Fox Valley Marathon Takes Off From St. Charles Sunday

The Advocate Dreyer Fox Valley Marathon will start — and eventually end — on Sunday morning in downtown St. Charles.

At 7 a.m., wave after wave of 100 runners each will take off from the starting line on 1st Street between Illinois and Indiana streets, where the runners will begin their trek south along the western shores of the Fox River. Organizers expect 2,900 runners to participate., according to the marathon’s Runner’s Guide.

Eventually, they will return on the eastern shore and cross the finish line on Illinois Street at 1st Street after completing their full marathon (26.2 miles), 20-mile run or half-marathon (13.1 miles).

Of course those watching the marathon unfold will want to know who wins — . Runners will be timed — electronic chips attached to their shoes will trip a recorder each time they pass over the pads that will be placed periodically around the course, starting with the starting lot.

This allows the runners to take off in waves and not worry about catching with someone in a group that takes off earlier, because for each runner, the race does not begin until his/her shoe with the electronic chip crosses over the starting pad. A pad at the end of the race records their end time.

But not all the runners are interested in winning — at least not in the traditional sense of who crosses the finish line first.

At age 68, will be running the half-marathon, and that’s enough. She took up running at age 51 and since has run 10 marathons and hiked eight or nine mountains in various parts of the world as well. For Kowalik, the run is more about challenging herself, achieving her own goals. From that perspective alone, she’s been a winner from the moment she took up running. Still, she’s got a host of medals from the past 18 years of running.

Kowalik’s familiar with the route and with St. Charles — she’s been training with fitness pro Kate Galliett at .

The race starts early Sunday, and the city of St. Charles already has barricades ready to post along 1st Street, stating it will be closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

For the spectators, runners wearing blue bibs will be running the full marathon, orange bibs signify the 20-mile run and green bibs mark half-marathon runners.

The national anthem will be played at 6:45 a.m. The runners step off at 7 a.m., with 100 runners per wave to minimize congestion on the race route. Waves will depart every 30 seconds and will be a mix of marathon, 20-mile and half-marathon runners, grouped together by expected pace times.

Most of the race routes follow the Fox River Trail from St. Charles and pass through parts of Geneva, Batavia, North Aurora and Aurora.

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