This was my 28th marathon and I really enjoyed it. In my opinion its what marathoning in Wisconsin is all about small town races put on by some genuniely nice people and supported by members of the local community, many of whom seemed genuinely excited to have a marathon going on in their little towns.

Pros (in my opinion)
-Small race (less than 50 marathoners)
-Abundant water stations (approximately -12-15 for the entire course)
-out and back course layout(which I really like, but others may not)
-Showers available at the YMCA afterwards
-Nice tech shirt
-reasonably priced (I signed up relatively late and paid 65)
-post race food was simple but honestly better than I expected for a race this size and this price.
-benefits a worthy cause (the Washington County Council on AODA)

Cons-
Small race
-the trail would have been more scenic if winter in Wisconsin didn't last until May this year (but there's nothing race organizers can do about that)


I really struggled to come up with any other cons overall I thought it was a very well organized race and would highly recommend it. I plan on returning next year. I also think they've found a great weekend for it.

Great race with a small town atmosphere. Out and back course on a former railroad trace, thus overall a very flat course. Not many spectators but those that were there were awesome! No expo or past party but this is one I enjoyed for the small field and no crowds. This is Wisconson and April can be (and was) cold and windy. Overall a great race with unique trophys and a nice medal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this race. There were plenty of concerns online from the previous two runnings of this event but I didn't see any of those this year. They addressed and corrected every issue. It was well organized, well supported and a great course. This was my 11th marathon ranging up to 30k people at Boston and I would certainly consider running this one again in the future. Crowd support was sparse but exactly what I expected for a 100 person racing starting at 5:30AM due to projected heat. Start time was adjusted well before the start due to the forecast and we were notified by email, website and even personal phone calls to every runner. Over and above the call of duty! My compliments to the race director who organized a fantastic event!

Prior comments were heard. Everything went smooth from start to finish. Spectators are few but their great. Director did well by starting an hour early and did a great job of making sure we knew via email and phone. I would run this again. It's a great small race with country and small towns. The trail was in great shape. The hills in the beginning are challenging but realistic. After mile 13 its a gradual downhill the rest of the race.

As someone who has done the Chicago Marathon numerous times, the Eisenbahn Marathon was like a breath of fresh air. The course was very scenic, especially when out on the rural roads. The limestone trail was a nice change from the constant pounding of concrete. Sure, there weren't many spectators, but there is something to be said about enjoying the peacefulness of the horse and cow pastures and the energy of the volunteers at the water stops was always something to look forward to. I would get an extra spring in my step when I could see them off in the distance. I liked the variety of flat trail and hilly roads, with most of the course being trail. The buses in the morning got us to the start without a problem. Plenty of Port-o-lets along the route. I was nervous about this race based on past year reviews but I think the organizers really improved everything that has been criticized in the past. I would definitely do this race again.

Unfortunately, our bus driver got lost driving to the starting line, causing lots of anxiety among many of the marathon runners. When we did arrive, there was too few port-o-potties, causing lots of anxiety among many of the marathon runners. There was also no water at the start, which would have been nice. The start of the marathon was delayed, due to the port-o-potties issue, causing even more anxiety among the marathon runners, especially with those having scheduled airline flights later in the day based on the original start time. Once the race got underway, things kind of smoothed out. The aid stations could have been better organized and uniformed in their delivery, you never knew which side (left, front, back, right) water or aid would be on... Plus the cups were too small. You had to grab two cups for one cup of water. The finish line was ok. The medal really was terrible. The shirt was ugly. The medical support was great throughout the race. Saw lots of people wearing red crosses. Planning and execution was very weak. Will not do next year.

I don't like to leave negative comments about a marathon since, as a former race director, I know the work thats required. However this one had some serious defects. First, the marathon director delayed the start by nearly 20 minutes so that everyone could use the portalets. On a hot day with the heat index into the 80s, that endangers the five and six hour marathoners. I saw the ambulance taking someone away. Maybe more. They said there were 200 marathoners but only 172 finished. There are very few valid excuses for a late start.

Second, a race official told us that GU would be provided at mile 11 or 12. There was none until mile 19. I will never place trust in gel placements in small marathons again. My friend and I, along with many others, ran on fumes.

Local county government people apparently are in charge of this marathon. I don't know if any of them have run many marathons but I would strongly suggest that they enlist the help of a runners' store or runners' club in nearby Milwaukee for help. Otherwise this race will probably die a slow death.

