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May 5, 2024

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 11 to 21]

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R. K. from Chicago (7/21/2014) "Highly recommended small-town race!" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Wisconsin Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I discovered this marathon for the first time back in 2012. It was my second marathon overall, and by the time I ran it for the third straight time in 2014, it was my 12th. I love this race and will gladly return every single year that I am able. What's not to like? For starters, the registration price is extremely reasonable in a world where race fees seem to be constantly on the rise. If you register early, it's $69 for the marathon and $49 for the half...and even if you decide to sign up the night before, the marathon is still under $100. For that, you get a beautiful, high quality medal (the 2014 edition is one of my all-time favorite pieces of bling), a very nice shirt, great on-course entertainment (gotta love the polka bands), and even brats at the finish (although I haven't been able to get one yet...more on that later). With all of that said, the Wisconsin Marathon is very small (a 4000-participant race cap, and they don't always sell out completely). In 2014, there were about 2070 half marathon finishers and only 847 marathon finishers. If I was going to make a recommendation, I'd say that the half marathon is probably the best way to go. We all run the first 12 miles together before the marathoners split off, and that first half is beautiful. You get to run through downtown Kenosha (which is a really pretty town), a gorgeous lakefront path (even better when the weather is nice and sunny), past Carthage College, etc... That's also where you see the most spectators and get to run with a larger crowd of people, so if you enjoy the half marathon distance and want a great experience, I would recommend doing that one. I've run the marathon for the past three years and will continue to as long as possible, because I love Wisconsin and am passionate about that race distance, but it does get a bit lonely in the second half, when we go through more secluded residential areas (although the beachfront houses are pretty awesome) and Pleasant Prairie. If you're a slower runner like me and end up near the back of the pack, those last miles can be rough, and the spectators naturally taper off, but the ones who do stick around are incredibly kind and supportive. I must say that Wisconsin has some of the nicest people who come out to cheer/organize the race, and that makes a huge difference. Even when the water stops started to get a little sparse after mile 20, there are people who stand in front of their houses and hand us their own water/Gatorade, which is awesome. And of course, once you get to about mile 25 and start sprinting to the finish, with the crowds/cheers picking up again, it makes the whole experience worth it. Overall, they do a fantastic job in Wisconsin, and I would bring up the name of this race to any friend who's looking for a new one to run. My only (small) gripe is that even though they have a 6.5-hour time limit, the brats are always gone by the time I get in at the 6-hour mark. I know that's a late time to be crossing the finish, and there's only so much they can do when it's a small-town race and most of the participants have finished. I've always wanted a brat, though, and I've never been quick enough to grab one at the end. Maybe this will be good incentive to work on my speedwork :) I hope you'll consider running the next Wisconsin Marathon with me in 2015...see you then!
M. S. from Dallas, Texas (5/5/2014) "Very nice race on a pretty, flat course" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed this race! It's a nice size; small enough to be very easy logistically and not too crowded, but large enough that I was never running by myself. Course is very pretty, especially the parts right by the lake. There was one small area with some cracked, uneven pavement, but otherwise, nice surfaces and no traffic. Also quite flat, with just a few small hills on the north end. The out-and-back loops didn't bother me; it was fun to see other runners going by, and it made it an easy one to spectate (my husband saw me four times without having to drive anywhere). Volunteers were very friendly and knew exactly where the runners were supposed to turn. All water/Gatorade stops were well manned. Post-race festivities were great. A polka band, local beer, brats, and cheese. The medal is great, too. It includes a bottle opener on the bottom! Overall, I was very impressed. Great job!
A. A. from Wisconsin (5/10/2013) "Nicely organized small race" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 4-5 Wisconsin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 They do a great job with this race, except that they ran out of beer at the finish line. Aid stations were well stocked, and the first 1/2 is a very pretty course, but they ran out of beer at the finish line. This is a very nice small race that has been well organized in the past, and they never previously ran out of beer at the finish line. There was plenty of gels at the one aid station that it was available at, but there was no beer at the finish line.
