Besides the agony of da feet and other body parts, runners were pumped and proud after the Chicago marathon. Here’s what some said days later:
Tim McCaughey, 44, Springfield (first marathon): “The next morning I hurt. It took me a good minute to get downstairs. If anything hurt the most, it was probably my calves. . . . Mental letdown? No, I’m still excited. I smoked for 21 years, so for me to be able to do this, I’m thrilled.”
Mair Hill, 41, Wilmette (first marathon): “When I finished, I would have cried tears of joy, but I don’t think there was any liquid left in my body. Now I’m a little stiff, but it was like a hard workout, and I’m fine. I’m not doing anything now, and I’m crawling out of my skin. But I couldn’t go down stairs the first two days.”
Maura Purtell, 23, Chicago (fourth marathon): “I’m not in pain, but I’m sore, from my kees to my hips. It’s murder to sit down and murder to get up. Mentally, I feel really good; it was a great race. Still, whenever you finish, you’re like, `What now?’ But I knew right away I’d run another one.”
Jennifer Clery, 25, Chicago (fifth marathon): “My legs still feel a little bit sore. But it’s a lot better than [a May marathon she ran in] Cincinnati. I had two seizures within a couple hours of finishing that race. I was hospitalized overnight. The doctors said I drank too much water and not enough Gatorade [or carbohydrates from drinks or food]. I was weak and depressed all week. I feel good about proving I can finish a marathon without that sort of trouble.”
Richard Ginter, 50, Springfield (53rd marathon): “I feel OK. But I remember my first marathon–I could hardly get out of bed or walk around. I got a massage yesterday, and that helps. You get some damage, but a lot of it’s in the mind.”