TRAVEL TALES

Young Chang

If you’re wondering why Peggy Fort flew all the way to Chicago to run

a marathon, just picture her nearing the finish line with 26.2 miles

behind her.

Family members and friends waved, cheered, flashed her the high-five

and rooted from the sidelines until she crossed the coveted end and they

could engulf her without boundaries.

Fort, a Newport Beach resident who grew up in Chicago, visited her

hometown for a long weekend in early October to run the marathon among

friends and family. She remembers completing the San Francisco Marathon

five years ago. She ran with friends but lacked the cheering squad she

found at home.

“It really makes a difference when you have people on the sidelines,”

said Fort, 35.

Her time this year was 15 minutes faster than last year’s at 4 hours 5

minutes and 42 seconds. When she attempts her fourth marathon next fall,

her goal is to make it in less than four hours.

“At some point, I would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon,” said

the president of Newport Beach-based California Marketing Concepts.

Anyone is welcome to participate in the Chicago Marathon, proceeds

from which partly benefited the American Red Cross’ Sept. 11 Fund this

year.

But with work duties often leaving her strapped for time, Fort

admitted that the hardest part about training for the marathon was

finding space in her life to practice running.

“But I love running. And I think completing a marathon is a matter of

training and perseverance,” she said. “If you put your mind to it, you

can do it. And think about enjoying it -- try not to break a world

record.”

She remembers waking up at 5 a.m. that day and feeling nervous. She

remembers how friends from Newport Beach joined her on the run at the

sixth mile. She still gets excited about how it felt to finish.

“It’s the feeling of accomplishment and happiness when you finish,”

Fort said. “And the feeling of running with friends toward the goal.”

Of 37,500 runners in the marathon, Fort finished 535th in her age

group (35-39) and made it into the top third of all contestants.

“I run more than anything because exercise is really important to me

in juggling things, owning a business and all of the demands that life

brings,” she said. “It just is a real good thing to have a goal.”

* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation

recently? Tell us your adventures. Drop us a line to Travel Tales, 330 W.

Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail young.chang@latimes.com; or fax to

(949) 646-4170.