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☰
Wisconsin Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Wisconsin Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.0 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 3.4
Number of comments: 91 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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P. A. from Tempe, AZ
(5/8/2011)
"Very nice small marathon!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have run many marathons and this one, for it's size, was well done. Easy access to the start with good parking, started right on time, course was well marshaled (thanks NAVY!), aid stations were sufficient and the spectators who were there were nice and friendly. The tech running shirt was very nice (not cluttered up with sponsor logos) as was the medal and a free brat and beer waiting at the finish is not bad either. 3/4 of the runners ran the half marathon which made the course a little crowded the first 11 miles or so. After that, it was a walk (run) in the park. The course was very scenic with numerous long sections run right along the lake. Yes, there was a small section of crushed gravel on the course, but it was actually a nice change of pace. If you are looking for a big time event, this is not your event. If you want a great small town marathon that is everything this one is advertised to be, check it out. | |
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M. C. from Illinois
(5/8/2011)
"Course ok; need more water stops" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 First thing that was good was that the course was flat and pretty along the lake. The bad thing was that there were gravel areas, and the the water stops were way too far apart if you were running the marathon. Not having any awards is just plain cheap. You can get some cheap medals, if nothing else. The after party was nice by the lake and the brats were good; I could have had more than one free beer. | |
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M. L. from Grayslake, IL
(5/8/2011)
"PR'd in 2011" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Things I liked: -Flat course -Cool weather -PR'd by 11 minutes -Second half had some gravel sections, which I actually prefer to the roads -Navy support in the second half: they had a lot of enthusiasm and one cadet gave me a banana Suggestions for improvement: -More water stops -More checkpoints where you can see splits (only one was at the half) -More traffic control at the end. I found it confusing dodging through the crowd at the end. -Option to pay extra to have your packet mailed. There really wasn't an expo, so why not have this option? | |
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D. A. from Chicago southwest suburb
(5/7/2011)
"Port-o-potties, please!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Though I only ran the 1/2 this year, I feel it needs to be mentioned: Wisconsin, please, port-o-potties are, well, portable, so please move them around the course and not just at the start/finish line. I did the Madison Marathon and it had the same problem. I'm not sure if it is a state-wide problem or just on the south side. One can't always predict when a gastro problem will arise! | |
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J. T. from Waukegan, IL
(5/7/2011)
"Great spring marathon off beautiful lake Michigan" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Really enjoyed this marathon. Well organized, post-race: delicious beer, brats and music, and for this year, perfect weather. Course follows the lake, then winds through neighborhoods and back to the lakefront again. Flat course with very minor hills. Aid stations were well-stocked with Gatorade and water; there were gels at 2 locations. Potties at start were empty 45 minutes before the race, but lines were longer 20 minutes before the race. Course passes public restrooms at mile 6 and 10 - a nice touch. Highly recommended as a small marathon that feels big. | |
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B. B. from Wisconsin
(9/6/2010)
"Great hometown marathon!" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Wisconsin Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I live in Kenosha, and often use parts of the course for training. So I'm a little biased. It is a generally flat and fast course. My complaints are that more port-a-potties are needed (although they definitely added a lot more from 2009 to 2010), and some of the terrain needs work. Around miles 5 and 6, there is a lakeside road that is a minefield of potholes. Then, around mile 17 - 20, the road turns to gravel. Ouch. I'd prefer to see the course include a little more of Kenosha, too. The second half runs through a small, very high-class village, but it's really flat and gets tedious. (A course turn into Kenosha might attract more spectators, too.) Despite that, I've run this race in '09, and I've seen many improvements in '10. I expect it to improve further and recommend this race. | |
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S. M. from ILLINOIS
(8/2/2010)
"Very Good Boston Qualifier" (about: 2010)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The packet pickup with multiple locations was a good idea. Parking was easy; just remember the streets. After the race, my tired muscles did not appreciate the wandering around trying to find my car. Weather was great (temps of 55 to 70 F). The wind was a little stiff at times, but since the course had little going west, it was okay. Good course marshals kept runners on the right route. The course had several out-and-back legs, which I did not like. Good spectator support, including "GO NAVY" guys and gals along the way. The brat after the race hit the spot, though the beer did not. The course did keep me interested; it did not drag on. The start has less congested than many. More porta-johns are recommended. They had a midpoint timing clock, but formally clocked splits would have been nice at several points. Overall, I had a great time, qualified for Boston, and would come back again. | |
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D. P. from Illinois
(5/6/2010)
"Organized, flat, small-town marathon" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Nicely done marathon. Particularly liked the Navy volunteers who made the 2nd half of the marathon so enjoyable. They were very enthusiastic, full of energy and encouragement. I also liked early packet pickup in IL, making race day less hectic. Plenty of free parking, hassle-free run. What a clean city, with very friendly people. Only negative: with the warm and humid conditions, we could have used more aid stations in the last miles of the marathon. And more Gatorade. Other than the warm conditions, it was a very positive experience and one to recommend to others looking for a well run, local, spring marathon. | |
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E. E. from Chicago, IL
(5/5/2010)
"Solid race; not a lot of excitement" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I agree with many of the other comments on the race. I thought it was well organized but didn't have a lot of frills. I really appreciated the Chicago area packet pick-up. It would be nice if the parking were a little closer to the start area. I had no problem at the start and didn't feel there was congestion. It was fun doubling back on other runners a couple of times to look for friends. Running over the same roads a few times is a mixed bag. The first half of the course was definitely more interesting than the second. I didn't notice a lack of water on the second half and even got extra water from residents who were just helping out. A few of them had hoses too and that was really nice. The crowds were very sparse on the second half, but those who were out were very friendly. The few gravel roads were worn smooth and not an issue for me - not trail-like at all. I liked the finish area a lot and did not encounter lines for brats or beer. For a marathon of this size, there were some fun goodies and a good festive atmosphere. My only major complaint about this race was the weather. I'd hoped for more typical spring weather and this was too summery for my taste. So, overall, great job to the race director and volunteers. Just crank up that lake breeze for next year! | |
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r. d. from Chicago
(5/5/2010)
"decent" (about: 2010)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Wisconsin Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 For a small, low-price marathon, this was a decent race - great views of the lake, adequate parking, and access to porta-potties at the start. Decent crowd (and volunteer - thank you, Navy!) support in the first half and a nice medal. There were sections in the second half that were on crushed stone; this was not a big deal, and the folks complaining about it being a trail marathon clearly don't know what a trail marathon is.... Areas for improvement: -We were informed 5 minutes prior to the start that the course would be open to traffic. -Broken pavment from mile 5-10.... -Miles 13-22 were very isolated and had no crowd support - not a great section of the race for this to occur. In addition, there was no turnaround point (mile 19) timing mat, which would make cheating very easy. Again, overall this was a decent race, but I'd recommend changing the second half of the course to go farther north or to some other location that is not as isolated. |
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