have done it without him.” Havlicek was heading to Goose Island for drinks after the race. O’Hagan, an underage undergrad, was planning on a tamer celebration. “Oh, I’ll buy you a beer!” she insisted.
Katie Dunn Campbell, Glenview, 3:36:46
An hour after finishing the race, Campbell huddled near the finish line, wrapped up in her Mylar blanket, scanning the crowd of runners for her father, Edwin. “I’m hoping he’s not dead,” she joked. She credits her four young children for her devotion to workouts: “They’re a good excuse to leave the house.” Contacted the day after the race, the 34-year-old reported that the post-marathon kegger hosted by a friend in Lincoln Park was a blast. Her legs weren’t too sore. Oh, and her father survived.
Richard Gutierrez, Hammond, Ind., 2:57:02
On Gutierrez’s left arm is a tattoo: the name of his daughter, Theresa Maria Magdalena, whose unbridled energy at her third birthday party last year convinced dad to get in shape. So he began running. His brisk pace in Chicago qualified Gutierrez for the Boston Marathon in April, where he hopes his legs will hold up better (he needed help standing but required no medical treatment) and his daughter will use her unbridled energy to cheer him on.
Rudy Christian, Matteson, 3:40:10
While other runners wheezed across the finish line, Christian, 35, shouted and pumped his fist. “This is for the kids!” he hollered, alluding to the Northside vs. Southside challenge in which two teams raced for the right to donate a park to their side of town. (The Southsiders won by 3 minutes.) A veteran of 26 marathons, Christian seemed to have more gas in his tank than buddy Alton Williams (left), who jumped in on Columbus Drive and ran the last mile with him.
Joe Orlandino, Chicago, 4:53:01
Across the finish line, Orlandino happily puffed on the Cuban cigar he kept in his head-band while he ran. The post-race smoke is a tradition — he has done it the previous 12 marathons and doesn’t plan on quitting, no matter how many looks of disgust he gets from other runners. The 52-year-old joked that he normally only jogs “to the liquor store to get smokes,” but the spring in his step hinted at a more rigorous, and smoke-free, running regimen.
Todd Herring, Grand Rapids, Mich., 4:38:34
Herring is a big, fit guy who used to be a big, fat guy. The 6-foot-6 marketing pro weighed 300 pounds a few years back and realized that a drastic goal had to be set to break what he describes as a cycle of obesity and heart disease in his family. (His dad is awaiting a heart transplant.) “Not everybody has to run a marathon to be healthy,” the 28-year-old explained, “but I did. I had to know I could do this.” Wife Amy and toddler Emry were waiting with hugs and kisses.
Laura Lane,Jacksonville, Fla., 5:41:59
Vera Lane,Old Greenwich, Conn., 5:41:59
Vera’s time might have been better had she not been kind enough to run in place throughout the course, enabling her daughter, Laura, to catch her breath. “I wasn’t going to be able to keep pace with her. She’s definitely more fit than I am,” said the 41-year-old of her mother, 67. The two crossed the finish line together, arms triumphantly aloft. Then Vera hustled to catch her plane back to the East Coast. She didn’t want to miss work on Monday morning.
Brent, Geneva, no official time
You’d think the guy crossing the finish line with “WHITE SOX” printed on his chest would be a fan of the American League Central Division champs. You’d also think he had legally entered the marathon. But Brent Last-Name-Withheld-To-Avoid-Prosecution is neither. He jumped into the race at the starting line, and the White Sox advertisement is the result of a lost wager on his favorite team, the Cubs. “It was either this or wear a bra,” said the 25-year-old. His brother Dan, also running, also lost a bet. He was the one sporting the multicolored Mohawk.
Heather Glover, Fishers, Ind., 5:18:38
You needn’t see the finisher’s ribbon around Glover’s neck to know she completed the race; a look of contentment on the 34-year-old’s face says it all. The healing hands of massage therapists, offered free to all runners, and the comfort of the soft table made Glover’s first marathon — 26.2 miles on an achy right foot — worth every step.
