Patty Loew:
The next report starts with a dash of a different sort, a mad dash.

Liz Koerner:
Not everybody would think this sort of a race was fun but as it turns out, in a report I produced for Kathy Bissen, you're about to see how the adrenaline gets pumping at Nine Mile county forest in Wausau.

Kathy Bissen:
It's the middle of the night in the middle of summer, in the middle of a forest. More than 500 mountain bikers take to the trail in the 24 hours of Nine Mile, Wisconsin's only 24-hour endurance race.

Woman:
It's a lot of fun. It's good exercise, gets your heart pumping. We have a blast.

Kathy Bissen:
It's the fifth year for this event held at Nine Mile county forest near Wausau.

Man:
It's funny. At night, the weirdest thing for me is how quiet and how alone you can feel out there. 25 minutes, I didn't see anybody.

Woman:
You only have this little beam of light and so you're pretty focused. I saw a nice big deer this afternoon. You never know what you're going to come upon out there.

Man:
It pushes your endurance limits and makes you think twice about why you're doing it in the middle of the night when you’d rather be sleeping.

Kathy Bissen:
The racers ride through the night, but the starting gun went off at 10:00 in the morning. The race begins with a sprint to the bikes. It's called a Leman's start, named after the Leman's car race.

Kevin Eccles:
The functional part of it is that it spreads the riders out before they get on their bikes and get out on the trail so it's a little bit safer, too.

Kathy Bissen:
Some riders take on the 24-hour challenge solo, stopping only when necessary. But most racers join a four or five person relay team. The team members take turns out on the trail. 24-hour racing is not for everybody, but the competitors cite many reasons for saddling up.

Man:
I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Man:
It's mostly a team camaraderie type thing.

Woman:
I'm pit crew and I'm sick of being on the sidelines and said, “It’s my turn!”

Man:
Our families come up, the kids and the wives and we all hang out. It's a good time.

Kathy Bissen:
The event can be fun for the entire family. There's a communal atmosphere with a field full of tents, lots of lawn chairs and people of all ages enjoying a day outdoors. Some groups get into the spirit of the event when choosing a team name.

Woman:
Team Fool.

Kathy Bissen:
And why are you called that?

Woman:
We're all fools!

Man:
Light-Headed Crew. Because that's how I feel after I do the first lap, a little light-headed.
Man:
We're Forest Hump. And our motto is “Pedal, Forest, pedal!”

Kathy Bissen:
And then there's the Whistling Pigs. Race organizers have fun with names, too. There are 20 race categories, including the Clydesdales, a category teams can choose to enter if members average 200 pounds or more. For a team with an average age over 45, they've created a category called “Older Than Dirt.” These guys sometimes get the last laugh.

Man:
Oftentimes the older guys are the faster guys because they're the really committed and serious ones about it.

Kathy Bissen:
The race course weaves around curves and over the hills of a densely wooded forest. The trail features a few technical spots with tight turns, trees too close and rocks that trip up riders. Each lap is 15.6 miles long and takes between one and two hours to ride.

Man:
It's a course for all abilities. The better riders just ride it faster. The beginning riders do it a little bit slower and take their time. If they're not comfortable in a section, they get off their bike and walk.

Kathy Bissen:
For the team competitors, there's plenty of downtime between laps, time to cheer on teammates, tune-up bikes and after the sun sets, enjoy some camaraderie around a campfire. Relay team riders waiting for their turn may be tired enough to catch some shuteye but not everyone can forget the competition and fall asleep.

Man:
Didn't sleep at all. No. I tried. Laid down a couple of times. It's surprising how fast time goes by. You think about, we're turning about an hour and 15 minute laps and you think you've got 3 ½ hours in between but it goes by real fast.

Kathy Bissen:
The next morning, the tents come down and sleeping bags are rolled away. And stalwart teammates head out for one last lap before the clock rolls over the 24-hour mark. Winners in all 20 categories are those who complete the most number of laps in the least amount of time. It's exhausting. But race rules require each team to have a rider cross the finish line after 24 hours, so some riders simply wait near the finish line for the final countdown. After the race, riders head for home. The cash rewards for winning are small. The real rewards come from taking on this 24-hour challenge. And while some of these bikers return year after year, that decision is far away. Right now, most are thinking about only one thing.    

Woman:
Sleep. Sleep. First I'm going to shower if there's water left, and then I'm going to sleep for a very long time.

Liz Koerner:
This is the only 24-hour mountain bike race in Wisconsin, and the largest in the Midwest. Last year, more than 750 riders competed.

Patty Loew:
Didn't you tell me the race has changed a little bit since you first did this report?

Liz Koerner:
The race organizers told me the riders are getting older and having families so they've added events like a climbing wall for kids and a mini race called “24 Minutes of Nine Mile.” This summer's race starts July 25.

Patty Loew:
And you have a little personal experience with the race, don't you?

Liz Koerner:
I do. My husband rode this race and he described it as a form of torture but within 24 hours, he was ready to sign up again.