The ultimate test of durability, dedication and stamina for runners took place in Northwest Indiana this past weekend. Groups of runners competed in a 24-Hour Run, the first ever Party at the Park at Sunset Hill Farm County Park in Chesterton.
The run featured a party atmosphere throughout the two days, with bands and vendors providing entertainment in the park. The Party in the Park kicked off at 4pm Saturday and concluded 24 hours later on Sunday afternoon. Teams were comprised of up to ten members with teammates swapping out relay style. However, several individuals attempted to run the entire race by themselves.
Mike Crowder snagged the individual title after running 33 laps, just ahead of Stan Zygmunt (28), Norm Williams (25) and Michael Gibson (25).
The Midwest Insurance Agency team came out on top with 59 laps, edging second place Extra Mile and Team Core Power, each with 56.
"I put a team together for this race not expecting to compete for the overall title," Paul Jankowski of the Midwest Insurance Agency team said. "I just thought it sounded cool and would be a good opportunity to hang out with my running friends and get a different type of workout in as part of our training for the Chicago Marathon."
Jankowski ended up landing two strong 5K runners in John Borman and his son Andrew, who is a junior cross country runner at Valparaiso High School. Paul Jankowski, Borman and Andrew Jankowski were joined on the team by Kent Butler, Chad Lawless, Mike Lyons, Mike Pontrelli, Shawn Nova, Tom Wyatt and Lindsay Moldstad. Jankowski organized the team by using a spreadsheet to map out a plan to cover the 24 hours.
"We expected to do 59 laps, hoping for possibly a few more," he said. "We actually finished 59 laps to win the team title, which was exciting. It wasn't easy running a fifth 5K at about 5am, but we all sucked it up and stayed a little bit ahead of schedule despite the heat."
The elongated race was the first of its kind in the area and received a great reception among competitors.
"I really enjoyed the team concept," Portage High School teacher and coach John Arredondo said. "When many of us race, we are racing alone. This was different as we were able to run as a team."