By Dee Longfellow
CARA on the scene
The Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) is always on hand at Elmhurst’s annual 4 on the 4th race.
It was overcast on the morning of 4th of July, but that actually made it much more pleasant for the participants in this year’s 19th annual Elmhurst Running Club’s 4 on the 4th race. The race took place on time and as scheduled, including the Kids race which took off in “heats” from oldest to youngest.
In the adults’ race, which drew 1,160 participants, the first-place winner of the men’s competition was Chandler Gibbens of Chicago, who was timed at 18:52—an all-time event record for 4 on the 4th since its inception, according to the 4 on the 4th web site. Other men who placed were Jaime Marcos of Champaign, who came in second at 19:10, while third place went to Elmhurst’s own Jeff Luka who, at 17 years of age, turned in a time of 19:34.
In the women’s competition, Margaret Connelly of Glen Ellyn came in first at 22:10, followed by Kristin Dailey of Elmhurst at 22:17. Third place went to Britney Romero of Chicago at 23:02.
In the kids race, 11-year-old Isabella Gutierrez of Chicago was first with a time of 3:39, followed by 12-year-old Maksimas Dowdell of Chicago at 3:43. Third place was won by 6-year-old Elmhurst resident Nathan Melichar with a time of 3:44, just one second after the second-place runner.
The first-place male and female are each awarded $200; second male and female each receive $125; and the third place, $75. There’s an additional $400 cash prize for the course record, which is believed to have been awarded to Chander Gibbens, although that could not be confirmed at press time.
Race director Bob Richards expressed his gratitude to the City of Elmhurst, the Elmhurst Park District and Elmhurst University for all their cooperation in putting on the event. A special thanks to Molex who was this year’s Premier Sponsor.
It should be noted that, after all the race expenses, 80 percent of proceeds are donated to local charities. For complete race results, visit 4on4th.com.
