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May 6, 2024

Green Bay Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Green Bay Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.4

Spectators 4.0

Number of comments: 235 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

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E. M. from Columbia, Missouri (5/29/2011) "Good Fans, Very Good Course, Great Organization" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Green Bay Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 1/2 back in 2006 and ran the full this year, 2011. Overall thoughts on the 2011 edition. The Good: Excellent value. Hotels are affordable, cost of registration with shirt and pasta dinner/beer included make this a good value race. Top level organization. From the expo inside Lambeau Field, pasta dinner, bus shuttles for runners for pre-race pick-up and post race delivery back to your hotel is great., a nice perk! The water stops, GU stops, and aid stations on the course were plentiful and well stocked and had very, VERY enthusiastic volunteers. Volunteers. A very festive, loud, enthusiastic group that were everywhere and helpful. Volunteers make this a GREAT runner experience. Post-race The finishing run through Lambeau is nice, not a Packer fan but still nice, the set-up in the parking lot with food, beer, brat's, band, award ceremony, etc., make for a fun and festive atmosphere. Areas to improve: If you are gonna give the tech shirt away at the finish with your medal, then add Finisher to the shirt. If not, put it in the bag at expo and make it simple. Course: A bit twisty in some sections of the course that make it harder to improve splits. This year does not really apply to this issue because we had 40+ mph headwinds from miles 15-22, so this was a KILLER, just brutal. Overall a very well organized, executed, and fun race to run and I recommend it to those in the MW looking for a spring marathon, or those looking at Wiscy for a 50 stater. Madison in late May is also a nice race as I ran it back in 2010. Photography: I got a lot of really nice shots throughout the race, but my friend who finished maybe 10 minutes after me, did not get a good shot at the Finish with the clock, little thing but when you are looking for that nice photo for the wall, having the picture with your time is a nice and necessary touch.
M. N. from Wisconsin (5/26/2011) "Good Course...Bad Shirt" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was relatively flat (a few rolling hills early and one nasty bridge at mile 15-ish) and despite the 40mph wind gusts I took 27 minutes off of my PR! Water stations were well-staffed and extremely well-organized. The lap through Lambeau was a little uninspiring due to lack of spectator support and Elton John's 'Rocket Man' playing over the PA system, but the finish area made up for it...wall to wall people screaming their heads off. My only real criticisms are the disorganized food area after the race (I'm not interested in fighting the general masses for the food, nor do I want to stand in 3 separate lines for fruit, a bagel and a beer) and the they need to realize that very small women run these races. My only option for a tshirt was a men's medium or extra large! Needless to say, I won't be wearing the shirt!
R. L. from Minnesota (5/23/2011) "Fun day even with 40mph wind gusts" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Previous comments - completely agree. On this day because of the strong north wind you needed a strategy to run that was complicated even more by the extra length of course after mile 3 and the lack of mile markers. I ran with a pace group that was using gps and it was confusing given the course markers were off nearly .20. I have never ran into or against wind this strong in a race, initially occurring over the bridge in DePere where runners were belted sideways and head on immediately upon entering the Fox River trail. Personally I did great until I was unable to tuck in with the pace group and literally got blown backwards. I think my next mile pace was nearly a minute slower and then pretty much the same for the next 5 plus miles. With that said, The course is great and can easily be a PR for many. Since the half marathon is quite larger and is run simultaneously I would hope in the future they get separated somehow. The Lambeau lap is great fun especially for a Packer fan. For an early season marathon in the Midwest this is the best!
A. M. from Kenosha, Wisconsin (5/23/2011) "Great course with excellent support" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course has a few rolling hills in the beginning, the last 16 are flat. You tour the city and surrounding areas. Support is excellent. Start is at Lambeau so you don't have to use porta-potties. Crowd support is just ok.
