A field of 123 runners did the Lakewood Trail Challenge for the fun of it on Sunday. The 5.25-miler didn't let them down.

The race, run on 99 percent trail on field and through the woods at Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda, features a few obstacles like logs on the trail, but nothing that takes away from the ambience, which this year included some good old-fashioned mud and a deer on the trail.

"I'd much rather be running out here in the woods and trails where there's no cars," said 70-year-old Ken Glick, of Libertyville, who finished 101st in 57:56.

Nathan Sweet, 32, of Mundelein, won the overall title in 32:31, but, in addition to being a very good runner, he might have had an advantage. Sweet trains on the Lakewood trail, so it was like racing on his home turf.

"There were no surprises, except the deer that ran across the trail," said Sweet, who competes for the Wisconsin Runner team, based in Racine, WI. After a disappointing LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8K on March 23 ("I blew up at two miles"), Sweet was glad to have the victory. He and Aaron Beim, 24, of Evanston, ran one-two for most of the three-loop race before he pulled ahead on the last lap.

"I felt really strong in the last loop, but there's a hill after the muddy section that still gets me (every time I run here)," Sweet said.

This was Beim's first race since running a 2:47:53 on April 21 at the Boston Marathon, the third-fastest time recorded by an Illinois runner. He finished Sunday's race in 33:37, well ahead of third-place finisher Eric Hoffmann, 27, who was timed in 34:38.

A sprite runner named . . . Sprite proved to be elusive in the women's division. The 39-year-old was unchallenged from the start, winning in 42:57.

"I'm so excited to win a race!," she said. "The first five minutes were the hardest."

Second and third in the women's division were Claire Davis, 26, in 45:42 and Tiffany Levinson, 33, in 46:10.

Bob Klein, owner of the Runner's Edge
stores in Wilmette and Libertyville,
which produce the race each year,
offers the Lakewood Trail Challenge
as an alternative to the many road races
on the schedule this timeof year.
He said runners tell him every year
how much fun it is to break
out of their normal routines.

Post-race awards included plenty of Runner's Edge products and a nice touch with the event premium instead of race T-shirts, the entrants received DeFeet socks.

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