Remarkable tales of endurance: 6 runners who finished every Chicago Marathon
Ron Williams
On the morning  Ron Williams  prepared to run the 1984 Chicago Marathon    he  received a phone call informing  him  that  his  father had died . Hours later    Williams  finished the race and then went with  his  sister to attend to funeral duties . " I wasn ' t feeling sadness  "  Williams  said . "  He  ' d had a series of heart attacks and we had enjoyed a blessed extra 15 years of having  him  around . I felt more like I was honoring  him  by running . There wasn ' t any question that I still would run ." For  Williams  and five other hardy souls   there never has been any question . Through injury and exhaustion   rain and heat and snow   divorce and even death in the family   Williams   Joe Antonini   Randy Burt   Henry Kozlowski   Larry Moon and George Mueller have run all 39 Chicago Marathons . As the race hits its 40th anniversary Sunday with these six runners toeing the starting line   they ' ve become as familiar a race - day sight as water stations and the finish line . " It keeps me going  " Moon   76   said . These six runners have seen course and sponsor and race - name changes . They ' ve seen the size of the race — both in number of participants and fans — swell as   save for Burt   they ' ve seen their times slow considerably . Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune During his first Chicago Marathon in 1977   George Mueller fell hard on his knee but was able to finish . During his first Chicago Marathon in 1977   George Mueller fell hard on his knee but was able to finish . ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) But the race memories have forever flowed . " The aches and pains stay with you for a few days  " said Burt   who   at age 69   finished in 4 hours   9 minutes   54 seconds last year and owns a personal best of 3 : 07 in 1985 . " But eventually you get over it and you start thinking : ' What did I do wrong ? And how can I do this better ?' " Before you know it   the short - term memory of the horrible discomfort of that moment disappears . And you get ready for another one ." Indeed   that thinking propelled the four alumni runners interviewed for this story to sign up for the second race after trying the initial one Sept . 25   1977   running mostly out of curiosity and novelty . " About halfway through the first race   I landed wrong on my knee and had this shooting pain  " Mueller said . " I got through it and said   ' Well   I ' ve got to learn how to do this .' That was the hook from there : ' I ' m going to get it right .'" But there ' s a funny thing about running 26 . 2 miles : It ' s tough to perfect . Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune Despite hip and rib injuries that truncated his training last year   Larry Moon   76   gutted his way to the finish in his 39th Chicago Marathon . Despite hip and rib injuries that truncated his training last year   Larry Moon   76   gutted his way to the finish in his 39th Chicago Marathon . ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) From the 1977 race to 1978   Burt thought he had mastered the training process . Then he started at too brisk a pace and developed agonizing stomach cramps . " As I was throwing up in a trash can at the end   I said   ' I ' ll never run one of these again as long as I live  '" Burt said . " And that was a long time ago ." Thirty - nine years   to be exact . But running through the sights and sounds of Chicago can be an intoxicating experience   particularly when the intrigue inherent in any marathon — with its supreme mental and physical challenges — is added . The competitive element doesn ' t hurt either . An intriguing mix of competition and camaraderie has developed among the six runners   particularly since executive race director Carey Pinkowski began incorporating them into the race ' s fabric . Their entry fee is waived . They ' re invited to the introductory and elite runners ' news conferences . They start in the first wave of runners shortly after the elite athletes and fuel up in VIP tents afterward . " I remember one year I caught up with one of the alumni runners at about Mile 18   and suddenly I started taking off like a flash  " Mueller said . " And my friend said   ' What are you doing ?' I said   ' I don ' t want him to catch me .' " But last year   one of the guys ( Andrew Praxmarer ) didn ' t make it to the finish . You don ' t take any joy in one of the guys not making it . Every time one of the guys drops out   it ' s like losing a brother ." Williams   who turns 79 in December   is the oldest of the six runners . He broke 3 hours in 1982 . Last year   he missed his target time of 6 hours by 10 minutes . " I would ' ve been under 6 hours   but I tripped over a manhole cover at Mile 13 and did a face - plant and had a bloody nose  " Williams said . " I had to spend 13 minutes in the first - aid tent . They wouldn ' t let me go out until they could see I could run without falling ." Such defiance and determination defines many of the runners ' races . Plus   they can ' t just show up on race day and finish . Training takes a major commitment   both mentally and physically . And when you have a 39 - year association with the race — loss of sponsorship forced the 1987 event to be shortened to a half - marathon — things happen . Just last year   Moon slipped on some ice in February   landed on the edge of a marble planter on the sidewalk and fractured two ribs and injured his hip . For two weeks   he used a walker to get from his apartment to a waiting taxi to go to physical therapy a mere two blocks away . " I did everything they told me  " Moon said . " I stretched for an hour before going there . After two weeks   I was able to walk over there . After four weeks   I didn ' t need the walker anymore and went to a cane . After two months   I ' d walk two to three miles and then do my physical therapy . " I ended up with only July   August and September to train for the marathon . I was just about the last one . They were rolling up the sidewalks and street cleaners were right behind me ." But Moon   whose fastest time of 3 : 15 came in 1995   finished . In 2007   Mueller also slipped on some ice in February and fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle . " I got dragged over to the hospital and they said I needed a plate in there  " Mueller said . " I went to the orthopedic surgeon with my wife and said   ' Can I get this surgery done today ? Because I ' ve got to run the Chicago Marathon in October .' Of course I got quite the look for that ." Nevertheless   Mueller finished that race in about 4 : 30 at age 60 . And that ' s the year only 25   544 of the race ' s 36   867 participants finished because officials cut short the event due to oppressive heat . " I got past the point they stopped the race at Halsted and Adams  " Burt said . " I was in Chinatown when I heard on the loudspeakers that race officials had called the race and instructed runners past the cutoff point to walk to the finish line . That ' s my slowest marathon   5 : 10 . In hindsight   I wished I had continued to run a little bit more so I could ' ve beat 5 hours at least ." Given the time commitment involved in training   there ' s a fine line between selfishness and selflessness that most runners have to navigate . To combat that   Williams began raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 1998 . In close to two decades   Williams said he has raised $ 273   000   an effort that began in grassroots fashion with him mailing 200 letters from his dining room table .
On the morning  [TGT]prepared to run the 1984 Chicago Marathon    [TGT]  received a phone call informing  [TGT]  that  [TGT]  father had died . Hours later    [TGT]finished the race and then went with  [TGT]  sister to attend to funeral duties . " I wasn ' t feeling sadness  "  [TGT]said . "  [TGT]  ' d had a series of heart attacks and we had enjoyed a blessed extra 15 years of having  him  around . I felt more like I was honoring  him  by running . There wasn ' t any question that I still would run ." For  Williams  and five other hardy souls   there never has been any question . Through injury and exhaustion   rain and heat and snow   divorce and even death in the family   Williams   Joe Antonini   Randy Burt   Henry Kozlowski   Larry Moon and George Mueller have run all 39 Chicago Marathons . As the race hits its 40th anniversary Sunday with these six runners toeing the starting line   they ' ve become as familiar a race - day sight as water stations and the finish line . " It keeps me going  " Moon   76   said . These six runners have seen course and sponsor and race - name changes . They ' ve seen the size of the race — both in number of participants and fans — swell as   save for Burt   they ' ve seen their times slow considerably . Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune During his first Chicago Marathon in 1977   George Mueller fell hard on his knee but was able to finish . During his first Chicago Marathon in 1977   George Mueller fell hard on his knee but was able to finish . ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) But the race memories have forever flowed . " The aches and pains stay with you for a few days  " said Burt   who   at age 69   finished in 4 hours   9 minutes   54 seconds last year and owns a personal best of 3 : 07 in 1985 . " But eventually you get over it and you start thinking : ' What did I do wrong ? And how can I do this better ?' " Before you know it   the short - term memory of the horrible discomfort of that moment disappears . And you get ready for another one ." Indeed   that thinking propelled the four alumni runners interviewed for this story to sign up for the second race after trying the initial one Sept . 25   1977   running mostly out of curiosity and novelty . " About halfway through the first race   I landed wrong on my knee and had this shooting pain  " Mueller said . " I got through it and said   ' Well   I ' ve got to learn how to do this .' That was the hook from there : ' I ' [TGT] going to get [TGT] right .'" But there ' s a funny thing about running 26 . 