Due to commitments to the University of Wisconsin women's track and field team, decorated distance runner Katrina Rundhaug never had the opportunity to run the Crazylegs Classic.

The Dodgeville native, who was an All-America track and cross country performer at UW after winning WIAA state titles in track and cross country, finally found the time to compete in the UW athletics fundraiser Saturday morning.

"I just wanted to have fun with it. I didn't want to get nervous and feel pressure to win,'' said Rundhaug, who graduated from UW last year. "But in the back of my head I really wanted to win."

That she did. Dodging intermittent downpours and maneuvering through the 8-kilometer course from the Capitol Square to Camp Randall Stadium, Rundhaug crossed the finish line of the 28th annual event in 27 minutes, 46 seconds and led a contingent of former Badgers to the awards tent.

Ann Detmer, a former Lodi athlete, was second in :28.18, and defending champion Linsey Smith placed third at :28.21.
"It was a lot fun to be with my old teammates again. We were up for the challenge together," Smith said.

Part of the challenge was the rain, and part was navigating through the record number of 18,541 participants.

"I've run in worse conditions," said Rundhaug, 24, and now a nurse in the child and adolescent psychiatry department at Meriter Hospital.

Rundhaug's resume suggested a victory was possible. She was a five-time All-American at UW and won the 5000- and 10,000-meter races at the Big Ten Conference track and field meet in 2008 and '05, respectively. In 2008, Rundhaug was fifth in the 5,000 at the NCAA indoor championships and fifth in the 10,000 at the national outdoor meet.

As a cross country athlete, Rundhaug garnered All-American and All-Big Ten recognition in 2006. She also is a Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient, an award presented annually at each school to a graduating male and female who demonstrated proficiency in athletics and academics.

Saturday, though, was more than winning a race — and the $4,000 Trek Bontrager mountain bike that came with the title. It also was about giving back to her alma mater.

"It's a good cause I'd say," Rundhaug said.

Smith expressed a similar sentiment. "My husband and I were talking before the race about nowhere else but Madison, Wisconsin, would you get 20,000 people to come out for a run and a walk on a rainy, 60 degree day,'' she said. "It says a lot about the city."