Thousands of running enthusiasts went the distance in 2013 for Naperville’s inaugural “Edward Hospital Marathon and Half Marathon.”
General registration for the event sold out in record time earlier that year, in just 14 hours. The 3,500 participants spent the next ten months preparing themselves physically – and mentally – for the race.
But Yonatan Mascote was the first man to cross the finish line while Amanda Mirochna finished first for the women. The real winners: the 26 not-for-profits that shared $280,000 raised from the race.
The success would lead to bigger races for the next three years but because of the half marathon’s popularity, organizers decided to keep that and drop the full marathon.