2 miles : It ' s tough to perfect . Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune Despite hip and rib injuries that truncated his training last year   Larry Moon   76   gutted his way to the finish in his 39th Chicago Marathon . Despite hip and rib injuries that truncated his training last year   Larry Moon   76   gutted his way to the finish in his 39th Chicago Marathon . ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) ( Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune ) From the 1977 race to 1978   Burt thought he had mastered the training process . Then he started at too brisk a pace and developed agonizing stomach cramps . " As I was throwing up in a trash can at the end   I said   ' I ' ll never run one of these again as long as I live  '" Burt said . " And that was a long time ago ." Thirty - nine years   to be exact . But running through the sights and sounds of Chicago can be an intoxicating experience   particularly when the intrigue inherent in any marathon — with its supreme mental and physical challenges — is added . The competitive element doesn ' t hurt either . An intriguing mix of competition and camaraderie has developed among the six runners   particularly since executive race director Carey Pinkowski began incorporating them into the race ' s fabric . Their entry fee is waived . They ' re invited to the introductory and elite runners ' news conferences . They start in the first wave of runners shortly after the elite athletes and fuel up in VIP tents afterward . " I remember one year I caught up with one of the alumni runners at about Mile 18   and suddenly I started taking off like a flash  " Mueller said . " And my friend said   ' What are you doing ?' I said   ' I don ' t want him to catch me .' " But last year   one of the guys ( Andrew Praxmarer ) didn ' t make it to the finish . You don ' t take any joy in one of the guys not making it . Every time one of the guys drops out   it ' s like losing a brother ." Williams   who turns 79 in December   is the oldest of the six runners . He broke 3 hours in 1982 . Last year   he missed his target time of 6 hours by 10 minutes . " I would ' ve been under 6 hours   but I tripped over a manhole cover at Mile 13 and did a face - plant and had a bloody nose  " Williams said . " I had to spend 13 minutes in the first - aid tent . They wouldn ' t let me go out until they could see I could run without falling ." Such defiance and determination defines many of the runners ' races . Plus   they can ' t just show up on race day and finish . Training takes a major commitment   both mentally and physically . And when you have a 39 - year association with the race — loss of sponsorship forced the 1987 event to be shortened to a half - marathon — things happen . Just last year   Moon slipped on some ice in February   landed on the edge of a marble planter on the sidewalk and fractured two ribs and injured his hip . For two weeks   he used a walker to get from his apartment to a waiting taxi to go to physical therapy a mere two blocks away . " I did everything they told me  " Moon said . " I stretched for an hour before going there . After two weeks   I was able to walk over there . After four weeks   I didn ' t need the walker anymore and went to a cane . After two months   I ' d walk two to three miles and then do my physical therapy . " I ended up with only July   August and September to train for the marathon . I was just about the last one . They were rolling up the sidewalks and street cleaners were right behind me ." But Moon   whose fastest time of 3 : 15 came in 1995   finished . In 2007   Mueller also slipped on some ice in February and fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle . " I got dragged over to the hospital and they said I needed a plate in there  " Mueller said . " I went to the orthopedic surgeon with my wife and said   ' Can I get this surgery done today ? Because I ' ve got to run the Chicago Marathon in October .' Of course I got quite the look for that ." Nevertheless   Mueller finished that race in about 4 : 30 at age 60 . And that ' s the year only 25   544 of the race ' s 36   867 participants finished because officials cut short the event due to oppressive heat . " I got past the point they stopped the race at Halsted and Adams  " Burt said . " I was in Chinatown when I heard on the loudspeakers that race officials had called the race and instructed runners past the cutoff point to walk to the finish line . That ' s my slowest marathon   5 : 10 . In hindsight   I wished I had continued to run a little bit more so I could ' ve beat 5 hours at least ." Given the time commitment involved in training   there ' s a fine line between selfishness and selflessness that most runners have to navigate . To combat that   [TGT] began raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 1998 . In close to two decades   [TGT] said [TGT] has raised $ 273   000   an effort that began in grassroots fashion with [TGT] mailing 200 letters from [TGT] dining room table .