Three colleagues in the Yale Department of Psychiatry achieved one of the greatest feats in all of athletics when they completed the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11.
Kirsten Wilkins, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Louis Trevisan, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry; and Brian Spector, Deputy Chair for Finance and Administration, joined thousands of runners who finished the 26.2-mile course through Chicago on Columbus Day weekend.
Wilkins, 40, who was competing in her 11th marathon, shaved 11 seconds off her best-ever marathon time. Trevisan, 65, was running Chicago for the first time, although it was his 23rd marathon. Spector, 47, has completed nine marathons, including three in Chicago.
The three runners dashed across the finish line at Grant Park, and were handed a banana, beer, and bag of ice--in that order. They were then whisked off to a post-race party which Wilkins said was the best after-marathon event she's experienced.
"Just running it, competing, being upright at the end," Trevisan said. "Just being able to have a banana, beer, and bag of ice was great."
"I had a great time," Spector said. "I loved it. It was a beautiful day."
The colleagues had made tentative plans to meet before the race, but with roughly 45,000 runners crowding the starting area they were unable to catch up.
Just running it, competing, being upright at the end. Just being able to have a banana, beer, and bag of ice was great.
Louis Trevisan, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Instead, they pounded the pavement with other runners as they wound through the city, ending at Grant Park in Chicago's central business district.
Wilkins liked that the course was flat and fast, and said the post-race event featured music and food. There were also massage tables staffed by volunteers who soothed weary legs.
Trevisan said the enthusiasm from the spectators helped propel him toward the finish line.
"The crowds were very close to the race. They were very supportive," he said. "In the latter miles you want the people screaming for you."
Chicago is considered one of the six "major" marathons in the world, and therefore is a significant race for runners to compete in. The other majors are New York, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo, and London.
Wilkins, Trevisan, and Spector run three or four days a week, but train more intensively for three to four months before they run a marathon.