Jill Czarnik is not a part of the Illinois cross country team and isn’t even a member of the Illinois cross country club. But the junior managed to finish in the top-25 for U.S. women and 412th overall in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, with a time of three hours, five seconds.

“I wanted to break three (hours) but I was kind of delusional at the end because I finished five seconds over the three-hour mark,” Czarnik said.

It was the third consecutive Chicago Marathon for Czarnik, and her fourth marathon overall. As one of 45,000 registered participants, she said training individually paid off for those 26.2 miles.

“I make up my own running plans,” Czarnik said, a former high school cross country and track athlete. “I don’t follow any guide. I know I have to get in certain workouts per week, and I just go around that.”

Czarnik trains six days a week, running at least four or five days, and cross training the other one or two days. She doesn’t usually get nervous before marathons, and Saturday night she just wanted to relax with her family.

“We actually rented ‘Run Fat Boy Run,'” Czarnik said. “I pretty much go out to dinner … usually a pasta dinner, and I hang out. I usually sleep pretty well.”

For fifth-year senior Jason Schmitz, though, it was a weekend of firsts. The Pocahontas, Ill., native finished his Chicago Marathon debut in a time of 4:39:08.

“It’s a little slower than I wanted, but it was hot,” Schmitz said.

Schmitz, who ran the marathon with two friends, cramped after the 19th mile due to the scorching conditions. Yet he finished the race for his mother, who has run seven marathons.

“She said it’s a good experience and I’d be proud to finish,” Schmitz said. “She was right – it’s definitely something to experience.”

It was also the first marathon for sophomore Ben Zeman, who finished with what he said was a disappointing time of 3:13:02.

“I was actually hoping to do a little bit better,” Zeman said. “The first half went really well for me … Pretty soon after that I just got really tired, and I had a lack of experience not really knowing what pace I should go at.”

Zeman began training back in May, starting at 35 miles per week and eventually building up to 90 miles per week by September.

“It was something I wanted to do and I didn’t know when to do it,” Zeman said. “Somebody asked me to do it and so I thought there’s no better time than now.”

Schmitz and Zeman are unsure of whether they will continue their running careers, but Czarnik plans to keep running marathons so she can set her goals higher every time. Running has become an integral part of her life, despite not being a part of any team.

“I wouldn’t be able to run (at Illinois) because I’ve won so much money winning or placing in races,” Czarnik said, who also ran in the 2007 Boston Marathon. “Just with my schedule and with everything else I do on campus, and just with having a better feel for longer distances, I just feel it works out. I can run when I want, how long I want.”