Out for a Run

The finish line at the Zimmer Championship Cross
Country course.  11/15/2019 dwm photo

60 teams came to Madison for a race - the men (29 teams) ran 10,000 meters (6.2 miles) and the women (31 teams) 6,000 meters (3.7 miles).

But it's a lot more than that.  An hour before the race, I saw runners out on the course warming up.  They ran the race.  Then I saw the same runners on the course again after the race running some more.

I think they more than doubled their mileage with all the steps.

My colleague on the course was an accomplished cross country runner - he didn't recall ever running that much before or after the race.

On the final stretch, Alicia Monson
of Wisconsin lurks behind the leader,
beating her to the finish line.
11/15/2019 dwm photo

Judging what to wear was my biggest task before the meet - I wore three pairs of socks, A layer under and over my jeans and two shirts, a coat, and jacket over it; finally I had two gloves and ear warmers under a hat.

It was so warm I actually ditched the ear covers; unzipped the jacket; and took off the outer gloves.

Runners did the same - as they passed our point on the course we saw gloves and socks getting discarded as runners warmed up.

To be clear, they were not throwing off the socks on their feet - a lot of runners used socks as mittens to keep their hands warm.

Aaron Bienenfeld of Cincinnati
took an early lead and held on to win.
11/15/2019 dwm photo

I was won of nearly three dozen volunteer marshalls, clerks, or officials.  This was my third meet, and frankly I'm still learning about it.

Most of the others must be experienced, because there is very little specific training or assignments on our role or where we should be positioned.  After our pre-race meeting, I asked where I should go and was told to head to the "bottom of the course."

Just what that meant was unclear, I was told it was the lowest part of the course near the 1 kilometer mark on the course's first lap.

Marshalls gather before the races.
11/15/2019 dwm photo

After I made my way to that point where a secondary trail joins the outer loop, a second marshall arrived.  He was also a former cross country runner, although more accomplished, winning a Midwest title in 1958.  His granddaughter was in the race - running for the Badger team which finished 3rd.

I enjoyed my year running cross country at Janesville Craig.  It was a great team sport as runners not in the race cheered their teammates and every healthy runner got to run during the regular season.

If you weren't fast enough to win, you could be fast enough to set a personal record.  I hope all the runners set a P.R.