Thousands of runners crossed the field at Camp Randall under a chilled, overcast sky as they finished the final stretch of the 34th annual Crazylegs Classic Saturday.
The Crazylegs Classic, called a “tradition” by runners and commentators, is an 8-kilometer run through the UW-Madison area held to raise money for UW Athletics. Since the first race in 1982, which only brought 1,525 runners, more than 300,000 runners and walkers have run the race, according to Crazylegs Classic’s website.
But, while the race has drawn national attention, including recognition from magazines like Runner’s World and groups like the Road Runners Club of America, students and alumni always seem to fill out the ranks.
“It’s kind of fun to do something that supports the school and it’s pretty easy to get your friends to do it with you,” said Claire Piggott, a UW graduate who ran her third Crazylegs Classic this year.
According to Piggott, an area runner who has competed locally before, the Crazylegs Classic has a community charm that makes it unique beyond its punishing hills.
“There’s always people cheering you on. The whole way, there’s people with signs … it’s a really fun race,” Piggott said. “Runners who finish will come back and cheer on their friends to make it up those last few hills.”
That supportive community also stuck out to Ryan Lepkowski, a chemical engineering major who ran his second Crazylegs on Saturday.
“There’s a group of graduated, older men [who] come back to their old house on University with microphones and pumped-up music,” Lepkowski said. “[Every year, they] try to get everyone excited for that last stretch of the race.”
For first timer Shanna Kasper, a junior at UW-Madison, it was the final drive through Camp Randall and Crazylegs’ celebration that capped off a winding race.
“You kind of felt like a celebrity,” Kasper said. “It was cool to run into a stadium where the stands are filling up and everyone seems like they’re cheering for you. [Plus], it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you run the race, you still get free beer at the end.”
