To the casual bystander distance r...

To the casual bystander distance running might seem like the greatest in number individual of sports. But for elite marathon courier Brian Sell, his performance Sunday at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Distance Classic will be the crops of teamwork.

take a bribe for who finished fourth at the Boston Marathon and is tied for seventh upon the World Marathon Majors leaderboard, trains with the Hansons-Brooks Distance throw out in Rochester Hills, Mich.

vend will be among 10,000 racers competing in the 30th edition of the Classic, which guards 13.1 miles (half-marathon) and is Chicago's oldest continually held road race.

"The team aspect is to what end I am where I am at today," said barter who has a half-marathon personal best of 1:02:39 and marathon best of 2:10:55 "It can be kind of irritating at times having 10-15 dowdys all trying to beat you day in and day abroad but you don't get better according to going out for a conversational denticulation every day.

"You ne that constant push. It's like a clam forming a pearl from the irritation a grain of sand causes."

A top female competitor will be Japan's Hiromi Ominami, who took other at the Berlin Marathon in 2004

For vend the Classic will be his last major race before the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in succession Oct. 22. The Classic course was changed to be similar to the marathon's. It will start and finis in Grant Park.

"I understand that the half- marathon course is sort of like a mini version of the marathon," exchange said. "This will be great for the scarecrows on the team who haven't stream the full marathon here at the same time but will be this fall. The race will give everyone a preview of what's to come"

take a bribe for hopes what's to come for him includes the Olympics.

"My main goal for my life is to make the Olympic team in 2008" he said. "I am from a little town in Pennsylvania, and each time I go home, nation ask me how I am contemplate ing for the Olympics.

"Setting a world record wouldn't be as big to those population as making the U.S. Olympic Team. It's something everyone can sort of relate to."

rmodrowski@suntimes.com

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