Jerad Parish is driving a very deliberate 22 miles per hour south on John Nolen Drive where the speed limit is 35. Cars zoom past his black Toyota Prius hybrid on both sides before he switches lanes as he approaches a stoplight.

He's driving slow enough that he doesn't have to brake as he makes a right turn onto Rimrock Road. He keeps the air conditioning off and on this July afternoon, his T-shirt clings to him with perspiration. The car's thermometer reads 86.

But according to a dashboard computer that displays his fuel consumption, Parish is averaging almost 80 miles per gallon for the trip, well above the Environmental Protection Agency's fuel economy rating of 60 mpg for city driving in his 2005 model Prius.

To Parish, the fuel economy is worth the disapproving looks from fellow drivers and a car that has the atmosphere of a sauna.

He is among a small group of hyper-conscious drivers known as hypermilers. The name was coined by Wayne Gerdes, of Wads worth, Ill., a man legendary for his ability to eke one more mile out of every gallon of fuel. Gerdes defines a hypermiler as someone who drives to maximize fuel economy and can beat the lifetime combined EPA fuel economy rating, a number he says is, "so low, it's disgusting."

The best hypermilers in the country -- including Parish and Gerdes -- will converge in Madison on Friday for Hybridfest's second annual MPG Challenge, where contestants will compete on a course of about 30 miles, not for time or speed, but for the glory of getting the best gas mileage.

Last year, Gerdes averaged more than 180 mpg on the course.

The competition will have all the effect on Madison's roads of a Sunday drive in the country. Eric Powers, president of Hybridfest and the Madison Hybrid Club, said people who pass the contest Friday afternoon probably won't even notice (unless it's to glare at a contestant driving under the speed limit). The

path of the course is not being released until Friday so as not to give anyone an unfair advantage.

Compulsive pursuit

Hypermilers are admittedly obsessed with the fuel consumption screens that continuously blink their rate of miles per gallon. The reason for an initial interest varies for hypermilers -- high gas prices, environmental concern, political reasons -- but ultimately, most share a compulsive pursuit of upping their best gas mileage.

"For me, it's a little like driving a big video game," said Debbie Anders, a librarian at UW-Milwaukee. "I gotta see how high I can get those numbers."

Anders said she became interested in hybrid cars and eventually hypermiling after 9/11, when she started thinking about how our "cavalier use of petroleum" affects international policy.

"I just got to thinking about that and wanting to not use any more than I absolutely had to," she said.

Her family needs a bigger vehicle so she bought a 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid Compact Sport Utility Vehicle and attended Hybridfest last year where she said she got the "hypermiling bug." Many hypermilers hang out on Gerdes' Web site, cleanmpg.com, where they can share tips and mark down daily mileage on an online log. It's not just for hybrid drivers, but drivers of all cars who aim for extremely high gas mileage.

"We're all a little nuts about this," Anders said, as she checked her log to see what mileage she got on a recent trip to visit her father in Sheboygan (she averaged 41.6 miles per gallon in her SUV).

Variety of techniques

Hypermilers engage in a variety of techniques to get the best fuel economy.

Some are simple -- driving the speed limit or lower, removing cargo racks, not quickly accelerating or braking heavily, not turning on the air conditioning.

Some are more advanced -- inflating tires to maximum recommended pressure or higher, "pulse and gliding" (accelerating to speed, letting completely off the gas to coax the gas engine to turn off in hybrids, and reapplying a tiny bit of pressure to the pedal so that no electric propulsion occurs), and driving as if one does not have brakes.

Anders said one of the few drawbacks of hypermiling is the attitude of fellow drivers, especially those who find themselves behind her when she's driving slower than the speed limit. People will tailgate or cut in front of her, sometimes signaling their irritation with a gesture, but Anders doesn't let it get to her.

"I'm laughing all the way to the bank, even if I'm driving slowly," she said.

Another drawback is that hypermilers who drive too slow can put themselves at risk for a ticket.

There is no minimum speed limit on roads such as John Nolen, according to Lt. David Jugovich of the Madison police, but "generally, you cannot impede traffic." State law allows police to ticket drivers whose slow driving is causing a hazard, he said.

Few women

Anders signed up for the challenge this year in the hybrid SUV division. She's one of the few women in the field, sometimes having to remind the other men of her presence when they besmirch the reputation of women drivers.

Gerdes considers Parish a hometown favorite in Friday's challenge, calling him "probably the best short-drive Prius driver in the world." Parish, 26, lives on the Southwest Side and works as a software programmer at Epic.

Parish hasn't filled up his tank since May 31 and has gone, at last count, 667 miles on his current tank of gas. He keeps a log next to his seat with figures from each trip, documenting not just average miles per gallon, but weather conditions, trip length, and more. He's only used his air conditioning once this year, on a day when temperatures hit the mid-90s.

At last year's challenge, Parish sheepishly admits he averaged about 74 mpg, fuel economy that would be exceptional for most, but not in the company of drivers averaging more than 100 mpg. This year, he's convinced he can do better.

And there's hope for the rest of us, too, Gerdes said. On Sunday, he'll offer clinics for Hybridfest registered attendees on fuel economy.

"Its all there for you," Gerdes said of the tools to drive efficiently. "It's just you have to learn how to use it. Once you do, you'll never look back."