I think that because Milwaukee is run by a volunteer running organization and not concerned with the 'numbers', they are able to run a great race.

The course was not downhill as I had heard, and I wish they had two more water stops. According to the race officials, there were simply no room on the streets for the additional stops. All stops were handled well and were stocked fully, including ice. Everything from the bus trip to the start to the ride back to the hotel was handled very well.

Milwaukee makes a great argument for running a smaller race. They have fewer people to worry about, therefore they can pay attention to every detail, and do it very well.

A special thanks to the wonderful residents along the way that made sure we were hosed down and offered extra water!

This was my first time doing the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon and I was very impressed. While it was very, very hot, EVERY aid station had water and gatorade, and the last 2 had the gu they were supposed to have. This means a lot to the slower runners like me, so you don't feel so forgotten & neglected, but it also was absoutely essential given the 85 degree temperature yesterday!

Locals who lived on the route were amazing...played music for us, had water to drink, and plenty had sprinklers and hoses available to run through to cool off. The people who set up chairs outside their homes on the race route to cheer us on made me feel great, and I appreciated that they cared enough to be there in the hot weather. This is humanity at it's best!

I agree that there was at least one gap in water stations that needs to be filled. Thankfully, I had family along the route or I would never have made it without them bringing me extra drinks.

Also, the last 3 miles on the lakefront near the beach and marina were not marked at all. They were kind enough to extend the finishing time to 7 hours due to the heat, but we found ourselves asking people walking on the lakefront (not race spectators or officials, random people) where we were supposed to go!

If I hadn't been participating, I wouldn't have known there WAS a race going on because there were no signs, banners, cones, runners, spectators, officials or anything else suggesting an organized event. We were extra stressed about this because we knew we had to rush to make even the extended cutoff time given the extra fatigue from the heat, so having no indication where to go was very frusterating.

Finally, an official on a bike led us to the finish or we wouldn't have found it in time to get an official time and our medal. After the rough day I'd had, battling the heat and the roads, that would have been very disapointing indeed.

I know this race prides itself on being run by volunteers and the local running club, but I wish they would start taking sponsors so this could be a much more visible event to Milwaukeans. I didn't even know we had a marathon until I volunteered at it last year! With corporate sponsorship this event could attract 10,000 people and actually get some press attention.

Overall, I was very impressed by this race. The rural scenery in the beginning was gorgeous with the leaves in every color possible. I recommend this marathon to anyone (other than a first timer due to the shorter finish time).

The heat and humidity aside, this was a great race! The spectators were unexpectedly wonderful, cheerful, and supportive...many standing in their front yards with hoses to cool down the runners. (I too thought the accordion player was amazing.)
The course seemed like a lot more uphill than downhill, which might not have been so bad except for the heat. I was also surprised by how little I actually saw the 'lake' in a 'lakefront' marathon. With so many spectators and organizers telling me that the heat would let up when we got to the lake, it was disappointing that it didn't make an appearance until around mile 23.
All in all, a great race. I highly recommend it.

I'm slowly working my way through the 50 states, and chose this one for my 26th state/30th marathon. I can't say enough good things about the overall experience. Yes it was hot, but there was quite a bit of shade on the course. I carried a water bottle in a fanny pack, so the spacing of the aid stations was not an issue for me. They were exactly as published so you knew what to expect. Plenty of water and Gatorade at each spot, cheerful and experienced volunteers. Loved the people who came out with their hoses and sprinklers all along the course. Loved the course: farmland in the beginning, mostly residential and the lovely bike trail along the lake at the end. Also liked the gently rolling hills. We stayed the night before a hotel 1 mile from the start line, and I grabbed a shower at the downtown Y post-race before heading south.

I am slow but I was never alone in the back of the pack, in contrast to some other smaller races. Overall, it was a very low-key, low-stress experience. I would recommend this race to anyone who appreciates good organization, and the little things done right.

Only criticism I could make would be of the food at the end, but that's pretty much the norm at most races. IMHO, just like you should carry your own water if you're worried about getting enough, you should arrange your own food at the end if you really need to eat something. They had the basics, and you can't expect much more.

