Hinsdale resident Sara Fix, an experienced triathlete, is encouraging runners to stay in shape and stay motivated on a 5k and 10k course she created near Graue Mill.
To pique the competitive spirit, runners can compare their time with two elite triathletes who ran the course Monday.
Fix, whose Naperville business, Endure It!, specializes in training people for triathlons, knows the letdown some are experiencing as Ironman competitions, marathons and other races are canceled this spring and summer due to the coronavirus shutdown.
“They train year round” for these contests, Fix said. Without a goal, motivation to keep working out can wane, she said.
Looking for a way to keep their drive alive, Fix invited elite endurance runners Ryan and JacquiGiuliano to run the route, which starts near York Road and Spring Road and continues west to Madison Street then south towards Ogden Avenue before looping back.
The couple, who live in Oakwood Hills in McHenry County, have completed numerous marathons and triathlons, including finishing in the top five in their age group in the 2016 Ironman World Championship.
“I’m trying to create events for people to get out and be competitive,” while still maintaining safe, social distances, Fix said.
“People can run it any time of the day,” she said. They can post their time with the app Strava or Garmin Connect, compare it to the Giulianos’ time or other runners and, until May 1, compete for prizes.
“It always helps to have a specific goal to work towards,” said Erin Hardies of Burr Ridge, who was training for two half-Ironmans in Michigan, one in Benton Harbor June 28 and the other in Traverse City at the end of August. Neither had been officially cancelled as of April 23, but the contestants are expecting that decision, said Hardies, who has been training at Endure It! for about three years.
Hardies ran the 5K route in Hinsdale Wednesday. It’s a nice course over rolling hills, she said, and because it’s a short distance, she ran at a faster pace than she normally runs.
“If I am just going out for a run, I may not push myself as much,” Hardies said.
More Top Picks Best Electric Wheelchairs
She finished the 5K in about 23.5 minutes, which does not compare with the speed of the Giulianos.
But Hardies said their participation shows, “even the people at the top of the sport have to find creative ways to stay motivated and keep our level of fitness.”
Fix hopes high school and college students and people of all fitness levels will run the course at safe intervals.
We track all the athletes over the next 10 days via GARMIN CONNECT and STRAVA
For more information, look at the Endure It! Facebook page or website.