Hall of fame

Thirty five (35) Rank Strangers have hit the road between Madison and Chicago over the past six years of the MC200.

Congratulations, Rank Strangers!

Congratulations to the 12 Rank Strangers who completed the 2010 edition of the Madison - Chicago run relay. The weather again challenged us, particularly the blistering heat on Friday. Everyone was definitely tested by their pieces of the 200 mile puzzle.

We've done this enough times that you would THINK there would be no more surprises but each experience is unique because of the makeup of the team (35 different runners have contributed to the Rank Stranger legend), the weather and the fitness we bring into the event. Unique and wonderful because of the makeup of the team. The 2010 roster featured old hands (including uber veterans, 6-tmers, Jeff Shampo, Mark Clear and Eric Engdahl, pictured L-to-R above) and rookies (Bev Schuller, Steve Schmidt and Deb Addison, below). Marc Golab, Renee Roux and Pete Boll ran for the third time and Chris Montgomery, Steve Hill and Martin Tagge for the second time. I have no statistics on patience, humor, enthusiasm (there was lots!) but here are some numbers from the Rank Stranger record book:

- Martin (21.7) and Marc (20.7) became the 8th and 9th Rank Strangers to cover more than 20 miles in a single year.

- Steve Hill (19.9), Renee (19.3) and Jeff (19.3) gave us a total of 6 runners who have run between 19 and 20 miles in a single year (Jeff previously did this in 2008).

- Martin and Martin moved into the top 10 in all time Rank Stranger mileage, Chris 11th and Steve Hill moved up from 29th to 12th. The runners with more than 30 miles: 1. Eric 124, 2. Jeff 110.4, 3. Mark 95.8, 4. Art 86.8, 5. Holly 59.2, 6. Marc Golab 52.7, 7. Pete 50.9, 8. Renee 47.5, 9. Randy 45.5, 10. Martin 41, 11. Chris 36.6, 12. Steve Hill 34, 13. Anne Martino 33.9.

Congratulations again, team, and thanks for making it happen. And thanks to the friends and family who gave us leave to take part in this mad event.

Eric

We made it!

Martin on the move

The rain started with Martin's run, making great running weather...not so great. But he is making great progress. His teammates are waiting for him with water at about the halfway point in the 8.77 leg.

We expect him to reach Montrose between 6:15 and 6:30.

Down to Chris and Martin

2 runners to go but they have 17 miles to cover. Eric just handed off to to Chris at 4:05PM, who will run from the Glencoe train station to Northwestern's Ryan Field.

Weather delay

We were held up in Zion for 20 minutes for fear of storms to the south (other teams had to wait longer) but now Van #2 is in business with Steve Schmidt on the trail.

Our new estimated time of arrival at Montrose Harbor is 7pm. Steve Hill, Marc, Eric, Chris and Martin have to follow Steve Schmidt on to the course.

Saturday morning

Renee is finishing Van #1's final cycle, the leg that takes the baton across the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

Van #2 is assessing damage caused by two runs apiece over 12 hours. How much good was done by napping in the van or on the church floor while Van #1 did its work?

Big storms are coming and with it rumors of race delays or cancellation.

Van #2 is nearing the end of its 2nd shift

How long should we wait to wake Mark Clear? He warned us to not disturb too much of his slumber.

Sunrise in Racine, Wisconsin(5:15AM)

...Is obscured by a wonderful cold fog. Might it hang around for the day and shield us from the sun? (From the backseat: "5:17 am, Montgomery gets chicked, hard!")

Suddenly, miraculously chilly

At about 315am there was suddenly a chill in the air. What will we complain about now!?

Van #1 completes his 2nd shift.

Renee finished at 1:21PM and Steve Schmidt claimed the sweaty blinky vest. Van #1 will get showers, food and then drive to Racine for sleep.

At 2am Eric nearly drove off without Steve Hill. Steve's shouts and the recollection that we need him to run 7+ miles in a few minutes caused a quick stop.

Steve S. Is eager to hit the road

12:47AM. Awaiting word from Van #1 about their estimated time of arrival. I think he is the only one anxious to get back to work.

Eric

Midnight report

Van #2 is waiting for Van #1 at MLK high school in Greenfield (SW Milwaukee). Mark Clear reports Van #1 has just put Renee on the road (Mark, Pete, Jeff, Debra and Bev have all completed their second of three runs). Approximately 50 minutes to the next van handoff. Seems like just yesterday we were trying to get some rest in a big white van in this parkling lot...

Martin's big effort

Numbers from Martin's heart rate monitor: average heart rate 163. That's scary fast. "It didn't feel good," he admitted. Maximum: 177. We'll see what happens with his 4AM run.

Changing of the guard

Mark Clear donned the headlamp and blinky vest and took the handoff from Marty at 8:05PM to start Van #1's second shift.

