(Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Colin Mickow of Oswego broke his own Hidden Gem Half Marathon record in the men’s division Saturday, Sept. 7, running at a 4:52 minute-per-mile pace to clock a time of 1:03:44.
That broke the previous record he set in 2021 by 4 seconds, according to online race results. Mickow also ran in the first Hidden Gem in 2019.
This year, the weather helped. Under sunny skies, the temperature at race time was about 50 degrees, and it didn’t get much warmer until after the elite runners had finished.
“It’s a good tune up for Chicago. I just wanted to get out there and test to see where training’s gotten me,” he said. “The weather was good. Nice and cool. A little windy. You can’t ask for better.”
Many runners used the race in preparation for the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8.
In second place overall was last year’s winner, Blake Buysse of Chicago, who finished in 1:05:13. William Hague of Winnetka took third place with a time of 1:06:10.
In the women’s division, Claire Krummenacher of Chicago knocked four minutes off her personal best time for a half marathon to take first place with 1:16:44.
“It’s always nice to have a confidence booster before Chicago, getting your mind in shape,” she said. “I was trying to run sub-1:20 and then fell in with a pack of guys who were running really fast.
“About the 10K mark I realized that this was either going to be the race of my life or blow up in my face. I wish I knew their names. They were supporting me the whole way. I really owe this race to them.”
Krummenacher said she really enjoyed the run, too, noting that Homewood-Flossmoor High School’s March Band provided a boost of energy as runners made their way past the North Building.
“They took a request from our group,” she said.
Another highlight was the cheering residents along the way, she said.
“It was really fun to see all the girls on the course cheering when they saw me,” she said. “It was really fun, a really well organized race.”
Following Krummenacher in second place was Brittany Matteson of Chicago, with a time of 1:17:20.
When presenting her award, race organizer Tom Dobrez noted that Matteson will be married next week to another runner, David Alvarez, who she met while running the Hidden Gem in 2022.
Taking third place was Rachel DaDamio of Chicago with a time of 1:18:11.
The first local runner to cross the finish line was Peter Jaros of Homewood who came in 66th overall in a field of 1,106 runners, 64th in the men’s division and 18th in the 30 to 34 men’s age group. His time was 1:17:42.
Next was Chris Dudik of Homewood who ran the race in 1:28:28, good for 179th overall and 10th in the men’s 45 to 49 class.
Chris Burke of Flossmoor ran a 1:32:50 race, coming in 228th overall and 34th in the men’s 35 to 39 class.
In the women’s division, Carrie Bonnanotte of Homewood was the first local finisher with a time of 1:49:23. She was 432nd overall and ninth in the women’s 45 to 49 age class.
Kristen Salkas of Homewood was next with a time of 1:49:53, taking 440th place overall and 33rd in the women’s 35 to 39 class.
Lizzy Roberts of Flossmoor was the third local woman to finish with a time of 1:52:26. She placed 487th overall and 38th in the women’s 35 to 39 class.
Dobrez also gave special recognition to the two young women who competed in the under 20 age group. Faye Wettstein of Flossmoor ran the course in 2:01:25, and Evie Nohalty of Oak Park finished in 2:07:18. Nohalty is Dobrez’ niece, he said.
Correction: The difference between Colin Mickow’s record times originally noted in this story was preliminary. According to the online race results, the difference was 4 seconds. The story has been updated.