Kara Goucher

All race photos courtesy of Action Sports International

On Sunday, August 2, Kara Goucher won the inaugural Rock ‘N’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon. I’ve been following the speedster since her 26.2 mile debut last November at the ING New York City Marathon and had the awesome privilege of meeting her in-person at the race expo on Friday before she thrilled the city with her outright win. Kara is down-to-earth, quick to smile, light-hearted and refreshingly honest—in other words, a complete sweetheart who happens to be totally, ridiculously, jaw-droppingly fast. Click on the pics above to follow her one hour, eight minute and five second–long journey through the streets of Chicago. While you won’t see Kara at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11, she did have some solid and surprising tips for marathoners—so check back in over the coming weeks.

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