Many of you may have seen the Mayor Daley Marathon on the news on Sept. 24. The distance was 26.2 miles which began from the Daley Center at Randolph and Clark and finished at Grant Park, passing by such places as the Museum of Science and Industry. Over 10,000 people ran, but only 400 were women. Of the 10,000 runners four of them were from Maine West. The daring four were Ms. Arlene Carlson, Mr. Scott Chovannec, Mr. Roger Osborne, and Mrs. Cindy Schaulis.

Commenting about the marathon, Ms. Carlson said, "I had mixed emotions the first 10 miles were a lot of fun. We all talked together and enjoyed the cheering spectators and bands .... The last six were grueling for me .... The temptation to quit was very real but seems that the finish line at 26.2 made it all worthwhile."

Mrs. Schaulis said, "A marathon is a unique experience. Everyone who finishes is considered a winner, yet, every runner sets a personal goal for himself. I wanted to break four hours. When I did, Sunday afternoon, I thought I'd be ready to hand up my running shoes. By Sunday evening I was already planning for my next marathon."

"The thrill of victory really hits," smiled Mr. Osborne, "when you see the finish line and the thousands of people still cheering each runner on. The individual goal of each runner is to finish a war against yourself, a war of self‑control and calculated pain to achieve that end."

Mr. Chovannec came in 218 with a time of two hours and 59 minutes. He commented, "Age, sex, physical capability there were no barriers and that's what made the marathon interesting to me.

You ran with a crowd, for a crowd the entire distance which helped ease the pain. The harder you run, the faster you finish and that became my challenge. For the most part, we ran against our mind trying to keep it from stopping us. However, 26 miles is a long way and just to finish is to win. At the Mayor Daley Marathon, there were a lot of winners!"