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4th Annual Mad City Events...
* Mad City 100K Solo... USA Track & Field National Championship.
* Mad City 50K Solo... an ultra taste of the madness.
* Mad City 50K Relay... teams do battle over 5 laps of the Mad City course.

Web: http://www.runrace.net/findarace.php?id=10100WI&tab=a3 Go there or Go there in new browser

Run concurrent with the 100K National Championship race will be two other Mad City events, open to all runners...

Mad City 50K... a 50K ultra spin following the same course as the 100K, but at 5 laps, just half the distance.

Mad City 50K Relay... comprised of teams made up of 2 to 5 members.

The time limit for both the solo & relay race is 7 hours (3:00 p.m. cutoff).

The 2009 World Cup 100K will be run in Belgium on June 19. Running our US national championship race less than three months before the World Cup would not give USATF and our American runners sufficient time for team selection and preparation. Historically, we have allowed at least three months for these purposes. Because of our Wisconsin weather, we can't in good conscience move the date of the Mad City 100K into early March, February, or January.

Happily, we already know when and where the 2010 World Cup 100K will be run: November 6, 2010 in Gibraltar. That will allow the Mad City 100K to be the US national championship again that year - exact date to be announced.

Without hosting the 2009 US national championship, we cannot realistically hope to raise prize money for the 2009 Mad City 100K, so that will be a temporary change in our race. On the other hand, we will continue our tradition of excellent awards and a first-class event.

Check out the action as captured through the lens of our roving photographer, Local Organizing Member, Anna Boldon by clicking into our official Photo Gallery.

Check out Timo's comments by clicking into this one, on our Reports page.

Check out Timo's recap and important links related to our 2008 Mad City 100K by clicking into our Reports page.

Check out the official proclamation as published in our Reports page.

Check out the official commendation as published in our Reports page.

One of our loyal and generous sponsors, The Wisconsin Cheeseman, will see to it that every runner in the Mad City 100K national championship 100-kilometer run and our citizen relay "The Race for the Ages", will go home with some fine Wisconsin cheese. You can see their products online at www.wisconsincheeseman.com.

In addition, the Mad City 100K gives handsome, unique ceramic plaques to age group winners (1-2-3 places) regardless of membership in USATF.

Under USA Track & Field's qualifying standards, Steve's sub-5:40:00 performance at the Jed put him among the top six American men for consideration for the US national 100K team traveling to Italy for the World Cup 100K this fall.

The 2008 Mad City 100K will again been designated by USA Track & Field as the national championship race. The event will take place in Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday, April 12.

After his hard-won victory in Madison last year, Crowther continued at the top of his running game. In September, he and the other members of the USA men’s ultramarathon team won the bronze team medal at the annual World Cup 100-kilometer race in Winschoten, The Netherlands. Crowther was the second American across the finish line, taking 11th place in the world competition. It was the first time since 2000 that the USA men were on the medal podium.

Currently Lin is team leader for the American men's and women's teams at the World Cup races. Lin resides in Rochester, Minnesota, and volunteers her time for the Mad City 100K.

We take into consideration your depleted physical condition after running an ultramarathon. This has proven to be the most compassionate way for us to both honor you with your award and quickly get you on your way back to the comforts of home. You are more than welcome to hang around for as long as you like, however.

Timo will conduct a pre-race briefing at 6:00 p.m. All solo runners and their family and friends are encouraged to attend the briefing, and relay teams are invited as well. Everyone will be welcomed. Introductions will be made. All questions will be answered. Soft drinks will be served, but dinner is on your own.

Also, at packet pickup on Friday (April 11, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) at the Madison Sheraton Hotel, runners will be given their computer timing chips. The race director recommends that you do not lose them overnight!

Click to see an interactive map to the Sheraton Madison Hotel.

The 2008 Mad City 100K starts at 6:30 a.m. (CDT), Saturday April 12th. If you cannot experience the Mad City 100K in person be sure to keep up with the action by clicking into our Race Webcast.

To see a video clip of Michael finishing the 2008 SunTrust National Marathon in record time click the following link:
www.nbc4.com/sports/15733805/detail.html

Most recently, Mark has excelled in Masters races internationally. (Age 40 is currently the milestone for American Masters, while 35 is the international age.) In 2005, Mark won the world championship in the Masters 100-kilometer race in Argentina.

