We did it!

Rank Strangers completed the Madison-Chicago run relay on a hot, windy Saturday afternoon. 

 

Back row: Ed, Eric, Randy, Mark, Steve, Cathy, Peter.
Front row: Art, Paul, Emma, Bob, Melinda, Peter

 

Van#1 finished! On to Van#2 to wrap up

Bob Holzer ran the last of the first van's legs.

More natural wonder

Sunrise at Racine; Van#2 is finished with its 2nd shift.  More fun at about 10:30AM whem it will take on its last 6 legs.

Here's that moon

Ed on the run, 11:48PM

Full moon in Milwaukee, 55 degrees F

Now for the night

The first hot day is behind us and there's cool night air for our next runs.  Van#2 is "down" for a few hours, awaiting the next transition at about 11:30.

Photo shows Steve on his first leg at Wales, Wisconsin, in the early (still hot) evening.

Melinda makes her debut

Melinda flew overnight from California for this.

Van #2 joins the fun

Ed is the leadoff man, runner #7.  82 degrees F by the van thermometer.

Cool before the heat...

Van#2 enjoys lunch in the beautiful Lake Mills, Wisconsin town square while Van#1 sweats in the heat. Soon the tables will be turned.

Calm before the storm

Chicago and Madison Rank Stranger contingents had relaxed moments before the race begin on Friday morning. Well, Chicago contingent may not be right. We had folks traveling in from Florida, Portland (Oregon), Michigan and San Francisco for the race.

On the road! 8:30AM start in Madison

Rank Strangers starts its 13th Madison-Chicago race; we are the only team to appear every year of the race. It has changed sponsorship three times and grown from 60+ teams to 500+ teams.  Three newcomers this year are Melinda Roenisch, referred by 3rd timer Ed Stojakovic, William Serpa, referred by my friend Rich Go, and Emma Guiot, high school exchange student who will be running with her US dad, 4th timer and my oldest friend on the team, Randy Meacham.  (Emma is from the small town of Surzur in Brittany, in northwestern France).