Sometimes things fall into place perfectly and that’s what happened with the Fox Valley Marathon. When I started planning a trip to one of Chicago’s western suburbs for a wedding, I knew it would give me a chance to find a cool place to do my long run the next morning. I scoped out the wedding venue in Geneva, IL and saw that it was along the Fox River. I typically start my hunt for running locations by looking for green areas on the map that might indicate a park or by looking for bodies of water that may have a path by them. Sure enough, the Fox River Trail was right in the area where I’d be. As I looked into it more, I discovered there would actually be a race taking place that Sunday morning (September 21) that would use the trail. With the Detroit Free Press Marathon a month away, I’d be due to run 18-20 miles. It was just my luck that the Chicago Marathon would be three weeks away and many people would be running their last 20-miler that weekend. In addition to the 5K, half marathon, and marathon, the Fox Valley Marathon Races actually included the Fall Final 20 specifically for people getting ready to run fall marathons. The race would start and finish in St. Charles which was the area where most people were going to stay for the wedding. Everything about this race seemed ideal for me and I was excited to add it to the weekend’s activities.
I left for the Chicago area the morning of the wedding and the drive from the Detroit area took just under six hours thanks to a few patches of construction that created numerous frustrating delays. I went to packet pickup first which was held at the Kane County Fairgrounds. It was interesting to drive around the fairgrounds where nothing else was happening and try to figure out where I was supposed to go. I was amused to find that everything took place in the rabbits shed!
There was some merch available from Dick Pond Athletics and some event-specific clothing as well. I basically went in to collect my bib and shirt, then went to my hotel in St. Charles since I had about an hour until I needed to head out to the wedding. Everything worked out really well – the expo was 10-15 minutes from my hotel, the wedding was about 10 minutes from the hotel, and the start of the race was as well.
I didn’t see much of it, but Geneva seemed to have a very nice downtown. The wedding was beautiful and had a nice view of the Fox River out the windows. I stuck around until just before 10:00 and ended up with about six hours of sleep that night.
It rained overnight and during the early morning which left some fog and plenty of humidity for race day. It was in the mid-60s so it wasn’t especially hot but the air was really thick. The race was due to start at 7:00 and I parked on the north end of downtown St. Charles around 6:15 and walked 10 minutes or so to the start. Lots of people were trying to park near the race site and the traffic was pretty congested there so I was happy with my approach.
Everything was based out of Mount Saint Mary Park which was a really nice spot with paths, flowers, and sculptures. There was a gear check area which I used so I would have some dry clothes available afterward and bathroom lines didn’t take too long around 6:30. I had time for a warm up mile and ran around the paths within the park. I lined up in the corral 15-20 minutes before the start and had plenty of space even with the half, the marathon, and the 20-miler all starting at the same time. Over 1,800 people participated in those races with over 300 more in the 5K that started 10 minutes later.
Aside from the initial congestion getting out of the park, things flowed smoothly because we spent the first 5.5 miles on the roads where we had plenty of space.
My marathon training plan would have had me run 6-8 miles at marathon pace at the end of the day’s long run. I also had a 16-mile run coming up the next week with 10-12 miles at marathon pace. Since that’s hard for me to pull off on a Thursday evening when I’m already tired from work I decided I should probably keep my pace under control for the first 10 miles of this race then aim for marathon pace for the second half. It’s a whole lot easier to pull off the faster pace in a race than it is during a solo weeknight run.
This was not my goal race and I didn’t want to push so hard that it might set me back for my upcoming marathon. Staying “under control” in a race environment can be tricky because running feels so much easier in a pack of fast people. I thought maybe I should aim for 8:20-8:30 pace for the first half. I ran 8:19 for the first mile but ran 8:07 and 8:09 for miles three and four. I slowed down to 8:24 for mile five but ended up at 8:04 for mile six. That back and forth pacing continued for the first half and I hoped it wouldn’t hurt me later on.
The course was very pretty and I loved running on the path alongside the river. It definitely looked like fall! Plenty of leaves were on the ground and I was a bit cautious because they were wet. Thankfully I didn’t have any issues with traction and spent much of the run enjoying the scenery.
