Greg Costello paced himself well and won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Distance Classic in 1:09:54 as he prepares for the Olympic Trials marathon in New York this November. Claudia Becque continued her breakthrough year with a 1:21:20 first-place female finish.

The 30th anniversary of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Distance Classic brought out around 10,000 runners a little earlier than usual Sunday. The 6:30 a.m. start saw participants run the 13.1-mile twisting course around Grant Park, through the Loop and along Chicago's south lakefront path.

Jim Akita, 27, was on Costello's toes until the very end. Akita finished second in 1:10:02.

"Jim took it on (at the beginning) nice and hard," Costello said. "I just decided to go out slower, and I think I just ended up ahead of the game with the heat." Temperatures were in the high 70s/low 80s with high humidity, although conditions were more manageable than forecasters predicted.

"The last stretch you were in the sun, so the heat got to you there," Akita said.

Costello, 26, said he prefers the half marathon distance. "Eventually I hope I'll prefer marathons, but right now I don't quite have the base under me to run what I want to in a marathon," said Costello. "I was able to hang on today."

Costello said the final push was the hardest part of Sunday's race. "Normally, I'm fueled by the crowd, but it was curvy and hilly; I wasn't exactly sure how long I had to go-it was a constant battle." The last mile of the race wound around Grant Park in a zig-zag before finishing on Columbus Drive.

Akita also said he found the last mile difficult. "There were a lot of potholes and up and down turns, so it's hard to get rolling that last mile. You had to constantly slow down to make a turn," said Akita, an Elmhurst resident.

Mike Farrell, 34, of Marshall, Illinois, took third in 1:10:29.

Several of the overall (Chicago Cup) division female finishers today were from a different time zone.

Chicago's Claudia Becque, 31, beat several fast out-of-state women to win top female in 1:21:20. Becque has had several breakthrough performances this year, including second place (17:23) at the Fleet Feet Sports Women's 5K, 10K & Festival and fourth (1:02:27) at the Fleet Feet Soldier Field 10 Mile.

A close second place went to Jacki Wachtel, 28, from Tarpon Springs, Florida (1:21:23). "I was a top ten last year," Wachtel said. "I think I was a minute faster this year."

The third place finisher was Simonetta Magnani, 39, of Parma, Italy, at 1:22:10. "The scenery here is so beautiful, so you do not have to think about your body as much," she said.

Eastman Tiu, 24, of Park Ridge, finished first in the wheelchair division in 1:11:18.

Male results
1. Greg Costello, 26, Chicago, IL, 1:09:54
2. Jim Akita, 27, Elmhurst, IL, 1:10:02
3. Mike Farrell, 34, Marshall, IL, 1:10:29
4. Chris Wehrman, 31, Chicago, IL, 1:10:38
5. David Williams, 35, Milwaukee, WI, 1:10:56
6. Brain Grudowski, 25, Buffalo Grove, IL, 1:11:04
7. Brent Alexander, 26, Chicago, IL, 1:11:13
8. Charlie Kern, 38, Elmhurst, IL, 1:11:26
9. Derek Holland, 30, Chicago, IL, 1:11:46
10. John Weigel, 33, Naperville, IL, 1:11:56

Female results
1. Claudia Becque, 31, Chicago, IL, 1:21:20
2. Jacki Wachtel, 28, Tarpon Springs, FL, 1:21:23
3. Simonetta Magnani, 39, Parma, Italy, 1:22:10
4. Regina Yamin, 43, Leon, Mexico, 1:22:39
5. Maureen Ackerly, 38, Richmond, VA, 1:22:41
6. Nell Shields, 29, Chicago, IL, 1:22:51
7. Christen Meyer, 44, La Grange 1:23:11
8. Dorothy Gach, 35, Morton Grove, IL, 1:24:36
9. Bridget Montgomery, 27, Chicago, IL, 1:24:47
10. Kimberly Hemstreet, 27, Chicago, IL, 1:24:58

Click here for complete race results.