Jen Gibertini from Chicago, IL (5/8/2013) "Numerous out and backs" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Well organized race and great volunteers. I had a hard time with the numerous out and backs seeing a few checkpoints 3-4 times. The pavement near the lake was a little dangerous with many potholes and cracks. Parking was close and free. Very pleased with packet pick up the week before in Skokie.
d. m. from NC (5/7/2013) "Quiet flat race with good medal and shirt" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a small to medium sized marathon with 900 finishers for 2013 but there are lots of people running the half marathon so there were maybe 3300 on the road. I chose to do the VIP Package which included a night at the host hotel and packet pickup at the front desk. The only problem with that is if you want an extra night you have to go through the Best Western reservation process and there is no real co-ordination. That said, the hotel managed to keep me in the same room for both nights. There is no expo or anything like that. The short sleeve tech shirt is high quality and well designed. The finisher's medal is bright, bold, and intriguing and doubles as a bottle opener. Just what you need! As an extra you get 1 free beer and a free brat at the end of the race. There are hotels close to the start / finish which make things convenient. I stayed at the Best Western Harborside and it was very good, very quiet and I would recommend it. They had a pool and hot tub but I forgot my swim suit. They provided an early breakfast if you wanted to grab a bagel before the run and it is only a short jog to the start. Internet is via a provided cable in the room and WiFi was not available in the room. Check out is 11 AM with no exceptions so if you are staying two nights it is not a big deal, otherwise plan accordingly. The course is basically a loop around the down town area and then an out and back to the north and an out and back to the south. The course is flat as a pancake with no hills but the roads are rough on your legs. Parts are concrete, other parts are alligator cracked asphalt with loose pieces, and then toward the end there is gravel which likes to get in your shoes. All this is manageable just be aware of your footing. If you like seeing other runners going in the opposite direction then you will like the course. There are plenty of opportunities to see Lake Michigan and there are a few stretches with some interesting houses to look at. The route is pretty much car free, light on spectators, with good water / gatorade stops every 2 miles. I think I would like to see a few more water stops toward the end. The ones they had were well staffed and if you are a back of the packer like me, they did not run out of anything. While the weather can't be controlled, be aware the wind off the lake can be quite chilly. I didn't find any great restaurants in the area but I am sure there are some. I would advise avoiding the Chinese restaurant across from the hotel. It was pretty pathetic. It looks like they are trying to revitalize the downtown area which consists of a few square blocks but there are lots of empty storefronts and a lack of shopping. If I had stayed longer perhaps I could have found some interesting things to do but overall it was a quiet weekend. So the pluses are: small race, no cars, unique medal, beer and brats at the end and Wisconsin scratched off your 50 state list. Enjoy and happy running!
J. E. from IN (5/6/2013) "Nice, flat, scenic course...hilarious medal!" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed this race a lot. The course is fine...very flat and friendly. It was a bit crowded around the north end of the course on Carthage College campus but besides that it was fine. I don't think the concerns about the gravel portions of the course are well founded...I found them a nice relief from the asphalt and concrete. The views of the gracious homes were really amazing. Wowzers, what places to run by!! The race was well worth the trip from Indiana for me. I PRed and had a great time.
R. R. from Memphis, Tennessee (5/5/2013) "Good Race- better double!" (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The Wisconsin Marathon is still young but has some aspects of marathons which are much larger. The swag is great. The tee- shirts are very well designed and high quality. The finishers medals are very cool and the volunteers were given t- shirts that made them all appear like they were in ' The Blues Brothers' with coat and ties. The coarse was kind of out and back loops that ran through downtown several times ( great for spectators). Despite the loops there was no confusion about where the coarse went. The volunteers knew just where the runners should go. The packet pickup was a breeze ( and you could buy 'Cheese Head' gear at great prices. ) The B-tag timing was high tech and conveniant. Downsides include a lack of corals or pacers that lead to a lot of traffic early in the race, a super small expo with limited emergency supplies, and no timing mats at key turnarounds to reduce the risk of cheating. Results took a long time to be posted online despite the electronic timing. The course itself had lots of great views of Lake Michigan and some nice breezes. The only tough part was a boring out and back around mile 19. There were some gravel roads (a plus for me). Nice and scenic overall. One thing that puzzled me was why the race didn't play up the 'Mittens Challenge'. This race is the first of a weekend double with the Kalamazoo marathon. There was almost no mention of the challenge at all, either before or during the race. That is too bad because Kenosha and Kalamazoo are both great races and the alliance is a worthy one that will definitely attract a lot of marathon crazed runners! Overall, a good experience. It's worth the trip!
