When it comes to road racing in Chicago, there are meat-and-potato races and there are gourmet gallops. The National Restaurant Association's Main Course 10K, definitely of the latter variety, served up two local winners on Sunday as the 23rd annual event brought more than 2,000 runners into Grant Park.

The unique entry list of this race features a lot of Chicago-area talent, but also includes runners from all over the country and foreign countries who are in Chicago for the NRA's annual convention.

Russ Fiebig (photo), 32, of West Dundee, IL, and Alyssa Illian, 19, of Northbrook, IL, were the individual winners on a cool, cloudy morning in the city. While Fiebig had to work hard right to the end to pull off his overall victory in 33:52, Illian was able to relax as she made the final turn onto Balbo before crossing the finish line in 39:55. In the end, both were cooking.

Because of construction on Columbus between Balbo and Roosevelt, the course was slightly modified this year.

"There aren't many hills, but it still affects you. But I've done the race before, so there weren't many surprises," Fiebig said of the flat layout, which started and finished at Balbo and Columbus, taking runners west to Michigan, back east on Roosevelt to Lake Shore Drive and then mostly south past McCormick Place before returning through the museum campus and back to Balbo along the Drive.

Fiebig took the lead from Steve Imig, 26, of Naperville, just past the five-mile mark, opened a gap and then withstood a late charge from Imig, who finished in 34:01.

"I took the lead at around three-and-a-half and I was able to pretty much keep it until about five," Imig said. "That's when he went by me, He got probably 15 meters on me and I gave it everything I had to get it back, and nothing left at the finish."

Bruce Hall, 45, of Orland Hills, finished third in 34:19. Hall briefly led around four miles, but couldn't hold off surging Fiebig and Imig.

"I couldn't stay with those guys," said Hall, who added he fought to maintain his intensity the entire distance. "It's tough to keep your head on in this race."

Alyssa Illian (photo), a freshman at the University of Illinois, made the most of one of her infrequent road races. She won the women's competition by a comfortable margin over runner-up Claudia Becque, 26, of Chicago. Becque finished in 41:24, less than a second ahead of third-place finisher, Laura Prizner, 25, of Chicago, who also was officially timed in 41:24.

"It was great. The wind was all over the course, but it wasn't bad," Illian said. The winner, who ran cross-country and track and Glenbrook North High School, said she plans to try out for the U of I cross-country team later this summer.

Becque was coming off a 3:32 at the Boston Marathon on April 21, and wasn't sure how her legs would respond. A conservative pace in the early miles paid off as she passed several women in the last half of the race, nabbing the second spot from Prizner in the last few hundred meters.

"I felt awesome that last mile," she said.

For the rest of the runners, it was a chance to have some fun while running one of the first 10Ks of the season. And afterward, runners were treated to some of the best food on the local running circuit.

"I love this race and the course," said Frank Nicholson, 65, of Chicago. "It was kind of a mixed course, running lakefront, on streets and through parks. It was very enjoyable." Nicholson, a former president of the Chicago Area Runners Association, completed the course in 49:36.

Jackie Kim, 41, of Chicago, chose the Main Course for her first 10K and ran a 59:33.

"It went very well," Kim said. "I'm glad I got it under an hour. I've run other races but but this was the first 10K. I am very happy!"

Manfred Speckheuer, 66, of Aachen, Germany, also enjoyed his run in Chicago, clocking a 46:57.

"It was windy along the waterside, but I enjoyed the race very much," said Speckheuer, who noted that it was an American-style 10-kilometer run with mile splits instead of kilometers. "It was nice conditions and very well-organized."

The Open Team competition was won by the Tinley Track & Trail Club. Runners were Hall, Rich Matula of Orland park, Carl Neuman of Chicago, Mike Blake of New Lenox, Mark Mitchell of Palos Park, Diane Gallagher of Tinley Park and Kerry Bowler of Oak Forest.

The Main Course is directed by Jim Brimm, president of Jim Brimm and Associates. It is organized by the National Restaurant Association in cooperation with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and the Mayor's Office of Special Events.

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