The UltraRunning link for the U.S.

Badgerland Striders F/X 24/12 Hour Runs 2001 Report(WI): Bonnie Busch

The home team was ahead, 47 to zip with just a few minutes remaining in
 the game. The visiting team did not look as bad as the score indicated,
 but a few minutes as a spectator hardly qualified me to render an opinion.
 This was the new location for this 12/24 hour run.  After years of
 parkways and parking lots, this race was back on a cushioned 400 meter
 track, the home of the Wauwatosa West Trojans.  And this was their junior
 varsity team having fun on a Saturday morning.  Within 15 minutes of the
 final whistle, the few spectator parents, teams and officials had cleared
 the field and the preparations for a 12/24 run were well underway.

 Partly cloudy sky, 75 degree high and 45 degree low predicated, light
 breeze, no rain predicted - great weather, a noon start time.

 Quietly the runners/walkers/crew/race organizers gathered.  No point in
 lengthy hellos, we would have lots of time to talk later.

 Five of us lined up haphazardly for the traditional "go" from the Race
 Director, Marty Malin.

 We were wearing a computer chip on our shoes and manual lapcounters armed
 with sharpened pencils waited for us to return from our loop around the
 400 meter track.  We scattered around the track, each in our own little
 world wondering what the day would bring.  Nervous eye contact and a quiet
 wave at the lap counter when the buzz of the scanner picked up the
 computer chip, one more lap done. I almost felt guilty as I headed back
 down the track, there were more lap counters or race setup people than
 runners.  Heading away from the setup area, we were facing an Interstate
 highway, close enough to count the cars and hear their whizzing speed, but
 far enough away to ignore it if one chose to.  Labor Day traffic and a
 Harley Fest down the road brought what seemed to be an endless stream of
 bikers - a great reminder to me that I chose to be where I was, despite
 many other good options.  After turning the corners on the Interstate end
 of the track, we were headed back to the setup area, grassy soccer fields
 and rolling knolls cuddled around the track.  55-75 mph at one end of the
 track and probably no better than 3-8 mph on the other end of the track.


 An hour later the 12 hour day race would start with five more people,
 doubling the number of participants.  By then, I think we were all ready
 for some conversation, maybe now we would introduce ourselves, say out
 loud what goals or hopes we might have for the day, and shared our
 pleasure with the soft track that greeted our feet.

 The Roberdeau family would be spending the weekend together on or near the
 track.  Dan, his daughter, son, and daughter-in-law would pay the entry
 fee and run or run/walk, while wife looked over the family from trackside
 or by joining them for a lap.  Alone the family accounted for 60% of the
 24 hour participants, 30% overall,  and I don't recall any group
 discounts!

 Terry Hawkins, in his 14th year at this event, usually has the whole
 family along, but this year it would be a son's girlfriend that would
 attend to Terry's needs until his son could get there later.  We would
 miss Terry's cheery wife, but noted that the girlfriend was a real keeper
 when she would deliver food and drink to the track as well as give
 massages to tired cranky muscles.  And that once small boy that would
 accompany the family on such track side weekends had grown into a tall,
 nice, young man.

 Roy Pirrung would provide the role model for the first half of the race.
 Roy was chasing age group records and it was fun to watch!  We tossed
 words of encouragement at him, but he didn't seem to need motivation, he
 knew what he needed to do.  What seemed to be the perfect temperature for
 5 mph can be a bit more uncomfortable at greater than 8 mph.  The cloud
 cover had given up to the sun and the wind pushed us around.  Roy would
 slow just momentarily as he realized that the age group 50k record would
 not mathematically happen and set his sights on the age group 50 mile
 record.  Would Roy outlast the sun and it's warmth?  The rest of us would
 run a little, walk a little, eat a little, drink a little as we watched.

 Chris and Shelby Roberdeau would periodically show off their speed with
 some fast track miles between their walking and wondering what an all
 night ultra was about.  Jennifer Roberdeau seemed happy with her switch to
 the 12 hour race from her debut last year at 24 hours, she already knew
 what it was about.

 For the rest of us, it was walk a little, run a little, wave at the lap
 counters.

 Roy would outlast the sun and managed a 4+ minute victory over the age
 group 50 mile record that he was chasing.  He took a well deserved break
 and now decided that warm clothes were needed as he slipped into tights to
 effectively cool down during the reminder of his 12 hour race.  He kept us
 company by practicing his walking and feeding conversation.

 Cooler air quickly settled in as the sun dropped behind the trees.  The
 duty of keeping the track reasonably lit was up to the full moon, good
 thing there were no clouds!  At midnight, the night 12 hour would overlap
 the day 12 hour and the track would be at it's fullest with 13
 participants - some actually running.  Fast, fresh legs of these runners
 reminded us of what our task should be - if we could.  Beth Simpson had
 one stated goal - qualify for Western States, and the other two night
 participants would also push our leisurely pass a bit.  Tom Zack
 comfortably clicked off laps of 2 minutes each.  Vince Varone, off of a
 finish at Western States,  seemed happy not to worry about cutoff times or
 course markings.

 A change of direction every three hours and new lapcounters every so often
 reminded us that time was passing faster than the miles.  Lapcounters were
 bundled in blankets, walkers in jackets and pants, runners in shorts and
 shortsleeves.  Somewhere near 5:00 a.m. the moon would slide far enough
 down the sky to dip below the trees and the sun would not have yet raised
 it's shining face to greet us.  This was a sleepy, quiet hour that a
 fuzzy, tired mind would let you find a comfortable chair and a blanket.  I
 welcomed the day light and the life it might bring my tired body.

 New lapcounters, waking crew members, a hot cup of coffee and warm
 sunshine filled the Sunday morning.  The newness of the day wore off
 quickly, too much time left to call it quits.  In fact it was time to get
 busy before the rising temperatures and returning winds would suck the
 last ounce of energy out of a weary bodies and planted doubt in tired
 minds.

 Tom had family commitments and left the track, Beth was closing on her
 goal of 50 miles, and Vince seemed to be getting faster.  The rest of us
 decided that 24 hour runs are about 4 hours too long.  Beth would reach
 her goal with roughly an hour to spare and celebrated shortly afterwards
 with a fresh shower and a comfortable pair of jeans, all well before the
 end of her available 12 hours.

 Just before the end of the 21st hour (and several years), I finished 100
 miles.  Dan surprised himself by persisting through for over 76 miles,
 setting the watermark for the Roberdeau family.  John Brophy made the
 longest trip to get to the race, coming from Canada, a move he made in the
 last year.  Rick Gretenhardt finished his first ultra when his work
 schedule allowed him to do the day 12 hour instead of the night version.
 Kevin Magin, on a self-described less than adequate training base, used
 his many years of experience to march to over 47 miles.

 Congratulations to race organizers Marty and Lise Malin and Mike Proctor
 for finding this wonderfully soft track for us to run on!  Most of us hung
 around for a group lunch and the awards ceremony that always features some
 home-crafted, one of a kind, personalized art work from Lise Malin.  To
 them and their volunteers for babysitting with us as we indulge ourselves
 into exhaustion.


 Bonnie Busch
 Enterprise Business Applications
 Phone     309-748-0337
 Fax         309-765-4128
 Internet  BuschBonnie@JohnDeere.com

 Deere & Company
 400 19th Street 3SE
 Moline, IL 61265