Waving in the breeze

Last update: October 7, 2007 - 10:30 PM

Sunday's sticky, still weather at dawn gave way to a freshening breeze by midmorning, a development welcomed by perhaps every runner except for Andover's Steve Kalina, who strode all 26.2 miles holding aloft two large flags -- a U.S. banner and that of the Marine Corps.

"It's not too bad," he said, "unless the wind switches around."

Kalina, 26, and a member of the Marine Reserves at Fort Snelling, has run about 30 marathons, a handful of them carrying the flags. On Sunday, he did so in a swift 3:18:47.

"It motivates the crowd and other runners," he said. "And it gives me a reason to be out there."

JERRY ZGODA

Recent Sports stories

Listen to, watch the pro at work - October 7, 2007

Listen to, watch the pro at work - Brett Favre makes his rounds every Sunday and will bend anyone's ear. But there's plenty of wisdom in all that chatter of his. More