Fox Valley Marathon weekend

I had the sincere pleasure to take part in the Fox Valley Marathon weekend last year as part of Illinois Team beef.  Situated in St. Charles, just a short drive outside of Chicago, this race was absolutely top-notch. But don't take my word for it - take Chicago Magazine's!

What I absolutely loved about this race was it's 20 mile option.  The Fox Valley Marathon is situated just a few weeks prior to the Chicago Marathon. For those looking for a last minute catered-long run before tackling the big one, there seems to be no better way to do so than by taking part in the Fox Valley Final 20.  You can read my recap of the 20 miler last year here.

However, just having a catered 20 miler is not what makes this race so special.  The attitude of the people who run it, from top to bottom are absolutely wonderful. Working with the Illinois Beef Association made it even better. It is hard to tell you how quickly the bite-sized morsels of freshly grilled beef were devoured by hungry runners at the end of the race. Eschewing typical bagels and bananas these runners wanted protein, zinc and iron to get in their system and they wanted it right now!

As such, being back again to work hand-in-hand with the Illinois Beef Association is a special treat. All the hubbub around the beef tent post-race had the local media trying to figure out exactly what was going on. To educate so many about how much lean beef does for the endurance athlete was something I have been happy to do for over two years and counting now.

I have worked with IBA on a plethora of events and look forward to doing so in the future as well. Look for us at the expo where I am doing a book signing of my new book and look for them post-race where you can get your fuel for the finish!