Connie, 44, of Medina, Ohio, won national championships in the 100-mile run in 2003 and the 100-kilometer run in 2002.

Please review and become familiar with these summary of rules that we've published in our Reports page.

Be it known, however, that Howard's honorary duties begin and end with the start of the Mad City 100K at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 12. Before and after that moment of glory, the Race Director will have Howard cooking soup, mixing sports drink, picking up litter, refilling water bottles, and otherwise ministering to the competitors' needs till the race is over!

To whet your appetite... With two weeks to go Timo publishes images of the awards that will be earned by 2008 Mad City 100K champions.

Check out photos of these awards by clicking into our Reports page.

Michael, a marathon speedster from Arlington, Virginia, will turn 34 years old on race day at the Mad City 100K on April 12. He competed in the US Olympic marathon trials in both 2002 and 2008. At the Mad City 100K, Michael hopes to qualify for the American national team headed for the IAU World Cup 100km race in Italy later this year.

Two national championship ultramarathon races less than 6 weeks apart? It’s not too daunting for Michael. Since winning the 50km crown in New York on March 2, Michael has also won both the Lower Potomac Marathon in 2 hours 34 minutes, and the Shamrock Marathon in 2 hours, 24 minutes.

Michael’s winning time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, 5 seconds in New York was the fastest ever by a US man in a 50km national championship race. He broke the course record held by Greg Crowther of Seattle, Washington. Greg won the inaugural Mad City 100K in 2007 and will also be in Madison to defend his national title on April 12.

A member of the US national team for 8 years, Kevin was part of the American squad on the medal podium in 2000, when the USA men won the Team Silver Medal at the IAU World Cup 100-kilometer race in The Netherlands.

Kevin has excelled at many other ultramarathon distances as well. In 1993, he won the American championship in the 24-hour run by winning with a distance of 160.4 miles, setting the American national record at that time.

In last year’s inaugural Mad City 100K, Kevin wore race number No. 1, awarded by the race director in recognition of Kevin’s contributions to the cause of American ultramarathoning.

Residing in nearby Eagle, Wisconsin, Kevin is married to Kris Clark-Setnes, herself a 3-time national champion at 100 kilometers (1992, 1993, and 1997). Kevin considers it the highlight of his running career to have won the “His and Hers” national titles with Kris in 1997.

Ann won national championships in 2002 in both the 50-mile trail run and the 24-hour run. A veteran of American national ultramarathon teams, Ann competed on the international stage in the IAU World Cup races in Europe and Asia from 2001 to 2005.

“Ann Heaslett’s return to the Mad City 100K will be an inspiration to our national runners and our local runners alike,” said race director Tim Yanacheck. “She’s a deserving member of ultramarathoning royalty.”

For the past few years, Ann has expanded her athletic competitions to triathlons, including the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in 2006. In 2007, she competed in the Ultraman World Championship, also in Hawaii. The Ultraman race is a three-day circuit of the Big Island, consisting of a 6.2-mile ocean swim, 261.4 miles on bicycle, and finally a double-marathon run, 52.4 miles, on the famous “Queen K Highway”. Ann finished the ordeal in a total time of 27 hours, 18 minutes, 32 seconds, good for second place among women and 11th place overall. Her time of 7 hours, 58 minutes for the double marathon was the second-fastest ever by a woman in Ultraman history.

Be sure to take advantage of this deal as soon as possible!

The Sheraton Madison Hotel is located about 2½ driving miles from our race start / finish area - Henry Vilas Zoo

Call the Sheraton Madison Hotel directly to take advantage of our Mad City 100K special offer!

Check out Mary's recap of the tour:
www.madcity100k.com/reports.php?id=20

Ordinarily, runners must meet a qualifying time standard (7 hours, 20 minutes for men, and 8 hours, 40 minutes for women). However, this year the time standards will be waived for the national championship race winners only.

The American team of 6 men and 6 women will compete in the World Cup race in Tuscania, Italy, on November 8, 2008.

