Saying the course was “surprisingly tough,” a River Forest man was the overall winner of The Morton Arboretum Fall Color 5K Run and Walk on  October 5, on a beautiful morning under a canopy of majestic trees.

There were a lot of hills on the course,” said men’s winner Jacek (Jack) Kafel, 32, of River Forest, who won the event with a time of 15 minutes, 25.2 seconds. Kafel, whose 1-mile pace was 4 minutes, 58 seconds, called conditions “perfect for running.” Under mostly sunny skies, temperatures hovered around 50 degrees at the 8 a.m. start time.

Finishing second was 27-year-old Chicagoan Brian Runyon, in 16 minutes, 1.4 seconds. Third place went to Dan Scheffler, a 42-year-old from Oswego, in a time of 16 minutes, 14.4 seconds.

The top women’s finisher was Megan Baganz, 31, of Naperville, in 18 minutes, 49.8 seconds. Baganz, who says she usually runs one 5K per month during the summertime, had to curtail training when she fell in May and broke a collarbone. That made her victory even sweeter, Baganz said. “It was so good to get back into it.” 

The popular Arboretum Fall Color 5K Run and Walk drew 2,185 participants, with some from neighboring states and even one from California. The total included approximately 250 youngsters for the “Kids Dash.” 

Only those who pre-registered were chip-timed, and only chip-timed competitors were eligible for official times. Full race results are available at http://www.mortonarb.org (search 5K Run).

Contestants received a “goodie bag” and a T-shirt upon arrival and, following the race, were invited to the Fitness Fair, which offered recovery foods and beverages and where experts taught stretching exercises. Contestants also were entered into a raffle, with prizes of an Arboretum membership, clothing and more.

The Morton Arboretum gratefully acknowledges our sponsors: AthletiCo, Dick Pond Athletics, and REI.

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