Gimme 5: Sandburg Grad Czarnik Strides Toward Three-Hour Marathon Goal

Jill Czarnik's cross country adventures at Sandburg High School piqued her interest in running and helped prepare her for a future of entering in competitive long distance events.

Last weekend, Czarnik won the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The event covered five kilometers or about three miles. For her, that's a warm-up.

Her mantra is the longer, the better. And she has paid her dues to climb near the top of her distance class. Five years ago, she was an alternate runner for Sandburg and only competed in a couple of varsity races.

Now, she's lapping the field. But, like in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, she tends to bid her time. She's not a sprinter. Her magic number is 26.2 miles, the distance of a marathon.

At 18, she ran her first Chicago Marathon and placed second among women under the age of 19 with a time of 3:20. She's been a competitor in the marathon every year since and will be running her sixth Chicago Marathon in October. Her goal is to crack the three-hour barrier.

Earlier in the spring, Czarnik participated in her second  Boston Marathon and finished with a time of just over three hours. She lives now in Chicago but recalls fondly her days at Sandburg. She graduated in 2006.