Defending champion Jim Akita of Elmhurst had that little extra on Tuesday, July 4 and pulled away in the last half-mile to repeat his title at the Community Bank of Elmhurst 4 on the 4th.

Akita, 25, and Jeremy Borling, 26, of Chicago, had broken away from a pack of five runners after the three-mile mark and were running stride for stride with a half-mile to go when Akita surged and Borling couldn't respond. Akita won in 20 minutes, 18.5 seconds. Borling was second in 20:33.8 while Joe Parks, 29, of Crystal Lake, was third in 20:40.4.

"The race was really tough," Akita said. "There were a lot of great runners that showed up. Jeremy and I were neck and neck until we got to Park Street where I decided to make a strong move to see if I could take the race there. Borling fell back a few steps and then I just finished hard down the street to the finish. Borling is a great runner and just having him there helped a ton."

"Jim just had that extra gear today," Borling said.

Akita, the men's cross country coach at Elmhurst College, was very familiar with the 4-mile course that started and finished on Prospect Avenue, adjacent to the college campus. He led 430 finishers across the finish line, a 35 percent increase from last year's 276.

On the women's side, Nell Shields, 27, of Chicago, placed first in 24:14.9, well ahead of runner-up Audrey Geisler, 24, of Chicago, who ran 24:42.6 and Celi D, 24, of Elmhurst, who was third in 24:49.6.

"It was a tough running day with the (warm and humid) weather," Shields said. "I just tried to run my own pace and make it through the whole race without passing out. There were a lot of fast girls in the race, so I wasn't really sure who would go out at what pace. Once we started, I tried to get comfortable and ended up leading."

Officials from the Community Bank of Elmhurst and the Elmhurst Running Club were pleased with the race turnout and the quality of the field.

"I'd like to thank all the runners and volunteers who came out to make this race so special," co-race director Susan May of the Elmhurst Running Club said. "Our goal is to host a unique racing experience in the Elmhurst area with the help of our sponsors and I truly think we were able to do so on Tuesday. The talent at this race was phenomenal."

Top masters (age 40 and over) finishers were Tim Conheady, 49, of Elmhurst, in 23:05.3 and Laura Stewart, 41, of Washington, D.C., in 25:04.4. Top Elmhurst residents who didn't win overall or masters awards were Michael Arnold Jr., 18, who placed 8th overall in 21:24.3 and Kristy Holland, 43, who was 11th woman overall in 26:09.9.

The race was a CARA-registered race and the course was certified by USA Track and Field. "Our aim was to put on a first-class race in a first- class running town," said co-director Bob Richards of the Elmhurst Running Club. "There is no question we did that."

In the kids (ages 14 and under) 1K, no times were recorded, but the first boy finisher was Emmett McCoy and the top girl was Elizabeth Griffin. Both are from Elmhurst.

Other major sponsors of the event this year were Dick Pond Athletics and Elmhurst Orthopaedics. Proceeds will benefit Summer Runners, a youth running program in Elmhurst.

Click here for complete race results.