d. p. from Dallas, Tx (5/19/2011) "Wind in my face" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The Good: 1) Fast course. A few rolling hills in the early neighborhood. Lots of straightaways. Long, flat portions of the course along the river. A good PR course. 2) Very organized. From the expo to the start and finish. A low-stress race. 3) Race crowd size. The number of participants seemed perfect. Not too many so you felt cramped but enough around that you never felt alone. 4) Less expensive than most marathons. Cheaper entry fee and hotels than most. 5) Water stops. Lots of them. 6) Volunteers and people of Green Bay. Very friendly and helpful everywhere I went. 7) Cool medal. The Bad: 1) The wind. Can't control this. 2) Course was 800 feet too long. Oops, but at least they admitted their mistake quickly and adjusted our times. 3) Miles not marked clearly. Was never sure when I hit any mile and no electronic timers on the course (not really that big of deal to me). Overall: One of the best marathons I've run. I would do this one again in a heartbeat. Great volunteers. Low-stress marathon. Easy to get around town. Very impressed and would highly recommend this marathon.
Kent Altena from Polk City, Iowa (5/19/2011) "Great race - even if a bit windy.." (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is my fourth marathon, and Green Bay (even 7 hours away from house) is likely going to be one of my favorites. This is not only due to the fact I PR'ed by 11 minutes or the run through Lambeau, but both certainly helped. The course was an interesting mix of residential and trail. The course was also extremely spectator-friendly. My wife was able to drive the course and support my run easily. I highly recommend this marathon.
J. K. from Madison, WI (5/18/2011) "Wonderful Race; I'll Be Back" (about: 2011) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I loved this race. Despite the wind, the course was flat and fast and much of it was quite scenic, which I didn't expect. People were friendly and fluid stations were well situated and well-stocked. Running through Lambeau was an emotional, unique experience. We stayed at the Hotel Sierra Green Bay, which was comfortable and convenient. I'd definitely run this race and stay at that hotel again. The only suggestion I have is to better publicize the access to the stadium for spectators so that our families can take photos and help cheer us on. The stadium was actually pretty quiet, with only a handful of volunteers and fewer than 100 spectators.
T. M. from United States (5/17/2011) "Very nice race, well run, FAST course" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The course is fast. The event was very well run and organized. The expo was OK, nothing remarkable. The course is fast. Despite 25mph+ winds with gusts to 35mph and nobody to draft behind between 16 and 22 into the wind I PR d by more than 6 minutes. Being able to huddle inside Lambeau and stay warm before the start was a bonus with the weather. I would definitely recommend this race. Did I mention the course is fast?
Nick Latus from Chicago (5/17/2011) "Perfect for a PR" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run 8 marathons and Green Bay was easily one of the best. The course is beautiful and finishing with a lap around Lambeau is a thrill. I thought the organization was excellent and despite gusting winds in 2011, the volunteers were wonderful and crowd support was better than I expected. You get a cool finisher's medal and shirt. The post-race set up was a blast: Beer, brats, and music. I will definitely run Green Bay again.
N. A. from Chicago (5/17/2011) "Fast Course and Great Support" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Green Bay Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The only way I can think to summarize this race is to say: I liked it. Course was pretty much flat and fairly scenic. One of the fastest courses I have run, if you subtract the killer wind. The other runners were all very friendly, and I enjoyed the occasional banter along the course. The crowds were surprisingly strong for the first half of the course. Once the half marathoners split it got a little more quiet, but there were a good amount of people along the six-mile stretch on the river. There were plenty of water stations, although they were a little short. If you were running with a pace group it was difficult to get water at every station, because many of the stations had less then 10 volunteers, which meant they did not have enough water ready, in hand for everyone. I had to grab my own water off the table once or twice, which wasn't a big deal to me, but some people may be bothered by it. My one and only complaint would be the inconsistent mile marking. Some miles were long, while others were too short. At first I though my pace was inconsistent, but I quickly realized that something was wrong when I ran a sub-6 mile. Unfortunately, the two things many people will remember about the 2011 race are the super strong winds, and the fact that the course was 800 feet too long. Considering race officials are adjusting everyone's times, this shouldn't be something to be too upset about. Overall, I thought the race was great.

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