CHAMPAIGN — Lexie Dorsey was ecstatic and exhausted in the final moments of her victory in the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon women’s race.
That showed as the Mahomet-Seymour graduate fell to the ground after crossing the finish line in Memorial Stadium, with friends and family members swarming to congratulate her on her victory.
“Running is so hard,” Dorsey said. “We trained (for) four months to come out here. I took the lead right before (mile) 13; I just had great guys pacing me. Everything just clicked today. It was hard; I’m very tired. I couldn’t have done it without my family, my friends, my coworkers.”
In turning in a time, of 2:57:58, Dorsey overcame nerves surrounding the race’s uncertainty following protests Friday on the University of Illinois campus that canceled that night’s 5K.
“I love the Champaign marathon; it’s such a great atmosphere,” Dorsey said. “I haven’t been able to run it because I went to college and did the college thing. ... I was really nervous last night that it was going to get canceled, so to be out here and to be able to run is so great.”
Dorsey competed collegiately at Illinois Wesleyan after graduating from Mahomet-Seymour in 2018. She edged second-place finisher Brisa McGrath — another former Bulldogs runner — by 1:05.
“I was running my race and I was just so happy to have so much support,” McGrath said. “I have so many people I’m so blessed to have in my life.”
