Twin sisters Lisa Vander Veer and Valerie Laniosz, 25, live an hour and a half away from each other-Vander Veer in Tinley Park and Laniosz in North Chicago. The former training partners love races because it's time they can run with one another now that they live too far away to train together. And, of course, they're up for some healthy competition.

At the June 17 Universal Sole She's Got Sole 8K, Vander Veer and Laniosz both ran 32:57, placing sixth and seventh overall by a fraction of a second. "I'm surprised we got the exact same time," Vander Veer says. "This is the first year in about seven years I'm able to keep up with her."

The She's Got Sole 8K returned to Chicago after a two-year break and drew around 300 runners to Montrose Harbor. "I love this race so much!" Vander Veer says excitedly. "I love how the shirts are so cute and how there are all women in front."

"Girls never get to be toward the front ever," Laniosz says, explaining why she likes women-only races. "Even if you do good for a woman, you don't really know [because there are men in front of you]."

Today, the winning woman was not only the top overall finisher, but also the first-place masters runner. Amy Thomas Elder, 44, won the race with 31:29. Sue Deehan, 40, placed second in 32:05. Third place was Moira strong, 35, with 32:17.

"I've seen pregnant women, really old women, jogging strollers, it's nice," said Norma Lopez, 32, from Chicago.

Runners sweated through temps in the mid-80s, dousing their faces with water from the aid stations and stripping off shirts in the first few miles. (One other benefit of an all-women race: not being as self- conscious about going sans-shirt on a hot day.)

"I have a faster pace, so trying to moderate your breathing with the humidity and still get a good time is hard," said Amy Brody, 31, from Chicago. "Often times you find one or two stations, but every mile you had a water station, which was great." Race organizers placed stations with water and Clif Shot Electrolyte drink roughly every mile-advance planning that paid off well with a 9 a.m. race start. (That is, with the exception of those runners who accidentally doused their faces with the electrolyte drink, like Laniosz.)

Brody, who said she does a lot of races in the area, added that she was also impressed with all of the course marshals directing and cheering runners. "I think for any race, and this one in particular, it's good having someone cheering you on."

The pink tie-dyed technical race shirts were made by the Chicago- based company Swirl Gear. "It's probably the best shirt I've had at all the races I've done," Lopez said. Swirl Gear shirts are designed by Lacie Whyte and her husband, who were swarmed post-race with runners purchasing other styles of the unique tops. "It's really important to us to support women's races and women runners," Whyte said in between shirt sales after the race. "The feedback I've received has been great because it's so different than anything else out there. It's funky but it's still feminine."

As runners streamed in to the finish, both men and women cheered them on through the last few hundred meters along Montrose Harbor. "I think it's great to have a race for women that's not just a 5K," says Brody. "It's kind of a camaraderie of sorts with women."

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Top 10 finishers
1. Amy Thomas Elder, 44, Chicago, IL, 31:29
2. Sue Deehan, 40, Chicago, IL, 32:05
3. Moira Strong, 35, Chicago, IL, 32:17
4. Grace Conrad, 24, 32:44
5. Erin Moffett, 25, Lake Zurich, IL, 32:45
6. Lisa Vander Veer, 25, Tinley Park, IL, 32:57
7. Valerie Laniosz, 25, North Chicago, IL, 32:57
8. Cristin Newkirk, 26, Chicago, IL, 33:38
9. Lauren Habenicht, 28, Buffalo Grove, IL, 33:56
10. Katie Gannett, 19, Chicago, IL, 34:14