POSITIVES:

Gorgeous race route
Organized
Not overly crowded
Crowds on about half to cheer runners on
Lots of water stop/aid stations, especially in second half of the race
Weather was superb/just the right temperature and time of year for a race

THIS WAS A GREAT ONE AND WOULD BE A GREAT FIRST MARATHON FOR SOMEONE.

NEGATIVES:
There really were none, except that the end of the race is right on the lake and the wind is atrocious... I MEAN REALLY BAD FOR A RACE ENDING

This is my second year running the Lakefront Marathon. Once again, it was a great experience. The course is stunning -- the last three miles are run along the shores of Lake Michigan. Because the Lakefront Marathon is a point to point course, it can be tough if the wind is from the south, which is what we had this year. My only criticism is that there were not enough port-a-johns along the course.

The organization was great. It was especially nice that we were given gear check bags and were able to hang on to them until a few minutes before the start. It was also very simple and no wait to get it back at the end.

I really liked having my name on my race number. It's nice hearing people cheering for you by name throughout the race. I was also having a hard time at the end, walking with less than a mile to go. This guy then started encouraging me and he got me running again by running with me for a bit. That guy was awesome...I got some adrenaline going and ran the rest of the way.

My only complaint is that it would have been nice to see more of the city, rather than running primarily through residential areas.

Tremendous organization with a personal touch. It was nice to have people urging me on by name for the last several miles (bibs have first names prominently displayed).

This was my 5th marathon and the most enjoyable. The shuttling to the start area was excellent. I thought this may be a problem, but it wasn't at all. Then letting everyone use the inside of the school was awesome! The course, as others have noted, was beautiful. I loved the variety of country, suburbs and town. Finally, the spectators were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Thanks to all the many volunteers that made this event tops in my book.

Champaign, IL

I have run a few half-marathons while marathons are run on the same course, but have never run a full marathon until last Sunday, October 4th.

Temps were in the mid to high 40s at the time of the 8 a.m. start, so it was great to be able to wait inside the gym/cafeteria area of Grafton High School at the start line. A man with a megaphone kept us up to date on the minutes to start and reminding us to drink even early when it is cold.

First few miles are in the country as the sky turned orange. Runners gradually peeled off gloves, hats, garbage bags, and warm ups. The crowds were enthusiastic at intersections. People I didn't know cheered for me by name - at first I was surprised so many folks knew me. They didn't, they were just reading my number bib which had my name in large letters printed about it. Great touch!

My only complaints about the course is that there was a stretch in which it was completely slanted, making it difficult to run on - this, however, was only for a short time. We shared the road most of the race with vehicle traffic. This was, for the most part, well-managed but there were times when the runners were bottle-necked into a smaller space. It'd be nice for this to not happen. The upside of sharing the road with traffic is that it made it easy for friends/relatives to go from mile to mile to watch my progress or lack thereof, which was a big lift.

The crowds got bigger into Whitefish Bay and Shorewood but disappeared at mile 23 on the lonely run down to the lakefront. Most runners said it was very windy from 23 to 26 but, for me, the sight of the lake on the way down the hill at 23 was quite a rush. I think I did an arm pump. I lived in Mke for three years and mile 23 was the center of my typical running route. It was so great to make it to that point.

The ending had lots of spectators. The last mile had to be reconfigured due to road or bridge construction and it was a bit of a bummer but we had ample notice of the reconfiguring on the website. The wind blew down the finish sign so it was hard to know where the end was, but I was happy when I figured out I could stop running. By the time of the finish, the temps were in the low 60s, having been in the 50s and sunny most of the race. There was a wind from the southwest (against us) but was only noticable the last three miles and at some earlier points where there weren't trees/houses to block the wind.

Got the medal, one of those heat wrap things, and grabbed a great beer.

The volunteers were excellent, the run was well-organized. The stops were fine. I had a great time! Thanks organizers and volunteers of the Lakefront Marathon!

This race isn't as pretty a course as Twin Cities, nor as much of a spectacle as Chicago, but if you want to run a marathon because you like running rather than wanting to brag about having run a marathon, this is an excellent race with nice accommodations, friendly people and a good course which goes downhill just when you need it to. I also enjoyed that it was a smaller race, the 'record field' was just over 2,000 runners.

First time running this marathon. The course was very nice. The wind on the other hand got bad as you came near the lake. Nice and small. I have run Chicago 2 times so it was good not to have the big crowds; could find my family easily after the race.

While this race was very well organized, I thought its greatest attribute is the course itself. Some roll the first 10 miles or so but mostly flat with interesting neighborhoods and beautiful view of the lake the last 10 miles. Traffic was not an issue and the running surfaces were smooth and plenty wide. While there were nearly 2,000 runners it was a relaxed atmosphere and other runners seemed helpful and supportive. Having access to the high school at the start is very nice. I also thought spectator support was better than expected- especially later on when it comes in handy. A very good marathon that seems to be catching on and getting bigger.

Good time: at the age of 63, the 2004 Milwaukee Marathon was my 5th and the first one that actually meant it when they advertised it as flat. The course was not only flat, fast and fun (have you heard that one before?), but the crowd, although small, was very supportive and strategically placed. One of the little things they do at Milwaukee is to put your name on the race/bib so the other runners and the fans could encourage you by name. They also put a small pink sticker on your bib if you were a 1st time marathoner. These were just a couple of the things that made the Milwaukee event better than the others.

I am a 'race talker', and I found the other runners to be some of the friendliest marathon runners I have ever been around, especially Becky, my 21 mile partner. Add to all this the fact that the race was one of the best managed I?ve seen and you've got a great marathon - one that I would advise you not to miss in the year 2005.

Bad time: my race time was terrible, but that was my fault not the Milwaukee Marathon's.

In summation, if this was a 4-star rating system, I would give it 5! I can not say enough good things about this marathon. It's not Chicago, but who cares?