Posted: October 9, 2007

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 8, Number 85

O'Neill places third at LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon 2004 Olympian Kate O'Neill finished third in the women's race at the 30th edition of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon held Sunday. Both the women's and men's races came down to the wire as Ethiopia's Berhane Adere sprinted the final 2 km to win the women's title in 2 hours 33 minutes 49 seconds, in hot and humid conditions. Romania's Adriana Pirtea, competing in only her second career marathon, was the runner-up, finishing just three seconds behind the winner. O'Neill was third in 2:36:15, comfortably ahead of fourth-placer Liz Yelling of Great Britain, who crossed the line in 2:37:14. Patrick Ivuti of Kenya used a strong finishing kick at the end of the men's race to barely finish ahead of two-time IAAF World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, in a remarkable finish that saw both competitors finishing in 2:11:11. Kenyans Daniel Njenga (2:12:45) and Robert Cheruiyot (2:16:13) finished third and fourth, respectively. Michael Cox led the American contingent with his eighth-place finish in 2:21:42. For more information on the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, including the complete results, visit: www.chicagomarathon.com. Oerter memorial service announced A memorial service for four-time Olympic gold medalist, former world record holder and National Track & Field Hall of Famer Al Oerter, who died on October 1, has been announced. The event will take place on Friday, October 19 at First Christian Church in Ft. Myers, Fla., beginning at 1:00 p.m. The address is 2061 McGregor Blvd., in Ft. Myers, FL 33901. Phone: 239-334-0316. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest