Barefoot Marathon Runner Wins, Other Top Stories from Sept. 17-23

“The rain is great…I usually have to ice my feet after a run, but it’s nice and cold.”

That’s what Fox Valley Marathon winner Tim Cunningham said on Sept. 18 after running the entire 26.2-mile race while barefoot. Cunningham, a trained clown from Charlottesville, VA who represented the Clowns Without Borders charity during the race, ran the second annual marathon with a time of 2:56:24. The marathon started and ended in downtown St. Charles; more than 2,000 runners participated in the marathon, the Half Marathon and the Fall Final 20. Click for the full story.

Other interesting stories you might have missed:

Rep. Randy Hultgren is facing a challenger for the 14th District GOP nomination in Republican Rep. Joe Walsh, whose 8th Congressional District includes portions of the Lake, McHenry and Cook counties. Walsh announced plans to run for the redrawn 14th District, which prompted Hultgren to release a statement saying he was “disappointed” with Walsh’s decision. Click for the full story.

A newly-created task force will look at the possible redistricting of the City of St. Charles municipal wards in the wake of the recent census. On Sept. 19, the City Council unanimously approved the creation of the task force, composed of aldermen Jim Martin, Cliff Carrignan and Bill Turner. Click for the full story.

Five St. Charles high school students have been named semifinalists in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are Eric Ye from North High School and Allison Abels, Sarah Dugan, Maria Paterno and Ritika Rastogi from East High School. Click for the full story.