The wind was blowing in off the lake on Saturday. So, depending on which direction you were running, the Universal Sole Lakefront 10-Miler was either manageable or incredibly tough. The record field of about 2,006 finishers got to run north and south though, getting the best and worst of Chicago's renowned lake effect.

But when it was over, including the last couple of miles into a very stiff breeze, Jacek (Jack) Kafel had defended his men's championship and Jenny Spangler had won out on the women's side.

Kafel, 27, who dealt with injuries most of the winter, wasn't sure what would happen against the tough field brought in by race director Paul Peters of Universal Sole.

"It went pretty well," Kafel said. "We settled in more (lead pack) this year, and then I put in a 5:03 on the fourth mile and a 5:02 on the fifth, and that's where I broke away. The ninth mile was so brutal with the wind - I ran a 5:30."

Kafel won in 52:54, battling some stomach problems the last mile along w ith the wind. Jacob Brundage, 25, of Mount Pleasant, MI, was second in 53:36, and surging Jeremy Borling, 22, of Chicago, nailed down third in 53:46. Close behind were Bob Cisler, 33, of Clarendon Hills, in 54:01, and John Weigel, 29, of Naperville, in 54:31.

"It was a little tough," runner-up Brundage said. "I thought I'd run around 52 minutes, so I lost a minute and half to the wind."

Borling trailed Cisler until Brundage and Cisler momentarily went off course around 8.5 miles. "I was gaining on the others, and once I saw them make a wrong turn, I knew that was my opportunity," Borling said. Cisler said he lost his stride for a few seconds during the mixup, but that Borling was coming on strong anyway, and he (Cisler) doubted the course problem cost him third place.

Spangler, 39, of Gurnee, also had trouble with the wind, conquering the women's field in 60:15. The 1996 Women's U.S. Olympic marathon Trials champion wasn't comnplaining, though.

"I was actually hoping to be under 60 minutes," she said. "I was on target until mile nine. But the real goal is I want to stay healthy."

Susan Appleyard, 36, of Lisle, was a solid second in 1:02:51, and Kalina Michalska, 25, of Chicago, was third in 1:06:20. Michelle Thom, 33, of Chicago, was next in 1:06:25, followed by Jennifer Baer, 31, of Chicago, in 1:07:59.

"The splits were very weird," Appleyard said. "It felt pretty even the first seven miles, but it was strange the last three."

Michalska, a native of Poland who was raised in Austria, enjoyed her morning on the lakefront.

"It went really well," Michalska said. "I was five or 10 minutes faster than last year!"

Kafel and Spangler each earned $550 for their efforts. Total prize money of $3,500 was awarded this year.

Mike Egle, 41, of Des Plaines, and Corinne Hlavka, 45, of Waterford, WI, were the masters winners, each earning $100. Egle was seventh overall in 55:46 and Hlavka was sixth woman in 1:08:40.

Peters said the race went well, all things considered. Two course changes in the week before the race, dictated by the Chicago Park District because of construction issues, added some stress, but a couple of tight spots created by the changes seemed to not be major problems for runners, he said.

"I'm happy with how everything worked out," Peters said. "I think this sort of got us to the next level with this race. And next year, if we can get our old course back, it should be smoother."

For complete results, click here.