Jo Dee Messina recently completed the 30th Annual Chicago Marathon.
October 9, 2007 — Jo Dee Messina kicked off race day festivities in Chicago Sunday by singing the national anthem at the starting line of the 30th annual Chicago Marathon.
Jo Dee finished the race in five hours and 45 minutes. Organizers closed the course to runners who had not reached the midway point almost four hours after it began when temperatures reached as high as 88 degrees, according to the marathon's website.
Jo Dee says she's relieved and proud that she completed the race despite the conditions. "It was definitely one of my harder runs," she says. "The heat was intense in some parts of the race. I kept telling myself this is no harder than my training runs over the summer. Thanks to a spectator with water, I was able to stay hydrated, rationing a bottle of water for the last eight miles of the run. Not my goal finishing time, but I'm still very proud of myself for finishing. "