For complete team selection procedures, click on this link:
100k Team Selection Procedures
www.usatf.org/events/2008/IAU100kmWorldCup/entry/

And to see whose ultrarunning performances to date have put them in contention for inclusion on the USA 100K team, click on this link:
Performance List
www.usatf.org/events/2008/IAU100kmWorldCup/entry/eligible.asp

I read the impressive results from 50K national championship race at Caumsett State Park in New York earlier this month. This would be a great time to step up and either sign up for the 100K championship race yourself, or spread the word to runners who might take the challenge of 100 kilometers on the roads. I have a great course here in Madison, Wisconsin, a terrific sports city with lots of volunteers and support.

I established and am growing the Mad City 100K with one thought in mind: to help field the best possible American teams for the IAU World Cup 100K race each year. Last September 9, the USA men won the team bronze medal in the World Cup race in The Netherlands. Howard Nippert, Greg Crowther (our defending Mad City 100K champ), and Chad Ricklefs finished 8-11-17 in the world. The USA women's team took fourth in the world, with a team of Kami Semick, Devon Crosby-Helms (2nd in the Mad City 100K), Julie Udchachon (1st in the Mad City 100K), Connie Gardner (5th in the Mad City 100K), and Carolyn Smith (3rd in the Mad City 100K).

The 2008 World Cup race will be in Italy on November 8. The Mad City 100K on April 12 would be a great opportunity to try to be part of it, for you or for an aspiring ultrarunner.

Earlier this month (March 2), Adam took third place in the US National Championship 50-kilometer road race. Adam ran an impressive time of 3 hours, 14 minutes, 48 seconds. The 50K race was run in "brisk" weather at Caumsett State Park in New York.

In the same race, Roy Pirrung won the 55-59 age group in a time of 4:17:22. Roy will also be competing in the Mad City 100K.

Check out this Report with Photos (requires Adobe Reader) recap of the 2008 USA Championship 50km Race.

Joining USATF is easy and inexpensive. The annual membership fee is just $29.95. You can sign up online at www.usatf.org. Timo recommends that you do it. With the small field of competitors we have signed up so far for the Mad City 100K, you never know....

In 2007, Carolyn ran the 100-kilometer course in 8 hours, 36 minutes, 39 seconds, meeting the American qualifying standard (8:40:00) and securing a place on the American team.

At the World Cup race in The Netherlands last fall, Carolyn lowered her time to an outstanding 8:16:17, good for 5th on the team and 19th in the world. The American women took 4th place in the world team competition.

Carolyn, of Milwaukee, is a physician who serves as Medical Director for the Student Health Service at Marquette University and Head Team Physician for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Last year's miserable weather on race day was very, very unusual. Spring (April) in Wisconsin generally has temperatures in the mid-50s (F) for highs with lows on average in the upper 30's to low 40s.

The good news is that, after a very long, cold and snowy winter, the National Weather Service 30-day outlook for April is normal for both temperature and precipitation. The mean temperature for Madison is 56.5 degrees with an average total rain fall for the month of April of right around 3 inches.

Indications are that the 30-day outlook is accurate due to the fact that the jet stream is now moving into its summer pattern. That means that cooler Canadian air is held to the north of Madison allowing warmer southern breezes into the area in time for the race.

"I compare Howard with Yao Ming," said Timo Yanacheck, race director. "He goes overseas and competes and succeeds against the best in the world in a sport that his home country is still learning to embrace."

Howard, of Fork Union, Virginia, also coaches ultramarathoners. You can read more about Howard and his running career at www.howardnippert.com.

Howard will be on hand in Madison throughout the race weekend, April 11-13.

The Bronze Label identifies the Mad City 100K as having met the standards set for a race of this stature. Bronze Label status assures eligibility for recognition of world records. It also places Mad City 100K finishers on the annual list of world-wide rankings. The Bronze Label has a special importance for elite runners, as it figures into the calculation of the travel grants for those invited to a major IAU competition such as the World Cup.

The Mad City 100K is a 100-kilometer (62 miles) running race. In last year's race, Pirrung finished as the 4th place male in the nation in a time of 8 hours, 49 minutes, 28 seconds, a pending American record for his age group.