(Marc Golab is making an argument for NOT showering to prevent bug bites - "if you get a good funk on, it protects you" - but we are looking for a place to get cleaned up anyway).

Van #2 nearing the end of its first shift

Marc and Eric finished their runs and Chris is on the move -- about to hand off to Martin in Dousman, WI. Martin will finish Van 2's first shift with a 6.85 run to Wales. The sun is going down, there's a breeze, but it is still darned hot. (Chris says he is enjoying it; Eric didn't enjoy it at all!).

When Martin finishes we will be 1/3 of the way through this adventure.

Van #2 in action

Running is interfering with blogging! Van #1 finished its first shift at 3:01pm and Van #2 has put Steve Schmidt, Steve Hill and Marc Golab out on the road. Marc is in the middle of an 8.2 miler right now. It is hazy and hot.

Eric

Power of positive thinking

"As long as my achilles doesn't rupture, I'll be fine."
--Van 2 runner

Weather report

Mark says another team's runner just observed, with a smile, "It's fffffing hot out here."

That's all the weather report you need, Mark says.

Debra and Jeff finished their first runs and Bev is on the trail. Next it will be Renee and then the handoff to Van 2.

Van 2 takes a break from waiting to run

Van 2 has left the steamy work of running and cheering to Van 1 (Jeff, Debra, Bev and Renee are still to run) -- we are in Lake Mills for lunch and relaxation at the transition area.

Eric

Pete returns to action

2-time Rank Stranger Pete Boll is back on the course after missing 2008-9 to military service. Son Erik (age 2) has joined son Ryan (a veteran MC200 fan) on the cheering delegation. (Pete is runner #2; Mark Clear completed his leadoff leg so he is 2/3 of the way finished with his MC200 duty.

Elite in persistence if not speed

We are one of only two (2) teams to participate in all six Madison-Chicago relays. Pretty cool.

The race is on!

We gave co-captain Mark Clear (aka Sky King) and the 30+ others in the 9:30 wave a rousing cheer as they set off from the hotel parking lot for their run across Madison. (The staggered starts began at 7AM and will continue well into the afternoon when the fastest teams will leave Madison. The idea is for all of us to reach Chicago at the same time. That'll work if all of our pace predictions come true.)

Weather prediction

We'll be talking a lot about what REALLY happens but on race eve the weather experts have this to say:

Friday

30% chance of t-storms in the afternoon. High 84 Peak Heat Index 88 S winds 12-18 mph usts to 25 mph.

Friday Night

SE Wisconsin and NE Illinois 30% chance of t-storms in the evening. Low 68 S winds 10-15 mph

In NE Illinois

Saturday 40% chance of t-storms in the afternoon. Some may be heavy. High 84 Peak Heat Index 89 Winds S 8-12 mph possibly become E in the afternoon dropping temperatures on the course to 79.

Yellow Heat Index Alerts possibilities anytime during the race is 40% Yellow and Red Alerts possibilities anytime during the race for t-storms is 60%

Race eve

The nine non-Wisconsin Rank Strangers (8 Chicagoans and a Texan) made their way to Madison Thursday evening and are spending the night at the race hotel, the Sheraton. The run adventure starts tomorrow morning.

There was some final days drama - Enterprise in Madison reneged on their 15-passenger van reservation so we had to bring a second van up from Chicago (moral: rent from Ace, not Enterprise; puzzle: why is it so hard to get a big van in Wisconsin?).

We got to visit briefly with Mark Clear and Jeff Shampo when they came to collect their van.

We'll all gather for breakfast in the morning and then Van#1 (Mark, Jeff, Renee, Bev, Debra and Pete) will get things going at 9:30AM.

Van#2 newcomer Steve Schmidt is asking a lot of good questions about process ("How does the transition work?"). A reminder that there IS going to be a race here. Guess we should help him get ready...

Rumor has it there are 230 teams which would be up about 100 from last year. Could make for some crowded transition areas with all the big vans, not to mention the company our runners will find on the course.

The MC200 story

The Madison-Chicago 200 will take you on a scenic tour of the Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago corridor. The 200-mile course is divided into 36 Legs that teams of up to 12 members will navigate over a two day period. Runners will pass through such sights as Madison's Monona Terrace, the rolling Glacial-Drumlin Trail, and the scenic parkways of Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties. The race continues through the night, and some will run a lap around the Milwaukee Mile, the oldest operating auto racing track in the United States. There will be amenities at certain designated Transfer Areas, such as food and showers, and a place to take a nap. By Saturday morning, teams will be head through Racine and Kenosha, which include some beautiful lakefront views, and into Illinois via the Robert McClory and Green Bay bike trails. After navigating through the streets of Evanston and Northwestern University Stadium, runners will finish the course on Chicago's fabled Lakefront Running Path, at Montrose Harbor, with beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago Skyline.