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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Grace Wasielewski on the | ||||||
| 4 | occasion of her placing first for women in her age group at the | ||||||
| 5 | 2024 London Marathon; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Grace Wasielewski placed first in women aged 70 | ||||||
| 7 | to 74 years old at the London Marathon on April 21, 2024, | ||||||
| 8 | finishing with a time of 3 hours, 43 minutes, and 3 seconds; | ||||||
| 9 | and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Grace Wasielewski is currently ranked number one | ||||||
| 11 | in the world for women in her age group; her latest victory | ||||||
| 12 | marks her fifth age group career win at a World Major Marathon, | ||||||
| 13 | with her previous successes occurring at the 2010 and 2013 | ||||||
| 14 | Chicago Marathons, the 2018 New York Marathon, and the 2019 | ||||||
| 15 | Boston Marathon; and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS, Grace Wasielewski started running recreationally | ||||||
| 17 | with her friends in her 30s before deciding to run the Chicago | ||||||
| 18 | Marathon on a whim; over the course of her running career, she | ||||||
| 19 | has completed over 100 marathons, including attaining sub-four | ||||||
| 20 | hour marathon finishes in every U.S. state, being named the | ||||||
| 21 | fastest female finisher at the Prince of Wales Island Alaska | ||||||
| 22 | Marathon in 2015, and winning the Female Senior Grandmaster | ||||||
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| 1 | category at the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) National | ||||||
| 2 | 10 Mile Championship in 2022; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, Grace Wasielewski is a longtime member of the | ||||||
| 4 | Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA), an organization that | ||||||
| 5 | administers the CARA Chicago Racing Circuit, which is a series | ||||||
| 6 | of 15 of the most competitive races around the Chicago area; | ||||||
| 7 | she has won her age group on the CARA circuit almost every year | ||||||
| 8 | since 2008, excluding placing second in 2021, and she was | ||||||
| 9 | inducted into the CARA Hall of Fame in 2013; and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, Grace Wasielewski, a resident of Prospect | ||||||
| 11 | Heights, runs with the Schaumburg-based Fast Track racing | ||||||
| 12 | team, a 200-member group of runners of all paces and | ||||||
| 13 | abilities; she has served as a leader of the team since 2009, | ||||||
| 14 | and she currently serves as treasurer and a pace group leader; | ||||||
| 15 | and | ||||||
| 16 | WHEREAS Grace Wasielewski is an inspiration to many, | ||||||
| 17 | serving as an great example that consistent hard work can make | ||||||
| 18 | it possible to become a champion at any age; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 20 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 21 | we congratulate Grace Wasielewski on placing first for women | ||||||
| 22 | in her age group of 70 to 74 years old at the 2024 London | ||||||
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| 1 | Marathon, commend her for incredible accomplishments in the | ||||||
| 2 | field of competitive running, and wish her continued success; | ||||||
| 3 | and be it further | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 5 | presented to Grace Wasielewski as a symbol of our esteem and | ||||||
| 6 | respect. | ||||||