After reading about the difficulties faced in Chicago this year due to the same heat and humidity we experienced in Milwaukee, I was grateful I chose to run my hometown race instead of Chicago. With the race capped at only 2500, and probably 2-3 volunteers per runner, there was no shortage of aid, water, Gatorade, etc. available to runners. Without the excellent volunteers, this would have been a very difficult race. People were really hurting from the heat. The race was very well organized, but I was a little dismayed that the course had many rolling hills which were tough under the hot conditions. It is not as flat a course as you might think! But there are many picturesque points along the way, and the last few miles along the lakefront are beautiful and breezy. Some areas I did feel a bit close to traffic; we had to stay close to the road shoulder. But overall, a very well-organized race. I'd like to do it again, I just hope it won't be so hot next time.

It was just as hot in the 2007 race as Chicago and this small all volunteer group outshined the big guys. Aid stations were well stocked and people working them were friendly and knowledgeable. There was always someone asking if you were okay, etc. At the finish line, everyone was escourted by a medical person and given a brief assessment. They really did a fantastic job handling such difficult conditions! Way to go Badgerland Striders!!!

My first compliment goes to all of the spectators who helped support the runners. They were unbelievable. I can't believe how many people came out to hand out water bottles and other aid to the runners and provided hoses to cool runners down. This was invaluable when the temp was 85 and humidity was 90 percent. The fans this year were great.

I am sure there will be a million posts about how hot it was. This is not the race directors fault. This was a great smaller marathon. Seemed well run to me and organized. The course was decent and I am sure would have been a lot more enjoyable had it been cooler. The course was not as flat as I had expected. There were no major hills, but it seemed like you were always running on a gradual incline, with the exception of mile 23 which was completely downhill. It would be nice if this course was closed a little more. It seemed the further you went along, the narrower the course got (i.e. you start with two complete lanes of closed road and end up with having just the shoulder closed off).

The only criticism I would have was the lack of aid stations and the spacing of the few that they did have. I understand that if you only have a few to work with, it would be better off having more at the end, but going fom mile 4 to mile 7.5 without an aid station was brutal. Possibly on the cooler days this would not be as big an issue.

Overall this was a good race and I was pleasantly surprised by the city of Milwaukee. This race was an incredible value.

P.S. The accordian player at mile 2 was also awesome.

The race director and the Badgerland Striders put on a superb marathon!
It is one of the best organized marathons we have run. The technical shirts are great.
For the size of the marathon the expo had a lot of vendors - with lots of good sales.
The transportation to-from the hotels were on-time, efficient, and easy to access.
There were plenty of bathrooms and port-a-potties at the start of the race - they must have been new because they were very clean. They even had motivational signs within them related to running.
Starting at a community school was great because we could sit in the cafeteria or gym before the start of the race. The staff was able to use the school PA system to make announcements to keep everyone informed.
The course is great! Relatively flat with occassional rolling hills. The homes were amazing along the lakefront and the breeze off the lake was very beneficial.
The community support was also amazing. Although the race director and staff can not have been dealt worse weather (it was very hot!) - they did many things to make the race safe. Besides extending the time so folks could run/walk a safe race, the local news channels put out a request that those that live along the course put out their sprinklers so runners could cool off throughout the course. I would guess that there were at least 3-4 homes per mile in the residential areas that had their sprinklers out for the runners.
My husband and I truly enjoyed the marathon.
For 50 staters - this is a great marathon because it is so close to the airport and easy to get in-out.

Its amasing what a little heat does to your expected race results. I found the course enjoyable and with cooler weather it could be a good race to qualify for Boston. Great volunteers. Only issue was that some of the volunteers didn't know where the ice was. I found the 3 bags of ice in a garabge still in the bag. On the other hand there were local residents that where kind enough to bring ice for the runners.

I was very disappointed in this marathon. It was 95% highway and 5% lakefront - at the end. It was very boring and there were many cars. At the end, I found stale bagels and water. I received a nice medal and the people were nice. But it was highway running at its worst. Borrring.