The 2008 Mad City 100K will be run on Saturday, April 12, at Vilas Park. Once again, the race will be the US national championship race for both for men and for women.

In 2007, "Pirrung dominated his age group in almost every race he entered," said Nancy Hobbs, chair of USA track & Field's Mountain Ultra Trail Running Council. In addition to his performance at the Mad City 100K, Pirrung's finishes included 1st at the 24-hour run national championship, 2nd at the Sunmart Texas Trail 50-mile run, 2nd at the USA 50-kilometer road championship, 1st at the Ice Age Trail 50-mile run, and 2nd in the USA 100-kilometer national masters trail championship. Pirrung has also been a member of the USA national 24-hour run team for the past six years.

Pirrung is a fitness trainer at Sports Core for Kohler Company.

I wanted to assure you that you had a hand in this achievement. By putting on a great US championship event in the spring, you provided a valuable experience for several of us who later made the trip to Winschoten. More specifically, speaking for myself, I learned a lot from training for and racing at Mad City. At the time, the lessons were hard ones -- I was trashing my muscles a bit too much on certain training runs, and I went out too aggressively on race day, and I paid the price in the last 30K. But by making those mistakes in the spring, I was able to regroup and race more successfully at Winschoten even though my overall fitness wasn't quite as good as it had been a few months earlier. Of course, the Mad City prize money was also important in lowering the net cost of racing this year.

So thanks for making such an important contribution to the ultra scene in general and the US World Cup team in particular.
--Greg

The new relay format will be called "The Race for the Ages", relay coordinator Doug Erickson has announced. "The Mad City 100K is turning the relay awards competition on its head by dispensing with the usual, tired categories," said Erickson. This year, we'll be giving relay awards in the following four categories, based on the combined age of the team members:
        0-299 years
        300-399 years
        400-499 years
        500 year and over

Here's how it will work: Say you have 10 relay members, ages 21, 25 (3), 32 (2), 40, 45 (2), and 65. You just add all 10 ages together for a total of 355. Your team would compete in the 300-399 category.

If your team has fewer than the maximum 10 members because some are running more than one leg, no problem. Just add those runners' ages again based on how many legs they are running.

Even if you have just a 2-member relay team splitting the 10 legs - one 25 years old, the other 30 - you would multiply the 25 by five and the 30 by five and add them together for a team age of 275. That puts you in the 0-299 category.

We realize team rosters sometimes change as race day nears, so there's no need to provide ages when registering. Two weeks before race day, team leaders will receive an e-mail from Doug Erickson, the relay coordinator, asking for names and ages.

The relay race venue will be the same as in 2007: ten laps around Madison's runner-friendly 10-kilometer route circling Lake Wingra. The start and finish lines are at Vilas Park.

Registration for both "The Run for the Ages" citizen relay and the 2008 Mad City 100K national championship solo race is now open. Click into our Registration link for more details. Relay questions can be directed to Doug at DErickson@madison.com.

The Sheraton Madison Hotel is located about 2½ driving miles from our race start / finish area - Henry Vilas Zoo

Call the Sheraton Madison Hotel directly to take advantage of our Mad City 100K special offer!

In addition... Place awards will be to the first, second, and third males and females in the following age groups:
0 - 34, 35 - 39, 40 - 44, 45 - 49, 50 - 54, 55 - 59, 60 - 64, and 65+

Also, the Mountain, Ultra, Trail Council of USA Track & Field honored the 2007 Mad City 100K as "Contributor of the Year" for its outstanding national championship race last April. The award was presented to race representative Ann Heaslett at the convention by USA Track & Field president Bill Roe.

Tim Yanacheck, the Mad City 100K race director, deeply appreciates the recognition of the extraordinary efforts of his Local Organizing Committee and the outstanding athletes who performed so well in the 2007 race's unseasonably lousy weather. "If USA Track & Field believes we did a great job in our first Mad City 100K, just wait till they see what we do in our second and third [2008 and 2009]," said Timo.

Website designed and programmed by Bill Thom, Kemper Tech, Inc.: bill@kempertech.com
Mad City 100K Logo and illustrations by Mike Kasun, Mike Kasun Illustration.

Participant race registration is opened for both events through the website of: RunRace.net