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There is no question Dan Novak was way ahead of all the other half-marathon runners at Saturday’s St. Clare Health Mission Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk and it is equally clear Peter Schaettle finished dead last in the event. Yet both Onalaska men received no medal and no recognition for their efforts.

Still, both Novak and Schaettle went away happy. They did as they had expected, volunteering to help make the eighth annual run/walk a success for the health mission and the 750 runners and walkers who came out on a cold, drizzly morning.

The half-marathon and 5K run was expected to raise more than $20,000 for the St. Clare Health Mission. The health mission provides health care services for uninsured people.

Novak, manager of River Trail Cycles in Holmen, is a familiar, yet fleeting, figure in local sporting events as he helps provide lead escort service for the runners.

Schaettle, a ham radio operator whose call sign is N9XVG, is a member of the Riverland Amateur Radio Club. The group helps provide emergency communication support for events like the health mission half-marathon.

Bicycle riders lead runners, help them not get lost, shoo spectators off the route and alert volunteers that the racers are on their way.

“I’ve been doing it since the 1980s and have more run T-shirts than any other non-runner in the area,” Novak joked. The tees are the pay for providing the often under appreciated service.

Novak and his brother, Jim, escorted the half-marathon runners from Trempealeau on the Great River Trail to Onalaska; Emily Vance and Pam Culver were first across the finish line, leading the 5K runners to Onalaska from Midway.

Schaettle was assigned to follow the last of the last all the way from Trempealeau and could have used his radio had anything gone wrong on the long stretches of the trail away from streets or roads. “I remembered this was my first time on a bike since last August,” Schaettle noted as he stiffly dismounted.

Other radio amateurs, all from Onalaska, were stationed strategically along the route. “Ham radio is a very important communications system — when cell phones don’t work, regular phones don’t work, the Internet doesn’t work, ham radio works,” said Tom O’Brien of Onalaska. His call sign is WB9BJQ. He is a long-time member of the radio club and organizes other operators to help for events such as the St. Claire Health Mission Half-Marathon.

“An important part of amateur radio is public service,” O’Brien said. “Plus, providing event communication support is practice for hams so we are prepared when actual emergency communications are needed.”

This was the last year that the St. Clare half-marathon will use the Great River Trail from Trempealeau to Onalaska for the 13-mile-plus run. Next year it will be part of the La Crosse Fitness Festival.

RUN RESULTS

Rasmus Hoeg of La Crosse had the best time out of 350 entries in Saturday’s St. Clare Health Mission half marathon, finishing in 1:17:40, followed 18 seconds later by Danny Corken of La Crosse. The top female finisher was Nikki Cahen of La Crosse, who ran the course in 1:26:50. The best time in the 5K belonged to John Hibshman of Onalaska, who notched a 19:07 time. Heidi Lund of La Crosse was the first female finisher with a time of 21:31. There were 218 runners in the 5K. Check out the complete results.