Wisconsin is one of my favorite states... but for the first time ever, I can say I'm glad to be out of it.
Don't get me wrong, I still love the friendly people, good beer and fun times. But having helped participate in the
Ragnar Race from Madison to Chicago with Holly and her running crew... yeah, I've seen more of Wisconsin than I ever needed to.
This is a growing event (first time Ragnar has managed it from Madison to Chicago) filled with teams of insane people. These "people", otherwise known as running robots, literally ran from Madison through all kinds of po-dunk Wisconsin towns down to the Milwaukee suburbs (through the middle of the night) and eventually ended up at Montrose Beach on the North side of Chicago.
It was a race that could be done with 6 or more people. But if you went with more than 6, you lost the "Ultra" status that our group of robots so desperately seeked. So, Holly, Tom, Matt, Taryn, Natalie and Scooter (some Purdue grad from Madison who likes to run and knows one of Matt's neighbors) hopped in a 12-passenger rental van driven by yours truly and navigated by Matt's better half - Amy.
After attending the mandatory safety meeting
Our six pack - appropriately named Blister in the Sole - not only finished the race, but beat the original estimated time by a longshot. They finished the 197 mile trek through woods, on trails, in neighborhoods and sidewalks in 30 (THIRTY) hours. It was very impressive.
At the start
Each robot took a leg that was anywhere as short as 2.5 miles up to as much as nearly 10. This took place on 6 different occasions. The race began Friday morning at 830 CST and ended just before 230. While round 6 took an adventurous turn, the first 5 rounds went relatively smoothly.
It really is difficult to put into words what this experience is like, but I can tell you it was amazing. It took incredible amounts of will, energy, mental toughness and most of all, physical fortitude. All six of the robots exemplified these characteristics to a T.
Run, Forrest, run!
Both Natalie and Holly gave all they had and ultimately the Ragnar knocked them down after round 5. Natalie (not Tom's wife) isn't even a distance runner, but she is ultra competitive and stubborn as hell, so she was a perfect fit. In round 2, though, she started to have some foot pain. This continued and ultimately started to transcend into hip pain by round 4.
Despite an incredibly gutsy effort she finally said enough's enough following round 5 when the paid ended up with a popping noise in her knee. So, send your good thoughts her way this week.
Closer to home, Mrs. Keckler gave a similar gutsy performance. A die-hard runner at heart, even this race was more than Holly expected. But the runner in her literally had her on a high through 4 rounds. Then came the dreaded round 5. Mind you, Natalie's final leg came while handing off the team bracelet to Holly in Racine, somewhere around 4 a.m.
Knowing that Natalie just limped to the van Holly was determined to make it through this grueling stretch. But as I waited in the damp, cool, misty morning air for her to make the exchange station at stop 5, I started to think something might be wrong.
It was taking her longer than anticipated. Once I saw her turn the corner, I was anticipating the standard end of leg kneeling position. But this time, she did it with a wheezing sound and obvious pain.
Once up she still wasn't breathing right but did motion to her knee that was in pain. Could it be back-to-back legs have taken out 33 percent of team BITS?? Indeed it was her I.T. band, or at least that was the diagnosis of Matt and another runner nearby. Regardless, the pain intensified and ultimately knocked her out, too.
At this point, there were 10 legs remaining and only 4 runners. And honestly, this is where I think I became most impressed. The quartet of able robots combined brains and figured out how many miles were left to run. They then divided up Natalie and Holly's remaining miles amongst them.
Believe me, if you think it's tough to drive a van on no sleep for 26 hours, imagine trying to divvy up another 14 miles that you weren't supposed to run! Physical and emotional exhaustion set in on everyone in the van. However, the group carried through with its goal of finishing the race as an ultra team.
Not only did they cross the finish line together faster than any of them anticipated, they literally accomplished a goal they wildly agreed to months ago. While I merely served as the group's
Hoke Colburn, it was an incredible experience. I wasn't just proud of Holly and what she did to accomplish this, but the group as a whole was awesome.
There was no bickering, just lots of laughter. There was no quitting, just smart, rationale decisions by two injured participants. There was simply no stopping, particularly when you've spent 20-plus hours in Wisconsin...
Congrats to Holly and her friends for an experience they (and I) will remember for the rest of their lives.
Kevin
