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Welcome to the Chicago Athlete Express. Please have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.

THE SCOOP
Attention women! The River's Edge Women's Triathlon on June 22 in Naperville is NOT sold out and is accepting entries. The event is part of the new Reebok Women's Triathlon Series. The race consists of .75-mile swim, a 22K bike ride and a 5K run. This is a great venue for veterans or beginners to participate. For more information: www.caprievents.com

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THE NEWS
Eddy Hellebuyck, the first American Finisher at the 2003 Boston Marathon and No. 1-ranked masters runner in the U.S., will be at Vertel's on Michigan on Sat- urday at 6 p.m. His coach will be at Vertel's at 6 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Also featured will be Kathleen Pearlberg, Active Isolated Stretching Expert. Kathy will hold workshops at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. The store at 24 S. Michigan is also the spot for Lakeshore Marathon packet pickup on Friday and Saturday. Call 312-683-9600.

We enjoyed being out to watch and report on the 23rd annual Main Course 10K. From the run on a fun course near the lake to the scrumptious post-race food, the National Restaurant Association race was a big hit again this year. Check out our story and photo gallery at: www.chicagoaa.com/news/maincourse03final.ht ml

Nicole DeBoom and Lauren Jensen, both with Illinois ties, went 1-2 in the women's division of the Memphis In May triathlon on Sunday morning. DeBoom, formerly of Downers Grove and now of Lyons, CO, won the Olympic-distance event in 1:58:57. Jensen, who is from Glen Ellyn and now living in New Berlin, WI, finished in 1:59:49. Tim DeBoom, Nicole's husband, was men's champ in 1:46.27. Illinois was very well- represented (1-2-3 or 4) in age groups: Men's 25-29 - 1. Jeff Zematis, Highland Park, 1:53:55; 2. Adam Zucco, Barrington, 1:54:59. Men's 45-49 - 1. Dave Walters, Lisle, 2:02:43. Men's 70-74 - 1. Bob Scott, Naperville, 2:37:13. Athena - 2. Mindy Walstra, St. Charles, 2:28:31; 3. Tonya Thayer, Rockford, 2:36:06. Women's 30-34 - 4. Jennifer Harrison, West Dundee, 2:07:51. Women's 35-39 - Sandy Gresko-Grundy, 2:16:58. The event is the USAT Southeast Region Olympic distance championship. For results: www.besttimescct.com/results/mimtri03.txt

Chris Wehrman of Chicago ran into blisters, the wall and a Kenyan named Charles Kamindo on Sunday at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. Wehrman finished second in 2:20:36 on a somewhat humid and warm day. Kamindo won in 2:19:05. Carol LeGate of Green Bay was women's champ in 2:45:02.

And in the Galena Triathlon, many top locals were in the field. Overall winners were Tony Schiiler and Kara Hughes. There were many other events this past weekend on one of the busiest racing weekends of the year. For results of these and other races: www.chicagoaa.com/results/searchable.html

Finally, Khalid Khannouchi and Colleen De Reuck head the top-heavy elite fields for this year's Steamboat Classic 4-Miler in Peoria on June 7. For more, go to: www.chicagoaa.com/news/steamboat03elites.ht ml

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THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Established running events include the Western Springs Tower Trot on Saturday and the Elgin 10-Miler and Ridge Run 10K & 5K on Monday. But there are a lot more, including the second annual Lakeshore Marathon on Sunday morning. Other gems include the Great Race events (31 sports) in Goshen, IN and cycling's big Quad Cities Criterium in Rock Island, IL. US Postal's Robbie Ventura and Kenny Labbe are slated to ride there on Monday. if you're looking for something different, "do the double" at the Western Springs Tower Trot. They keep standings for runners who do the 10K and the 5K. For the event calendar: www.chicagoaa.com/calendar/smu.html

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THE FUN RUN
Chicago Athlete also will sponsor a fun run at 6:30 p.m. tonight, May 21 at Zuza NIKEgoddess Boutique, 2350 N. Clark St., in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. There will be pizza and other refreshments. For store info, call 773-348-6650. Come on out and join us!

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THE REMINDER
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation will have a "Member Event" at 7 p.m. next Thursday, May 22, at Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St., across from the Picasso. The CBF encourages non-members to attend, also. They want to share with you what they're doing to make Chicagoland a better place to bike. For more information, call 312-427-3325, or click on: www.biketraffic.org

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THE TV BEAT
Saturday, May 25, NBC5, 1 p.m. (CDT) Nike Prefontaine Classic

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THE UPDATE
The new Chicago Quarter-Marathon on June 8 has a special registration offer. All runners who register by Tuesday, May 27, will have their race numbers, race day information and course maps mailed to them at no extra charge. For complete information: www.chicagoquartermarathon.com

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THE CLOSER
Ever stop to think about what Memorial Day is all about? With all the events tied to the holiday this weekend, it doesn't hurt to pause and re- member all the people who have paid the ultimate price to keep us free.

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TRIVIA PHOTO CONTEST!
Click on the Web address below and tell us who the Illinois runner is in the photo. Send your answer to editorial@chicagoaa.com. Here is the URL: www.chicagoaa.com/news/triviaphotomay03.html