Illinois marathon chat: 11 a.m. Saturday
Saturday, April 11, 2009 - 11:00am
Talk to runner Dave Burleson as he competes for the top prize at the Illinois Marathon.
Talk to runner Dave Burleson as he competes for the top prize at the Illinois Marathon.
Good morning, marathon fans!
This is Jim Rossow at HQ headquarters, getting ready to hand the operation over to Dave Burleson, who is running today's Illinois Marathon. Here's how it's going to work:
Our Mike Colgan is going to give Burleson a cellphone as he passes Westview School in Champaign. I will pass the questions on to Burleson, who will answer them as he heads toward Memorial Stadium. That's if he makes it that far.
We'll get going in about 20 minutes, so get your questions in now.
Jim
Is there a list of elite runners in this race?
Wanted to get to Stephen's question first - not needing Burleson's help. Here's who Fred Kroner had listed as runners to watch in our preview:
Men
ANDY DERKS, 28, St. Joseph
Mettler Athletic running coach completed the 2007 Green Bay (Wis.) Marathon in a career-best 2:26.12. As a high school senior at Rochester, was Illinois
Burleson has the phone - Colgan said he's still smiling with no signs of collapse. let's get to some questions.
This is Dave
I feel pretty good. I'm on mile 20. The crowds have been fantastic. Of all the marathons I've done, this rates up there. Bring on the questions.
How many marathons have you run? What are your running credentials?
Paul
My running highlights: Ran in high school and a little my freshman year of college. After college, got fat and out of shape. A few years ago, started running again after struggling to tie my shoes. Now I like to compete in area races. Fun to battle for hardware in my age group. This is my fifth marathon.
Dave
Dave,
I heard Jim Rossow say he could run today's marathon with no training. Please tell him how crazy he is!
Mike
He is crazy. You could walk it but there is no way he could run the whole thing. I trained four months for this. If you run all the time, you could train for a month and get away with it. Just don't expect to do well. You'll be hurting the next day.
I'm at Mile 21.
Dave
Can we come and watch the finish at the stadium?
Pete
Anybody can come watch. Just park at the Assembly Hall. I'll be in there in less than an hour unless the wheels comes off. I'm at the country club right now. People are cheering everywhere. Handing out candy, food. There's music. One guy was handing out beers. I didn't take it. Maybe on Mile 25. Time for a water break.
Dave
While Dave's catching his breath, a few facts about our celebrity:
- He's 39 years old and lives in Danville.
- He's an Indiana fan. "I know everything about Indiana basketball. I'm thinking about planting an IU flag on the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium, just in case Bruce Weber is in the audience."
Jim
Fred Kroner checked in from Memorial Stadium. The men's winner is JACOB KENDAGOR, 24, Coon Rapids, Minn. He finished in 2:26.04.
The women's winner was Meghan Kennihan in 2:55. It was the LaGrange runner's second marathon.
Time to check back in with Burleson.
Have you ever run a marathon so flat before?
Alec
No. This is the flatest. It's really nice. Only bad thing is there are a lot of turns. Not many straightaways.
I just so the N-G's Jim Dey walking his dog, Brownie. I asked him if he wanted to finish with me. He said no way.
I'm turning onto Hamilton Drive off Prospect.
Dave
What do you do if you have to go to the bathroom?
George
You just go. Just joking. Find some trees or a Port A Potty. Runners use those.
A shout-out to Dan Corkery of the N-G, who was volunteering in Urbana.
I'm at Mile 22 and headed toward campus.
Dave
Hello Dave,
First of all, hats off to all the
runners. How do you pace yourself
from the start to the finish of a
marathon? Thanks and have a great
weekend!
Chris
I knew I wasn't going to run a great time because I'm not in the best of shape. So I hung out with a 3:40 pace pack. That helps you reach your target time. I guy has a sign and is keeping track of how fast each mile is going. You stay with them and you'll finish at that time.
Time for more water.
Dave
I'm at Neil and Kirby, coming up on Mile 23. Tons of people on campus. I saw Don Dodson - he set a PR in the half-marathon. Don is the business editor at the N-G.
Dave
are the streets closed or do you have to dodge cars along the way
They have everything blocked off. No traffic. It's been pretty good.
I'm coming to Memorial Stadium, the north side. I have three miles left, my legs are starting to hurt a little bit.
I plan to celebrate with lots of hot wings and beer in Muncie, Ind. The family's going there for Easter. Indiana: God's country.
Dave
Best wishes to Dave and the others from the Gulf of Mexico.
How's the weather up there? Its muggy and kind of hot here.
NaplesIllini71
L
A perfect day for the marathon. Starting to get a little bit windy but not bad. Perfect weather. It's about 45 degrees right now with bright sun.
I got to the start about 7:30 and it was a little chilly then. I started with gloves and a long sleeve shirt but I shed those things early. I had my son's Batman gloves on.
Time for more water. Be back in a few.
Dave
Just passed Mile 24 in Campustown. It's dead here. No one's hear. I think everyone's at the stadium waiting.
The best part of the race is coming up. I heard someone say they put your face on the jumbo screen.
Dave
Do you get money for finishing?
DGrow
If you win. I'm not getting any money. I think you get a medal. Got a really nice T-shirt. Lot of races are cheap, but they forked out some money.
My family's in the stadium waiting. They're probably going to have to carry me to the car. That's why they're here.
About one more mile to go. I'll check in on Kirby.
Dave
I'm at Mile 25 on Gregory. A little more mile to go. I'm going to make it.
Fans are going crazy. A bunch of college girls just yelled at me. I'm used to it (don't tell my wife). I've seen bands, cheerleaders, guys sitting on their lawns playing the keyboard.
The marathon is a success. They did a great job and I think it will get bigger. These things grow by word of mouth. Especially being so flat, people will come here wanting to qualify for Boston. I see the stadium. Getting close to the finish. Be back in a few.
Dave
How is the weather for running?
Nuala,
It's perfect. Sunny and 45 or 50. Only thing I was worried about coming in was the wind, and it hasn't been bad.
Like I said before, it couldn't have worked out better for the first marathon in town. Good thing they didn't run it yesterday.
Coming up on the stadium.
Dave
I'm going to cut it off. Feeling a little pain, but the site of the stadium is a blessing. I'm glad I did it. And I'll do it next year.
Thanks for the questions. Have a great Easter weekend.
Dave