Athletes we lost in ’07 gave most from their hearts
Reported December 30, 2007
When Wilmette’s Henry Hart started jogging in the mid-1960s, police officers occasionally stopped him to ask what the problem was. Because “running” attire hadn’t yet been developed, he often wore white tennis shorts and shoes. And if pressed, the neighbors would admit that, yes, Henry’s whole “running thing” seemed a little odd.
But Hart, a true pioneer, never lost his passion for fitness. As running “boomed,” he was in the thick of it until his late 70s, competing in marathons, triathlons and serving as a pace group leader for the Chicago Area Runners Association, where he was known for his wit and for enthusiastically cheering on runners.
Hart died last month, at 80, after miraculously surviving a bicycle accident in the 2006 Chicago Accenture Triathlon. The crash left him with a fractured skull, clavicle, ribs and hip. He then lapsed into a coma.
But Hart refused to give up. Despite brain damage, he regained some speech, and not surprisingly, his first words were “Exercise!” and “I like to swim” and “I like to run!”
“He was like an elder version of ‘The Little Engine That Could’ but in Nike shoes and running shorts,” said Sari Hart, one of his four children.
Sadly, Hart wasn’t the only athlete to die in 2007 from race-related injuries. Though this list isn’t complete, it touches on some of the inspiring people who will be missed in 2008.
Juli Wilson Marshall, 48, of Lake Forest drowned during the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Fla. The dynamic mother of four wasn’t just a partner, role model and mentor at the prestigious law firm Latham & Watkins in Chicago; she started a non-profit for children and sought out pro-bono work, fighting for disadvantaged and disabled children. In 2005, Marshall spearheaded a major project to address mental health issues for young victims of Hurricane Katrina, according to the law firm. Before her death, she led a team of attorneys fighting for the civil and educational rights of a disabled high school student suffering from a rare neurological disorder.
Marshall was in the triathlon to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Chad Schieber, 35, of Midland, Mich., collapsed during the 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in October and died from a heart condition called mitral-valve prolapse. His goal was to finish the race, and he did just that, said Rev. Joel Stocker during his funeral. “Don’t ever think for one moment that he didn’t finish,” Stocker said, according to the Saginaw News. “He ran into the arms of his heavenly Father.” Schieber was a 12-year police veteran in Midland and the father of three children.
Northwestern alum Elizabeth Kobeszka, 24, a triathlete, runner and member of the XXX Racing-AthletiCo team, was struck by a truck during the Proctor Cycling Classic in Peoria. Motivated and fun-loving, Kobeszka, of Findlay, Ohio, was described in the Daily Northwestern as a young woman who “worked hard, was modest about her accomplishments and was always able to cheer people up with her jokes and positive attitude.” She also embodied a drafting metaphor used at her funeral: “As we let ourselves be pulled, we must pull for others.” Her family created a scholarship in her memory. (community-foundation.com.)
Pieter Ombregt, 27, a gifted Belgian photographer and cyclist who came to Chicago to study photography at Columbia College, was killed during a race in Matteson when he crashed into a concrete barrier at approximately 30 miles an hour. Ombregt also was a member of the XXX Racing-AthletiCo team, and members were still reeling from the loss of Kobeszka. A tenacious competitor, he was described by a teammates as having the “heart of a Flanders Lion and the smile of a Cheshire cat.” At the funeral, Ombregt’s father, Ludwig, reminded friends and teammates that his son would always be with them in spirit.
“When you are in the peloton and look around and do not see Pieter, do not be sad that he is not there,” he said. “He is there. He has just escaped. He is around the corner and you must go faster to catch up to him.”
An exhibition of Ombregt’s work at the Gallery at the Historic Water Tower, now a memorial, can be seen through Feb. 3 (312-744-2400). Information on the Pieter Ombregt Scholarship Fund can be found at pieterombregt.com.