Midnight Madness – 47th Edition

The Lincoln Running Company Racing team sent four teams and 13 athletes to compete at the 47th annual Midnight Madness races in Ames, Iowa.  All four teams performed well, posting solid times in less-than-ideal conditions.  The 5k started at 7:30 PM under full sun and 85 degree temps.  The 10k fired off at 8:30; while temps had cooled to 80 degrees by dusk, the additional humidity and length of the race made for grueling conditions.

Tim Grundmayer led the 5k-ers in 15:52, technically a new PR as his last official 5k was in high school. He is also now tied for 10th on the team’s Top 10 Charts. Tim’s race time would have been faster if not for a legitimate attempt to bridge the gap between the chase pack and the race leader. Tim Meyer finished shortly after in 4th place, in a time of 15:58.  Rounding out the team scoring was Dr. Cole Marolf in 8th place with a time of 16:34.  The Tims and Dr. Marolf finished 2nd in the team competition, scoring 14 points to Runablaze Iowa’s 10 (Finishing 1st, 3rd, and 6th).

For the LRC 10k men, the result was similar, taking 2nd place in the team competition to Runablaze.  The Nolans led LRC with 10th (Zimmer) and 11th (Border) place finishes, in 33:21 and 33:27, respectively.  Mike Rathje finished shortly after in a respectable 34:38.  While none of the three 10k participants were satisfied with their results, their effort was commendable.  The Midnight Madness 10k is one of the deepest in the region and they laid it on the line; going with the leading group of runners early in the race.

For the women, the LRC team finished 1st in the women’s category, and third overall.  Katie Wetzstein continued her streak of outstanding racing, taking third overall and setting a new team record in a quick 36:18.  Sub 36 (35?) is surely around the corner.  Ashlyn Glann was the next scorer in 39:41, finishing in the last “money spot (7th).   Anna Dilley and Jessa Sughroue followed close behind in 40:13 and 41:03.

Also competing for LRC were Michelle Paxton, Michelle Schmidt, and Amy McCracken.  The Michelles and Amy finished 1-2-4 in the Master’s category. and 2nd in the Open Women’s team competition.

Full results can be found here.