Greta Kumskis placed 23rd among women and 7th in her age group at the Illinois Marathon, capping a strong race day performance in Champaign-Urbana.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Running down Logan Street in Champaign between the 14th and 15th mile, marathoner Greta Kumskis looks over at cheering spectators. She finished 7th in her age group in this year's race.
CHAMPAIGN - Greta Kumskis made her day at the Illinois Marathon count on a chilly Saturday morning in Champaign-Urbana. The 24-year-old from Iowa City, Iowa, powered through the 26.2-mile course to finish 7th in the women’s 20-24 division, clocking a 3:23:28. Kumskis placed 23rd among 268 female competitors and 170th out of 895 total marathon finishers, a strong showing in a field packed with experienced racers.
Kumskis started conservatively, covering her first mile in 8:05 before quickening her pace to a steady 7:41 per mile once the pack began to thin. She hit the 10K mark at 8:21 a.m. and crossed the halfway split at 1:41:24. Staying composed through the back half, she finished just behind Rachel Pfeifer (21st, 3:21:54) and Allison Kroeter (22nd, 3:22:28), while holding off Sarah Bass (24th, 3:24:11) and Paige Vanetten (25th, 3:24:35). Kumskis crossed the Memorial Stadium finish line at 10:56 a.m., averaging 7:46 per mile.
On a day that began with cool winds and ended under clearing skies, Kumskis and almost 900 other finishers proved they could handle whatever race day brought.
Tera Moody led the women’s field from start to finish, claiming the overall title with a 2:47:21 finish and a dominant performance in the 40-44 division. Moody was 20th overall among all marathoners, male or female.
Jessica Rockafellow of Palatine, Illinois, was the runner-up, posting a 2:50:11 to win the 30-34 age division and finish 27th overall. Rounding out the top three was Alicia Hudelson from Missoula, Montana, whose 2:58:48 effort secured second in the women’s 40-44 division and 50th place overall.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Kumskis eyes the course ahead after finishing the first four miles of her race on Saturday.
Jan Struhar crushed the 30-34 division and cracked the Top 10 overall at the Illinois Marathon, clocking 2:40:31. Meanwhile, Champaign’s own Jaime Marcos dominated the field with a repeat victory in 2:22:23.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Jan Struhar runs at the front of a mini-pack with Champaign's Josh Hinds and Springfield's Jeremie Bokata after passing the four mile mark on the Illinois Marathon course. Hinds finished first in the men's 35-39 division, 26th overall at 2:48:47. Bokata went on to finish 63rd overall 18th in men's 20-24 division, crossing the finish at 3:02:18.
CHAMPAIGN - Jan Struhar made sure his trip to Champaign was worth it. Racing under overcast skies and cool mid-50s temperatures, the DWRunning athlete took control of his race early and held strong to the finish, claiming first place in the Men's 30-34 age division at Saturday’s Illinois Marathon. Struhar’s time of 2:40:31 not only locked up the divisional win among 83 runners, but also earned him 10th place overall in the men’s division and 10th place across the entire marathon field.
Struhar’s splits showed early consistency, passing the 10K mark at 37:42 and reaching the halfway point (13.1 miles) at 1:19:47. Down the stretch, he fended off Samuel Fiedorek, who clocked 2:41:03 to finish 11th, and Haran Dunderdale, who came through in 2:42:03 for 12th. Struhar’s effort capped a strong day for Chicago’s DWRunning team, coached by longtime veteran Dave Walters, who’s been developing marathoners for decades.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Shedding Bokata somewhere after the 13th mile, Struhar runs solo uphill on Logan Street in Champaign near the 14-1/2 mile mark with Hinds (not pictured) still nearby.
Up front, it was all Jaime Marcos. The 26-year-old from Champaign defended his crown in style, slicing over seven minutes off his 2024 winning time to cross first in 2:22:23, running a blistering 5:26-per-mile pace. Marcos separated early and never looked back, leading at halfway in 1:10:59 and putting daylight between himself and the rest of the field.
Behind him, Martin O’Connell of Madison, Wisconsin, locked down second place in 2:26:04, four minutes adrift of Marcos. Just five seconds later, Caleb Kerr of Zionsville, Indiana, grabbed third with a 2:26:09 finish. The trio broke away from the pack early and never relinquished their medal positions, each benefiting from the flat, fast course winding through the three cities that make up the course.
Here's a look at the smiles, salutes, and thumbs-ups we captured from this year's Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon.
Layla Jessie, from Schaumburg, and Ian Schrader, from Waterloo, throw up peace signs as they make their way down Washington Street in Urbana while running in the Illinois Marathon's half marathon race. Schrader finished 216th out of 358 male runners in the 20-24 year-old division. Jessie finished 129th in the Women's 20-24 year-old division with 458 female athletes.
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Photo Galleries
A couple of runners found themselves in the wrong race at this year's Illinois Marathon. Over 60 photos from the race that you should see.
