Welcome to the Chicago Athlete Express.
Great Information. Quick Read.

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ATTENTION EVENT DIRECTORS

Now's the time to start getting information together about your 2005 event and submit it to us for our Resource Guide. Click here for details:
www.chicagoaa.com/news/eventlistingform2005.html

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TURKEY TROTTERS TRIUMPH!

Congratulations to the thousands of runners who participated in the many regional Thanksgiving Day races.

Below are some of the "Top Turkeys"

Drumstick Dash 4.5 Mile Run (Indianapolis, IN)
Aaron Harding, 22 - 23:04
Allison Miller, 21 - 26:57

Galloping Gobbler 4 Miler (Ft. Wayne, IN)
Casey Shafer, 20-24 - 20:53
Leann Sarke, 18-19 - 26:24

Goose Island Turkey Trot 8K (Chicago, IL)
Daniel Glaz, 21, Columbus, OH - 25:22
Petrana Petkova, 32, Chicago, IL - 30:33

Naperville Noon Lions 5K Turkey Trot (Naperville, IL)
John Weigel, 30, Naperville, IL - 15:34
Kim Brown, 28, San Diego, CA - 18:18

Oglesby Turkey Trot 3 Mile (Ogelsby, IL)
Randy Bill, 22, Buda, IL - 15:15
Julie Ralston, 23, Streator, IL - 18:43

Palatine Turkey Trot 5 Mile (Palatine, IL)
Eric Wallor, 21, Palatine, IL, - 25:45
Stephanie Abram, 18, Palatine, IL - 33:11

Peoria Park District Turkey Trot 4 Mile (Peoria, IL)
John Sillery, 32, Athens, OH - 19:46
Peggy Joseph, 41, East Peoria, IL - 24:49

Running For Kicks 4 Mile Turkey Trot (Palos Heights, IL)
Matthew Withrow , 18, Tinley Park, IL - 20:46
Patty Swayka, 14, Tinley Park, IL - 27:27

For complete results, check out:
www.chicagoaa.com/results/searchable.html

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GOOD WEB READS

Ultraman Triathlon World Championships:
www.insidetri.com/race/iro/articles/2481.0.html

Tyler Hamilton gives his side of the story:
www.velonews.com/news/fea/7242.0.html

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TRIVIA QUESTION WINNER

Congrats to reader Daniel Ma who correctly answered last week's question and won the raffle for a complimentary ticket to the Chicago premier of Five Thousand Meters. The question: What theater in Chicago is showing Five Thousand Meters and what two Illinois runners are featured? Answers: 3 Penny Cinema; and Tim Broe & Jorge Torres.

In case you weren't one of the 150 people that attended the viewing last Sunday, don't worry, you can order a copy of the DVD. Here are the details:
www.chicagoaa.com/ news/fivethousandmetersNov04.html

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DON'T WAIT IF YOU WANT TO RUN THE INDY-MINI

As of December 1, the 2005 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon has more than 21,100 registered participants. If you want to do it this year, you might want to know that last year's event sold out on January 3.
For more information, check out: www.500festival.com/marathon

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*** A D V E R T I S E M E N T ***

Get The MOST: Multisport Off-Season Training!

Presented by the professional USAT Level II Coaches of READY SET GO! Join them for two informational meetings; December 3 and December 27 at the Presidential Towers, 555 W. Madison, in downtown Chicago.
For more information go to: www.readysetgosports.com/pages/ 3/index.htm

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FOR OUR WISCONSIN READERS - BADGER STATE GAMES

Registration is open for The Badger State Winter Games, the nation's largest Olympic-style winter sports festival. Events will take place from February 4-6 at various locations throughout Central Wisconsin. Sports include: Alpine Skiing, Bowling, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Hockey, Indoor Archery, Nordic Skiing, Quadrathlon, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Snowshoe Racing, and Speedskating.
* Note for Illinois Residents: The Open Divisions for Nordic Skiing have been opened up to out-of-state athletes.
For more information, check out: www.badgerstategames.org

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JUNIOR OLYMPIC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS AT BUSSE WOODS

USA Track & Field will host the 2004 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships on December 11, in Schaumburg at the Busse Woods Forest Preserve. More than 3,000 athletes from all over the country are expected to compete for the national title. For more information, check out:
www.usatfillinois.org/2004_usatf_junior_olympic_cross.htm

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FREE POKER RUN - IT'S A CHIP-RACE WITH A TWIST

Momentum (2001 N. Clybourn) is hosting a Poker Run on Wednesday, December 9, at 7 p.m. It's a "chip-race" with a twist. Participants run through various Lincoln Park checkpoints collecting cards from Momentum dealers before heading back to Momentum to play their hands. A suggested donation of $5 or a new toy (to be collected that night) will go to Toys for Tots.
RSVP to: info@momentumchicago.com or call 773-525-7866.

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THE WEEKEND AHEAD

On Sunday there's the Cross Country Challenge at Gilberts which is always a blast! And if you've never seen a CycloCross race, now's your chance. The Chicago CycloCross Cup / Illinois State Championship will be at Montrose Harbor on Sunday starting at 10 a.m. And the swim season kicks off with the Holiday Invitational in Evanston. For more on these and other events, check out:
www.chicagoaa.com/calendar/smu.html

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CLOSER

This weekend is cross country central in Portland, OR, with the Nike Team National Championships and the USATF Club Championships. The Chicagoland area will be well represented at both of these events with York High School expecting to be a serious contender for the national title and a squad from the Reebok/ Universal Sole Team racing in the Open Men's, Open Women's and Male Masters category at the USATF Club Championships.

For more information, check out:
www.nike.com/nikerunning/ niketeamnationals/index.jhtml
and
www.usatf.org/events/ 2004/USATFClubXCChampionships

Good luck to everyone running these races!

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Wishing you the best in your training and racing!