A group of more than 60 runners will be participating in the 27th annual Crazylegs Classic Saturday in memory of UW-Madison pharmacy school student Adam Nickel.
Nickel died suddenly after completing last month's Little Rock Marathon in Arkansas because of a rare and difficult-to-detect heart condition. Nickel was an avid runner and accomplished marathoner finishing his third year of pharmacy school at the time of his death.
In his remembrance, Nickel's friends, along with Group Health Cooperative, where Nickel interned, formed the Remembering Adam Nickel team.
Crazylegs was Adam's favorite race to run, so we decided to run it in his honor,"" said Nickel's friend and co-worker at GHC Sarah Ann Balzar.
Friends, co-workers and people who never met Nickel but were inspired by his story are all part of the RAN Team, Balzar said.
""Adam would be in awe of how many people are coming out to show their support and help us remember him and would love the fact that people are getting out and doing something active, one of Adam's favorite things to do,"" Balzar said.
The UW School of Pharmacy also established the Adam Nickel Memorial Scholarship Fund. Recipients of the scholarship will be decided by a committee based on ""passion for athletics, exercise, benefits to health, employment during Pharmacy School in a clinical environment and putting learning into immediate action to help patients,"" said Diane Stojanovich, director of communications for the School of Pharmacy.
Ron Dayne, Heisman Trophy winner and former running back for the Badgers, will be this year's Grand Marshall for the Crazylegs marathon. Dayne will be introduced at the start of the race, travel the course in front of the lead runners and greet runners at the finish line in Camp Randall stadium.
""Ron Dayne is very excited to come back to Madison,"" said Terry Murawski, executive director of National W Club, which organizes the race for the UW Athletic Department.
Murawski said there is a ""strong indication"" Dayne and his family will return to Madison at the end of Dayne's professional football career.
Participating in Crazylegs is ""a good segue for [Dayne] to come back and re-engage with his fans and the public,"" Murawski said.
