Team building - 2016 (track progress here)

June 6.   Done!    Pat Hurley recently joined as the 12th team member for the 12th season.

May 23: Runner count is back to eleven (11) meaning there is a seat open in the Van for the June 10-11 Madison-Chicago race.  The call is out to veterans and prospects.    Send a note to Eric if you know someone who wants to join, or who needs more information.

This will be our 12th Madison-Chicago race; we are the only team to race every year since race inception, first as Great Midwestern Relay, then MC200 and now Ragnar Chicago.

Amanda Hall, Daniela Gavric and Peter Wagner  are newcomers to the Rank Stranger family, signing on this week.  They are Rank Strangers #54, #55 and #56.  

Recruiting continues for backups - last year Paul Miller famously stepped in with three days to go.

The line-up:

Steve Hill

Greg Masenthin

Pete Boll

Eric Engdahl

Amanda Hall

Daniela Gavric
Cathy Jooste
Jeff Shampo
Mark Clear
Bob Holzer
Peter Wagner
Pat Hurley


This year's race route shuffle has Ragnar is moving the finish from the lakefront, to a forest preserve near O'Hare Airport (LaBagh Woods Forest Preserve, 5275 N. Cicero Ave, Chicago, IL).  Something new...I don't think we'll miss the lakefront traffic.

The 201 finish will be at Lebagh Woods, not the lakefront.

The Rank Stranger story:

We are the only team to appear in every Madison-Chicago race since its inception as the Great Midwest Relay in 2005.  We have seen the race change name three times and grow from 60+ teams to 500+ teams.

2005 was a long time ago.   I looked it up: the San Antonio Spurs defeated Detroit 4 games to 3 for the National Basketball Association championship on the eve of the race.  It was the year of the founding of YouTube, the Kyoto Protocol going into effect (USA and Australia abstaining), Steve Fossett breaking the world record for completing the fastest non stop non-refueled solo flight around the world, the death of Pope John Paul II, the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles, the awarding of the 2012 Summer Olympics to London and Angela Merkel assuming the office of German Chancellor.

As usual, you will be able to follow progress on our web site,  http://www.rankstrangers.info/, as well as on Twitter (@RankStrangers ).  
 

We have two large vans, with six runners in each. The first vehicle will watch the first runner begin, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on, and provide them with water, snacks, and encouragement. That vehicle will then drive ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner, and pick up the runner completing the first leg. The pattern repeats for six legs until they hand the baton to the second vehicle. This leapfrogging pattern will continue all the way to the finish line;  it will take us approximately 30 hours to cover the distance. 

Here's a recent rendition of our team's story --> http://www.rankstrangers.blogspot.com/2013/06/rank-strangers-go-for-ninth-madison.html

A few amusing videos to fill out the picture -->   http://rankstrangers.blogspot.com/2011/08/video-introduction-to-run-relays.html

In memory of that first race, in 2005, with 65 teams, here's the GMR logo:

Randy conquers Maui

Randy's report from his race on Sunday, Jan. 17:  "Finished the Maui Oceanfront Marathon. Really tough course with some big hills. Finished in 3:28:55 which is a Boston qualifying time. I also finished 27th out of 415 marathoners and 3rd in my age group!"

From the race web site:

1. The start of the Marathon is in the Shops of Wailea Parking lot.
 2. The course travels north from the Shops of Wailea on Wailea Alanui Drive  and then down to South Kihei Rd at mile 1, through oceanfront Kihei Town with a left turn onto Highway 30 at 11  miles  near Ma'alaea Bay  and continues oceanfront all the way to Front Street at the South end of Old Lahaina Town.
 4. The last mile is through oceanfront residential and ends at oceanfront Kamehameha Iki Park adjacent to 505 Front Street.
 5. All of the course is on asphalt and the shoulder of the road. The shoulder is mostly between 4 and 6' wide.
 6. The course has many scenic pull outs and public beaches  for family and friends to park, picnic and support your run.