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| Local team runs, runs and runs for 33 hours |
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| Team of 12 covers 126-mile course |
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 | | Submitted photo | | David Evans hands off to Brandon Dubisar during a midday leg of the 126-mile Cascade Lakes Relay. |
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By Gary Lindberg
Crazy? Yes. Mad? Yes.
Anyone being part of a 33-hour run likely qualifies. Yet, the Crazy MADras Runners were four hours faster than their projected time in the inaugural 126-mile Cascade Lakes Relay.
The event started at 4:45 a.m. Friday at Diamond Lake, near Crater Lake. The 12-member Madras team completed its trek at 3:30 p.m. Saturday with the finish line at Summit High in Bend. The local team's actual time was 33 hours, 40 minutes, 26 seconds to finish 39th among 52 co-ed teams.
The winning co-ed time was 23:44:21 by Team BMC (Bend Memorial Clinic)/Footzone. The 52nd finishers, Smokin Moccasins-Wildhorse Resort, clocked in at 36:33:52.
The local team's projected time of nearly 38 hours was based on each runner's submitted times for a specific distance. The relay had a total of 36 legs, meaning every team member had three legs. Distances varied from 2.5 to 10.5 miles with check points signaling a relay exchange.
"It was a really fun event," said Suzy El-Attar who ran the first leg. "At each check point, we were faster than our projected time. So, we knew we were doing well."
Will Bean was the team captain and organizer. He recruited the 11 other members, all from Jefferson County. The Crazy MADras team members were: David Evans, Jim Gemelas, Angela Harris, Brandon Dubisar, Abel Santos, Carolyn Johnson, Mike Johnson, Brock Monger, Karen Monger, Miles Lilly, El-Attar and Bean.
The local team divided into two separate groups in two vans, known as active and inactive vans. When one of the six-person groups was running, the other went to a designated check point to rest.
El-Attar was the team's first runner with a hilly 8.7-mile leg. She also ran a 7.0-mile leg at 6 p.m. Friday and a 6.0-mile leg at 6 a.m.
"I like to run hills," El-Attar said. "I was fortunate to not have to run in the heat. I'd never run in anything like this before. I definitely had to up my training."
El-Attar said she usually ran four or five miles twice a week. By July, she went on runs of eight to 10 miles.
The race was primarily on rural roads, going to Silver Lake, LaPine and then Bend. Lilly ran the final leg, joined by all of his teammates for the final 100 yards.
"After we finished, we all said we'd do it again," El-Attar said. |
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