ON OUTDOOR SPORTS: A race within a race

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CHICAGO – History will be made at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

That’s not a pre-race prediction regarding the elite athletes, but rather a reference to the high school athletes that will use the course.

For the very first time a World Marathon Major will host an invitational meet on the race-day course, during the marathon.  The Nike Northside/Southside Challenge will feature nine Chicagoland schools and 200 runners and cover the final 2.62 miles of the marathon course.

Reg Hamlett, general manager of Nike’s central territory, said the dea to host an unprecedented race inside a race came from a team-brainstorming session.

“We already do a lot of community work,” Hamlett said. “But we wanted to find a new way to give back; something different. We have a dedicated staff that came up with the idea and right now we are amped about it because it has never been done before.”

There will be a boys and girls race. The boys race will begin at 7:30 a.m. and the girls at 7:45 a.m. Whitney Young High School is co-hosting the event that will start at 31st St. and Michigan Ave. and end at the Marathon finish line.

There will be a trophy presentation for the winners at the finish line as prep athletes follow in the footsteps of their running idols.

“As a sponsor our goal is to bring energy and passion to the race,” Hamlett said. “We want to empower the next generation of runners as they run in the shadow of their heroes. It’s an innovative way to get more team athletes interested in running.”

Nike will also host a cheer station at mile marker No. 22 with a DJ spinning live music and athletes present to encourage runners as the dreaded “wall” begins to usurp their physical and mental ability to continue.

“The cheer station creates a great buzz,” Hamlett said. “When the runners hit the wall at that point there are people there to cheer them on for the final portion of the race.”

Shabbona Lake Sportsman’s Club

The Shabbona Lake Sportsman’s Club is hosting a fishing seminar at 3:30 on Nov. 14 at Indian Creek High School.  The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Aaron Sands will discuss musky fishing. Bill Ballenger will cover Riging Plastics, John Graham will cover smallmouth tactics, Jim Kopjo will cover ice fishing on Shabbona Lake and Denny Sands and Jay Angel will close the evening out with a slide show on the pre-filled Shabbona Lake and other fishing tips.

There will also be raffles and door prizes. The SLSC, ISA, Quad County Hawg Hunters, D.R.I.F.T.will have booths. There will be tackle from C.B. Lures, Warrior Jigs and Lakeside Bait and Tackle.  Old lure appraisals will be done by Dan Basore and there will of course be a concession stand open.

Pond face lift

The SLSC will also benefit from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation rebuilding the northeast fish-raising pond. The pond will be drained and bulldozers will come in to do reshaping. 16 inch drain pipes will be installed to replace the old eight-inch pipes. With an eight-inch pipe it takes the pond five days to drain.

“The ponds are like a stable,” Rich McElligott of the SLSC said. “Fish are raised in them and when they enter Shabbona Lake they have a better survival chance.”

• James Nokes writes a weekly outdoor sports column for the Daily Chronicle. Write to him at sports@daily-chronicle.com.