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|  Wehrman, Miltz Win Chicago Half Marathon September 20, 2004 From press release
Record crowds were on hand to cheer family
members, friends and colleagues. Participants came from
as far away as China. Running well ahead of the pack, Chicagoan Chris Wehrman
(photo) triumphantly crossed the finish line with a
time of 1:07:06, a
5:08 per mile pace. Having won this event in 2000-02, he
took last year off to train for the 2004 Olympic Marathon
Trials. He was the only man from Illinois who qualified for
the Trials. Second place finisher John Weigel from
Naperville ran 1:08:12 and finishing in third was Paul
Howarth from Indianapolis in 1:08:49. "I finally felt so good! I know this is a good marathon
booster," said Wehrman who used this race to gauge his
training for the ING New York Marathon
An assistant track coach at Fenton High School, Miltz ran for
the University of Illinois. Miltz beamed as she held her
14-month-old-daughter, Ava Olympic aloft. "I found out I was
pregnant two weeks after qualifying for the Olympic Trials.
We thought we'd have to wait two years to start a family . . .
and I got the best of both worlds." Second place finisher,
Dorothy Gach of Morton Grove, closely trailed Miltz
for the first six miles before flinishing in 1:20:38 and third
place went to Erin Kelly, from Indianapolis, who ran 1:22:36.
Dave Bussard from Elkhart, IN, 44, took the men's master
division with a time of 1:16:33 and Christen Meyer from
La Grange, IL, 41, finished first in the women's division with
a
time of 1:23:38. Sponsored by Chicago-based Devine Racing, The Half
culminated in exuberant award ceremonies on the grounds
of the Museum of Science and Industry. Awards included the
newly created Human Spirit Award which recognizes
outstanding character, triumph over adversity and
inspiration to others. Izzy Cherrone, a 47-year-old mother of
two has successfully battled cancer for nine years with
humor and grace and serves as a shining inspiration to
cancer patients, their families and all in attendance. Chicagoans had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to run with
1976 Olympian and four-time Boston and New York City
Marathon winner Bill Rodgers. 500 entrants were wearing
colorful wristbands that said "I Ran with Bill Rodgers." Bill
sought out the 'mid-packers' wearing those colorful bands
and ran along with them - offering tips and encouragement. Ranked among the Top 10 half marathons in the country,
the Chicago Half has always dedicated itself to putting a
Chicago face on running. The emphasis is not on bringing
in elite runners from around the globe, but focusing on
Chicago/Midwest runners and running clubs, their friends
and families. "Our staff was able to take the Chicago Half Marathon to the
'next level' today," noted Chris Devine, Chairman of
Chicago-based Devine Racing. "We put on a larger scale
celebration for each runner's personal triumph and
significantly increased participation to set the stage for this
race to be one of the best in the nation." Susan Nicholl, founder and one of the few women race
directors in the U.S., recounted the outcome of today's race.
"Things couldn't have gone better for our race. We've always
been one of the most popular half marathons in the country,
but this year we really kicked it up notch to guarantee a
festive finish for our participants as they celebrated their
accomplishments with family and friends." Post race atmosphere included massages for all runners,
food and the annual KidsFest. Following the awards, record
crowds rocked to a free post-race concert in Jackson Park
starring Little Feat and their freewheeling fusion of
California rock and Dixie-inflected funk-boogie. 8th Chicago Half Marathon
Chicago, IL, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004 MEN WOMEN
For complete results, click here.
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