Lake Monona 20K celebrates 25 years By Tom Kaufman One of southern Wisconsin's venerable races will celebrates its 25th anniversary when the Lake Monona 20K is run on Saturday, May 3. Born during the
height of the first "running boom," the 20K is a beautiful one loop race around Madison's second largest lake. There are  magnificent views of the state capitol, the Frank Lloyd Wright Convention Center, and, of course, Lake Monona. Throughout its long history, the race has changed
its start/finish line and course direction three times. Originally held at Madison's Olbrich Park and running clockwise around the lake, the race was moved to Olin Park with a counterclockwise route from the mid '80s to the mid '90s. Current race director Peter Wadsack took over in 1995. Wadsack moved the start/finish to Monona's Winnequah Park on a nearly traffic free roadway and restored the original clockwise direction. The constant has always been Lake Monona. Madison's lakes have proved to be quite convenient for race organizers. Lake Wingra, which abuts the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, is a nearly perfect 10 kilometers around. Lake Monona obliges by doubling the distance to provide a scenic 20 kilometer loop with an abundance of gently rolling hills. The early May date and 20 kilometer distance have made the
LM20K a popular event not only among competitors looking for a hot race, but among runners wanting a tune up event or a last long tempo run before the Madison Marathon or the ever popular Syttende Mai 20 mile. Perhaps the most unique aspect to the LM20K is the scoring system. In most respects, the race is administered like any other runners all start
together, run the course and get a finishing place at the end. However, the official results are nearly always a bit of a surprise. When he took over the event, Wadsack, a highly competitive runner in his age group, was looking for a way to compare all the runners equally. For example, how would a 50 year old female completing the course in 1 hour and 40 minutes compare to the "normal" winner, say a 30 year old male, completing the course in 1 hour and 8 minutes?
Wadsack knew from his years of racing that frequently a masters athlete might actually have a superior performance, but due to physical limitations that inevitably come with the aging process, could not hope to compete for the top positions garnered by athletes 10, 20 and sometimes 30 years younger. What emerged was a scoring system that took into account a runner's age and gender. Each LM20K runner receives a handicapped time adjustment based on his or her age and
gender. The handicap is derived by comparing each U.S. single age/gender record for 20 kilometers to the overall U.S. National Record for 20 kilometers. The time difference between the two records becomes the time handicap that is subtracted from each runner's raw time. The current U.S. 20 kilometer record is 59:13, run by Paul Cummings. The record for a 40 year old man is 1:03:06. The record for a 40 year old woman is 1:13:46. Using the formula, a 40 year old man
would have 3:57 subtracted from his raw time, while a 40 year old woman would have 14:33 subtracted from her raw time. This adjustment is done for each runner, comparing their specific age/gender record to the U.S. National Record.
Wadsack likes the system because he feels it provides a better comparison than just overall place. Over the years, a few peculiarities have arisen, however. Perhaps the biggest aberration stems from the fact
that most races use standard five or 10 year age divisions. When runners move into a new age division, often they are motivated to train and race a bit harder because they think they may have a leg up on their older competitors. This has resulted in faster records associated with the traditional five year age breaks. In other words, the record at 50 years of age may be significantly faster than a record at 48 years of age. For the 50 year old runner, the LM20K may be their one race in a year
where they actually have to run faster than a 48 year old to win an award. This may put the 50 year old (or 40 , 45 , 55 or 60 year old) at a bit of a disadvantage, but those 44 and 49 year olds love it.
The other factor that Wadsack has noticed over the years is that the fastest overall runners usually still finish near the top, regardless of handicap. Often the first runner across the line will not be awarded first
place, but still retains a high ranking. Some runners can be put off by the system, but most really seem to like it once they understand how it works. The World Association of Veteran Athletes (WAVA) has also established tables comparing age/gender performances. These tables base the handicap on a percentage decline in performance associated with age. Wadsack has said he is studying the WAVA format and may implement it in future years.
The Lake Monona 20K truly is a unique running experience. The race provides one of the best T shirts around. For the $22/$22.50(online)/ $25(late) entry fee, each runner receives a technical Cool Max type shirt with an award winning design. Indeed, Runner's World magazine deemed the LM20K shirt one of the best race shirts in the U.S., bestowing an artistic design award several years ago.
Post race refreshments include fresh fruit and some of Wisconsin's finest
malt beverages for those of age. Malt beverage consumption notwithstanding, Wadsack is always looking for younger runners (under 30). Over the years, the average age of the runners has, like in most races, increased. Wadsack would like to continue to attract new runners to the sport while at the same time giving those veterans the opportunity to realistically compare their times to the entire race field.
The Lake Monona 20K will leave the starting line in Winnequa Park at
9 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. Information and registration is available on the race Web site at www.runmadison.org/lm20km. I hope to see you there. Good running to you!
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