E. S. from Atlanta, GA (5/27/2012) "No late checkouts? Really?!?" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was a good small race, but could have been much better. Pros: -They let you use headphones -The shirts were nice. I like that they had ladies and mens shirt sizes. -The race hotel was close to the start and finish lines. They also had breakfast early for the runners. -The packet pickup was as easy as possible. There were actually several different places to pick up the packets (even in different cities), and if you stayed at the race hotel, you received your packet at check in. Very convenient. -Loved that all the post race food (bananas, bagels, etc) were in one place in a bag at the end. Post race party food (brats) was good too. Cons: -My biggest gripe is that I paid for a VIP package at the race hotel, and they didn't offer late checkouts. In fact, there were no options at all for late checkouts. Seriously? How am I supposed to check out at 11 when I will still be running then?!? -The water stations were not shown on the course map so you know where they will be and can plan for them -This was a small race, and it didn't have an expo. There were only three tables at the packet pickup. -There were no corrals or pacers, so people of all different speeds were all over the place. It was difficult to weed through the slower people at the beginning. -There are a lot of out and back places in this race, and there were no chip checks/mats at some of the turn arounds to make sure people went the full distance. How can this be a BQ if you can't be sure that people didn't skip some of the route? -There were not enough volunteers. I had to pick up my own water off at least one of the water tables. Suggestion: get water stations sponsored by churches or schools. Checked Wisconsin off my list, but won't run it again.
E. P. from St louis (5/24/2012) "Great Marathon!" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Wisconsin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed this marathon. The course was nice and flat and the weather was cool. I ran a PR on this course and finally got the BQ time I have been shooting for. There was a head wind on the final 6 miles but there was a nice tail wind leading up to that. I do not think the road conditions were a problem. Thank you to the volunteers and race directors for putting on a great race!
Ed Robins from Philadelphia, PA (5/13/2012) "Flat well organized race" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I came to Kenosha to run my Wisconsin marathon and I was not disappointed. I came into Chicago and it was just a short dive up the interstate. I picked up my packet on Friday in Kenosha. The web site said there were also packet pick-ups in Chicago earlier in the week. It was super quick but there is no expo so I had to hunt down a sporting goods store to get some gel. I really liked the short sleeve tech shirt we got. It really reflected the sense of fun that this race seems to encourage. Race day we dodged a bullet weather wise. It was raining quite hard right up to almost race time. With the wind coming off the lake it was quite cold. The rain stopped before the gun and once I got running I felt pretty good. The north bound sections of the course we got a head wind and I felt a little cool there but otherwise the weather became a non factor. If you hate wind you may want to reconsider this race. I suspect running along Lake Michigan that wind is almost always a factor but I can't say for sure. The course is very flat. A few very short hills the first half and nothing but a pancake the second half. Lots of folks have commented on the conditions of the roads. There are a few short sections early on where the roads are the type where there have been dozens of filled pot holes. You do need to pay attention but it is early in the race and the sections don't go on for long. The limestone sections on the second half didn't bother me too much. There are a fair amount of potholes and you have to pay attention but I appreciated the easier surface on my legs. Volunteer support was great. Someone was at every intersection and most of them were cheering you on. They did what I feel like all races should do. Water was in the plain cups and Gatorade was in cups marked Gatorade. Race directors take note. This is a little thing but late in the race when you are tired it really helps. After the race folks who can handle heavy food (that is not me) were treated to brat sandwiches and beer. I took my great medal and headed to my car. There is ample parking near the race area so I didn't have to walk far or wait for a shuttle bus. I really feel like this race is an excellent, well organized small race.

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