From the Sports Editor's Desk: Welcome back, Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon
Apr. 20—CHAMPAIGN — The joy of crossing the finish line at the 50-yard line inside Memorial Stadium is one thing.
Scrolling through page after page in The News-Gazette to see your name and time is another.
Much like we've done every year since the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon debuted in Champaign-Urbana in 2009 (a hearty welcome to Savoy for joining in on the fun in 2024), we'll again have a special section to wrap up one of the crown jewels on the local calendar every year.
Even with no Sunday print edition these days, our 20-page special section where we highlight everyone from the first-place winners in the marathon on that Saturday to those who are just out for a lovely Friday evening stroll in the Christie Clinic 5K walk/run will be available at bright and early the morning of Sunday, April 28.
Our e-edition will be front and center at our website on the morning of April 28 after race weekend wraps up, with the customary 20-page special section devoted to the marathon in the Monday, April 29, print edition.
It's a marathon of a task in and of itself, with the efforts of staff writer Joey Wright, photo editor Robin Scholz and managing editor Niko Dugan going the extra mile (this will be the last running pun, I promise) in delivering the contents of the special section.
A community-wide involvement has to happen in order for the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon to succeed. And thrive. Which it has done now for more than a decade — with no end in sight.
And behind every participant's time that will be listed in our special section available on April 28 is a story. About why they're running. Who they're honoring. Some of those stories unfold in the rest of this eight-page special section.
But know that more is in store in the pages of The News-Gazette, even after the runners go past the 50-yard line inside Memorial Stadium next weekend.
Matt Daniels is the sports editor at The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-373-7422 or at .
