"I thought he was crazy," Hirsch said. "I told him, People are going to pay a fee and come and run? I can't believe it.'"

They have come. More than 140,000 runners and walkers have taken part in the race. The past two races have set participation records and registration for Saturday's 25th annual Crazylegs, which features an 8-kilometer run and a 2-mile walk, is on pace to challenge last year's record of 13,555 participants.

"I think the race is kind of a gem of spring," said Madison's Wally Block, who will be running Saturday for the eighth time in the race. "It's the sign that spring has come, after a long, hard winter.

"Then, you tie that together, you can think back to all the exciting things that happened in Badger sports over the last year, and all the things that are going to happen."

In honor of the 25th running of Crazylegs, we have selected 25 significant moments, facts and people involved in the race's history.

1. The race wouldn't be the same without the legendary Hirsch, who lent not only his nickname, but his indefatigable spirit and passion to the race until he passed away in January 2004. Before he died, Hirsch attended every race. He was at the starting line when the runners and walkers took off and he was at midfield at Camp Randall Stadium to give a high-five to all of them as they crossed the finishing line, staying until the final stragglers finished. "The guy we owe everything to is Elroy," Grantham said. "Elroy gave us permission (to use his nickname) and he was the guy that led the charge."

2, 3 and 4. Grantham, Ken Sparks and Rich Backus were the three that came up with the idea of the race. While the National W Club took over running it three years ago, Grantham remains involved as race chairman. "The fun part of it for me is to be a part of something, to give back," Grantham said. "It's taken on a life of its own now. The natural succession was to phase in the National W Club because they've got staff. We literally ran this out of our back pockets for the first 20 years."

5. The first race, held in 1982, attracted 1,525 runners and raised $9,500.

6. After three years of dealing with the renovation of Camp Randall Stadium, race organizers thought construction headaches were behind them. They were wrong. As Madison residents know, the construction never ends.

"We went to our first meeting and we were all smiles and grins because the stadium construction was done," said Terry Murawski, executive director of the National W Club. "Before we even get comfortable in our seats, the police lieutenant who works with us informed us of construction on State Street and we just looked at each other and said, 'You've got to be kidding me.'"

7. Walkers were added in 1987 and now make up one-third of the participants.

8. The starting line has always been on the Capitol Square, although it has moved to different spots. This year it is at East Washington Avenue. This is also the first year of the wave start, which race organizers think will be a key to continued growth in participants. That reduces congestion, because runners go off in different groups, based on their times.

"By going to the wave start, we're making it a safer, more enjoyable run, but we're also setting the stage for future growth," Murawski said. "You can't just continue to shove 10,000 people down State Street all at the same time."

9. The finish line is always at the 50-yard line inside Camp Randall, which is one of the race's highlights. As an added treat the past couple of years, participants can see themselves on the giant video replay board as they cross the finish line.

"I think that's fantastic," said Madison's Charlie Rider, one of the race's volunteers. "It's a Wisconsin tradition. You cross the 50-yard line, you're on the field and then you get to have a beer. What could be better than that?"

10. The UW Marching Band is a fixture at the race, serenading participants at the start and finish lines. The past few years, The LoveMonkeys have been a popular addition to the post-race festivities.

11. Another wildly popular aspect to the race are the much-coveted Crazylegs T-shirts given to participants. "I get a kick each year out of seeing how the T-shirt will be set up," Block said. "I think they've gotten more and more clever."

When Block, an assistant professor in the UW-Madison biomedical engineering department, traveled to China for his job, he had his picture taken at the Great Wall while wearing a Crazylegs T-shirt. He has an idea of getting people to get their pictures taken while wearing the T-shirts at famous places around the world and thought this would be a start. It remains to be seen if the idea catches on.

12. Jim Bradley, the current race director, has been involved in every Crazylegs. "The key guy in all this is Jim Bradley," Grantham said. "Jim is so meticulously organized. He's the one that makes the race go. We stay out of his way because he just does it."

13. The weather this time of year can be dicey. The 1984 race was run with a 25 mph wind that blew mostly into the runners' faces. "We always try to do a little contingency planning, but we never planned on barricades blowing over," Bradley said. The 1988 race started with snow flurries and ended with a few inches of snow on the field at Camp Randall.

14, 15 and 16. At least three Olympians have taken part in Crazylegs, including former UW-Madison standouts Steve Lacy and Suzy Favor Hamilton. Lacy, who took part in the 1984 Olympics, won back-to-back titles in 1987 and '88. Favor Hamilton, a three-time Olympian, was the top women's finisher in 1993. Rod DeHaven won the race in 2000, a week before winning the marathon at the U.S. Olympic Trials, which qualified him for the Sydney Olympics.

17. Runner's World magazine has rated Crazylegs as one of America's 100 best events.

18. The first race to crack the 10,000 mark for participants was in 2000. One of the keys to the race's growth has been Fun and Fitness teams, an idea pushed by former State Journal managing editor Bill Robbins. The State Journal is one of the sponsors of the race. Teams must have a minimum of 10 people and this year there are 174 teams. "Bill always thought the race should match the Dow Jones," Bradley said. "Of course, we've surpassed that."

19. To get the most accurate times, the race went to chip timing devices -- miniature transponders marked with an identification number and attached to the shoelaces -- in 2003. That also allowed the creation of 15 age groups, as opposed to the three (junior, open and master) that had been offered. "That's big," Grantham said of the chip timing devices, "because it really puts the race up there with the elite races."

20. The first race after the death of Hirsch in 2004 set a record for participants with more than 12,000, which was eclipsed last year. Perhaps the hardest decision was what to do at the finish line without Hirsch to greet runners. Now, finishers are greeted by a host of Badger "celebrities."

21. In the three races run by the National W Club, participation has increased 50 percent. "We think that's an indicator that if you continue to put on a good event and you continue to evolve and do some contemporary things that are being done in other races, people will respond in a positive fashion," Murawski said.

22. About 300 volunteers usually help out with the race. One of the better volunteer stories belongs to Rider, whose first date with his wife, Kristen, was the 1998 race. She was running and he was working at the start. "We ended up spending about 6 hours, across the street, after the finish, in a bar, talking," he said. "We both went our separate ways that night and told all of our friends that we met our match. Sure enough, three weeks later we got engaged. Six months later we were married." The couple now have two young children, whom the parents hope will eventually take part in the race.

23. The UW-Madison men's cross country team that won the 2005 NCAA title will be recognized in the stadium after the race. "They exemplify the great tradition of Wisconsin running," Murawski said. "Here's a sport that has had great success but doesn't get an opportunity to be in front of a large audience. For them, 15,000 people is going to be pretty cool."

24. Crazylegs has raised more than $2.2 million for UW-Madison athletic programs. At one time, money from fundraisers like this was vital to keeping the athletic department in the black. Now, in the era of sold-out stadiums and luxury boxes, the revenue may not seem as significant. But it's a way for people to support the athletic programs without shelling out thousands of dollars.

"It allows the little guy to be a part of all that," Block said. "Obviously, with the success, the (luxury) seats and stuff, it's a big-time program. But for the cost of a T-shirt or whatever, you can go in there and hang out with (Badger athletes) and see Bucky."

25. The future of the race is limitless, according to Murawski. A similar race in Boulder, Colo., draws almost 50,000 runners. "We think the sky's the limit," Murawski said.