Chicago Marathon Wrap-up

By Todd McClamroch in News on Oct 25, 2006 9:01PM

The Chicago Marathon winner Robert K. Cheruiyot of Kenya was released from the hospital yesterday and participated in a championship ceremony and press conference. As Cheruiytot crossed the finish line on Sunday, he lost his footing on a slippery Chicago Marathon decal placed on the ground just prior to the finish line. He won the race by just five seconds over countryman Daniel Njenga. Despite his fall, he plans on returning to Chicago in 2007 to defend his title. Chicagoist expects the marathon to be buying a few "Slippery When Wet" signs to greet Cheruiyot at the finish next year.

Earlier this week we wrote about some amazing marathon characters. Today we read about another amazing athlete -- Amy Palmerio-Winters, an amputee who competed in Sunday's race. In 1994, Palmerio-Winters was involved in a motorcycle accident and lost her left leg below the knee as a result. She was often told she would never run again. She had the courage to prove the doctors wrong. Prior to the accident, she competed in the Boston Marathon and finished in three hours and 16 minutes. This year, running with the use of a prosthetic leg, she bested her pre-accident time -- finishing the Chicago Marathon in three hours, four minutes and 16 seconds.

Of course, she is not satisfied with her new record. Her goal is to beat the three-hour mark. She also has ambitions of running in the 100-mile ultra marathon. She is a member of the Team A Step Ahead, a group of elite amputee athletes. Their team motto is "Live Life without Limitations!" More than 17,000 women competed in Sunday's marathon. Palmerio-Winters finished 148th. Chicagoist thinks she is living up to her team motto.