We crossed bridges a few times during the run and cut through some of the towns briefly as well.
Most of the course was pretty flat but I could feel the added effort of some rolling hills that came 12 miles into the race. I had picked up the pace by then which made any climbs feel harder, plus it was around that point that a couple of guys I’d been running behind broke off to greet family/supporters. It had been nice to use them to help pace myself for a few miles but then I was on my own.
The half marathon runners had split in another direction seven miles into the race, then the marathoners split after 14 miles.
I felt like I was mostly on my own for a while until I started to catch up to some walkers, who I assume were around the tail end of the half marathon racers. As I kept going I started to catch up to some who were moving a little faster, but aside from one guy I caught in the last couple miles, it didn’t seem like there was anyone within sight ahead of me who might be going fast enough to be doing the 20. I had to keep pushing on my own and somehow I was successful!
From the beginning of the race it felt like I had to constantly wipe sweat off my face. The humidity was tough but it didn’t seem to wear me down. I fueled as I normally do with Skratch electrolyte mix in my own bottle plus water from aid stations. I ate Clif Shot Bloks every couple miles or so after six miles with a salt tablet now and then as well. From mile 12 on I ran at a pace of 7:55 or faster. It definitely got a bit more labored in the later miles yet I was able to keep it going. I continued to enjoy the scenery, including a windmill in one town, and the Geneva Dam that I had admired from the opposite side of the river at the wedding the night before. It was pretty fun that I got to run back through that same area.
My Garmin (which I don’t know if I can trust) had me at a total of 20.2 miles when I finished. That averaged out to 8:01 per mile which meant I essentially averaged goal marathon pace for 20 miles.
The official results had me averaging 8:06 pace which is typically around the faster end of where my marathon pace actually falls when I have a good race. So either way, it was a really solid run!
I finished in 2:41:56 which was good for second in my age group. The top two male and female overall runners received awards – they didn’t go into age groups for the 20-mile race. I was given a generic-looking medal at the finish line because there had been a shipping delay that prevented the “real” medals from making it on time. 20 miles isn’t a common race distance so that’s why my medal was especially generic while the other racers got medals that actually listed their distances. We would get the official medals sometime later in the mail.
I chatted with the guy I had passed in the last couple miles who ended up finishing shortly after me and we took pictures for each other by the finish line. I’m glad we did because I didn’t end up with any official photos from this race! I found a couple shots of me along the path that could have been nice if they hadn’t been focused on the trees behind me. Another runner had a speedy finishing kick as I ran across the finish line so it was a little congested there and I didn’t get a finishing photo. All of those times I have raved about Greg Sadler Photography’s great job for Epic Races is truly genuine. There are a lot of races that are a huge disappointment in the photography category after being spoiled by the great Epic Races shots!
The race really was a great experience all around, but another disappointment was the food. I passed on a banana, leaving me only with a bag of chips, Mini Chips Ahoy, and Mini Nilla Wafers. There’s no protein there and although the salt from the chips was helpful, these weren’t very substantial treats at the end of such a long run. This is why I always make sure to bring along a protein Picky Bar!
I was pretty drenched from the humidity by the end of this race so I was really glad I brought a fresh shirt, shorts, and hat to change into for the 6-hour drive back home. Some of my family who had gone to the wedding were hanging out at a coffee shop that was along the way back to my car so I stopped to chat with them for a few minutes before heading out. I knew the drive could be trouble because I’d surely stiffen up. I drove for a few hours before stopping at Sweetwater’s Donut Mill in Kalamazoo. It’s always on my radar when I drive through the area and it seemed like it was a very necessary stop this time after the lack of post-race food. It was a good excuse to stretch, and as expected, I felt pretty rough when I stood up.
I made it the rest of the way without stopping and was very thankful that the drive home went more smoothly than the drive out. I’m glad everything came together so well between the wedding and the race because this was another fun adventure.
– Janet
Follow me on Instagram @janetboltz
Miles Fly By 