“From the Director’s Chair”

PROFILES:  October 2007

The 2007 Chicago Marathon is officially over!  And, so is my “26.2” obsession.

Yours truly finished with a time of 6 hours and 23 minutes (hey, remember folks, I was born in Hamtramck, not Kenya or Ethiopia …).  Last year was my sub-five hour “personal best,” and this year was my “personal worst.”  It was a strange mid-summer-like October day in Chicagoland.  The temperature at race time (8 a.m. CDT) was already cooking at 78 degrees along with 93% humidity!  After only two hours it was in mid-80’s and things were not looking good.  The sun was blazing by noon and the heat index was approaching the mid-90’s.  Many folks began to slow down and walk after only 8 miles, then at about 12 miles I knew that my running was laboring pretty badly.  As I completed almost 14 miles or so, the police and fire department personnel began announcing that the race was over, cancelled, and kaput after only 3.5 hours.  Too many people were falling ill and the authorities actually ordered us to STOP RUNNING!  Not sure what would have happened if we did not comply, but nobody argued.  Many of us were determined to walk the remainder of the course and we did so amid constant emergency vehicle sirens, helicopters flying overhead, and fire hydrants being opened by firefighters to cool us down.  About 325 runner’s required medical assistance and a good number had to be transported to area hospitals in critical condition.  I pray for the soul of the man from Midland, Michigan who died after 18 miles.

The Arc, thanks to all of you generous contributors, helped us gross over $14,500 this year --- a new record.  Awesome!  WE MET THE GOAL. Thanks to everyone who supported my annual Chicago Marathon Challenge fundraiser.  Also, I’d like to thank my co-runners for their inspiration all summer.  First, an outstanding young man, my son-in-law, Matt Klaver (4 hours, 30 minutes; and he is usually a 3.5 hour finisher!), and a long-time supporter of The Arc, my C.P.A. brother-in-law, Matt Partyka (had to drop out due to extreme heel pain and the heat).

Now for the bad news.  My marathoning days are now over.  At age 53 I think that such extreme exercise is not a good thing for me --- I’ll stick to 4-mile runs on weekends.  This past summer’s training regimen placed another 514.2 additional miles on my ankles and knees --- I have had enough.  If it ain’t fun, then there is no point in the pursuit.  After seven years of this obsession, it has been a blast.  Now, I must retire.  Perhaps next year I’ll run the 7-mile Falmouth Road Race on August 10, 2008.  I’ll be on vacation on Cape Cod at the time, I hope.  Hey, I can always go back to running around Mackinac Island(?) …………………. TFK.

Click here to visit the photo page and to see Tom running and sweating in the record heat!

We have the stats!

The Arc’s Tom Kendziorski ran his

• First Chicago Marathon: October 7, 2001
  Runner #33761 completed the course in
  5 hours, 17 minutes, and 53 seconds; the
  
  
• Second Chicago Marathon: October 13, 2002
  Runner #38517 completed the course in
  5 hours, 7 minutes; the
  
  
• Third Chicago Marathon: October 12, 2003
  Runner #12348 completed the course in
  5 hours, 16 minutes, and 55 seconds; the
  

• Fourth Chicago Marathon: October 10, 2004
  Runner #11584 completed the course in
  5 hours, 15 minutes, and 25 seconds; the
  
  
• Fifth Chicago Marathon: October 9, 2005
  Runner #16480 completed the course in
  5 hours, one minute, and 48 seconds; the
  
  
• Sixth Chicago Marathon: October 22, 2006
  Runner #3216 completed the course
  4 hours, 50 minutes, and 32 seconds; and,
  
  
• On Sunday, October 7, 2007
  Runner #13709 ran 14 miles before the race was called.
  The fundraising goal was met, and

Tom Kendziorski is our “$100K MAN”!