Heavy breathing. Burning leg muscles. Utter exhaustion. Urinating under a bridge?
Five members of Northwestern’s running club had much to contend with during last Sunday’s LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. And while a full bladder may not have been their greatest concern, it certainly factored into the race.
“Oh sure there are bathrooms,” laughed club president Mike Wong. “But most people, especially guys, aren’t going to wait in line.”
While each of the five club members — all male — finished the race, the grueling 26.2 miles was an arduous experience, even to experienced marathon runners.
“By the final five miles, I was on my last legs,” Wong said. “I was having doubts about whether I would make it on my feet.”
Aided by gulps of gatorade and water every half mile, Wong persevered, even though he finished the race disappointed with his time of around 3:30. Two of the other club runners, who were running their first marathons, also finished in the 3:20-to-3:40 range. Ken Kehl paced the group with a sub-three hour performance, a personal best.
Trite as it sounds, most runners view the race as much more than just hours and minutes. The amount of training and preparation, both mental and physical, that go into a marathon trump that of most other athletic endeavors.
“We had a sophomore who ran injured,” Wong said. “I think he had a partially collapsed lung.”
As for taking time off, the running club continues to meet daily at 4 p.m. in the SPAC lobby, and welcomes all runners.
ULTIMATE UPRISING: Everyone craves a little warmth during the seemingly endless Chicago winters.
Year in and year out, the NU men’s ultimate frisbee team acts on the impulse to head south during the spring. They enjoy the warmer climates of cities such as Baton Rouge, La. and Savannah, Ga.
“You need to travel pretty far to find a tournament during the winter months,” said club president Mike Strudel.
The fact that the Wildcats travel all across the country is an indication that ultimate frisbee — both at NU and nationwide — continues to draw a greater collegiate following. This year alone, 40 freshmen attended the tryouts, and approximately half of those remain with the team. Considering the club has 35 members total, the new spark of interest has had a significant impact on the ever-improving team, which boasts a 13-8 record, according to Strudel.
“The fall is sort of a training period for the spring season, and we don’t put that much stock in it,” Strudel said. “But we have players who are really starting to gel.”
On a larger scale, ‘ultimate’ has continued to soar in popularity across campuses. While only a select number of schools can boast varsity teams, interest in the sport at the intramural and club levels has skyrockleted.
Strudel attributes the sport’s growing popularity partly to its easiness to grasp. Played in a seven-on-seven format, ultimate frisbee combines many of the skills used in soccer and football. For that reason, the team recruits former high school athletes from those sports.
“You don’t even need to know how to throw, but you can still have an impact on defense,” Strudel said.
NU men’s ultimate frisbee resumes play this weekend at a tournament hosted by the University of Chicago, which will run both Saturday and Sunday.