The negatives:
1. Start delayed 20 minutes
2. Gels promised at mile 12 didn't appear until mile 19
3. At one intersection, no arrows or volunteers to indicated course route. No traffic control for later runners, as my friend explained.
4. Post race food very lame: sliced oranges and pretzels.
5. Medal also lame: please put the name of the marathon on the front of the medal!
6. Crushed limestone trail was harder than concrete
7. Trail had gravel in some places with stones. This came early when the trail was crowded; so you had to be careful not to trip.
8. Trail mostly exposed to the sun on this hot day. Some patches of shade.
9. Very few watched along the route. One home taped off their front lawn so that runners would not step foot on it. Never seen that before. It was almost as if no one knew about the marathon or, if they did, didn't want us there.

The positives:
1. Volunteers were wonderful
2. Tech shirt OK, but needs help in design. Tap into some of those talented high schoolers.
3. German festival in town was nice
4. Hampton Inn was excellent in all regards
5. Janulis (pasta dinner) and Grasshopper (post race dinner) - delightful

This was the second year of this event and they fixed some things from last year, but there are still areas for improvement. First they corrected the mile markers - they were spot on, thanks. Second, they had more buses so everyone fit without standing. You may wonder why you need to board the buses at 4:45am for a maximum 26 mile ride to the 6:00am start....it is because for the 2nd year in a row some buses got lost! Unbelievable. Then we had to start 20 minutes late - which allowed the temperatures to climb. The other issue I encountered was an unmanned cross road where myself and another runner had a close encounter with a truck. He slammed on his brakes when we 'popped' out on the road - very dangerous. The cross road was 'Century'. Last little nit - for a hot August marathon, you need bigger cups at the water stops.

Still looking forward to running this next year.

This race is tough to critique, because the things the organizers did well, they did VERY WELL, but the items where they had trouble, they had a LOT of trouble.
First, the POSITIVES
- packet pickup was smooth and organized - the talk was good
- water stops were superb and organized, workers enthusiastic and helpful. Some great costumes
- as the weather warmed up, having the girl roving on the ATV offering drinks between the water stops was an excellent idea
- finish line was organized and efficient. I didn't have any medical issues, but it looked like there were quite a few who did, and EMS was on top of it(VERY GOOD THING)

Areas of NEEDED IMPROVEMENT:
- Most of All, TELL THE BUS DRIVERS WHERE WE ARE GOING!! At least 2 buses got lost again this year. I drove to and from the start line the day before the race, using two good, direct routes. I didn't know where I was going, and didn't get lost. No excuse for this, seriously!! We still got to the start area 30 minutes before the start, tho
- this race started 20 minutes late. Part of the reason may have been that there were only 5 porta-potties for at least 200 people (admittedly I don't know what the ratio should be). Having the building near the start line open would probably provide more toilets at minimal cost. Another cause of the delay may be that the organizers are very nice people, trying to please the most amount of people
- When we got to the Hampton Inn, they first told us they couldn't give us a late checkout because a wedding party was checking in the next day. The clerks also told us they JUST FOUND OUT this was the official race hotel, and weren't going to put out breakfast early. Next year, negotiate a 4am breakfast, and 1pm late checkouts
- let runners know the YMCA closes at noon, for those who want to take advantage of the shower facilities. Although I finished under 4:40, I didn't hurry to shower: the guy at the desk told a couple of us that the Y closed at 12 and we had 1 minute to get into the shower. Communication easily solves this one

I'm sorry if this seems too negative, but I prefer to offer solutions when I offer criticism. From the moment the race actually started, to the moment it ended, the experience was positive. Just need to tweak some of the logistical things.

The organization of this race was good for an inaugural year. Plenty of porta-potties and aid stations (with ice - key for an August marathon in Wisconsin), and packet pick up was easy. And I always have to thank the friendly volunteers.

The main issue that I saw was a lack of communication with the buses to the start. I got to the bus area plenty early, but it appeared that they didn't have enough buses for the runners. It was standing room only in the aisle, not ideal for a 26-mile, jarring school bus ride before the marathon. Also, after both buses were full to capacity, they said we are full and shut the doors to the couple people who still weren't on the bus yet. I don't know if those people ever got to the start or not. My bus driver didn't know the exact location or the route to the start line, and ended up making a wrong turn (after getting bum directions from a different bus driver over the radio) and had to be directed by a local runner on how to get to the course. Our bouncy bus ride was probably at least 10 minutes longer due to the impromptu detour.

As for the course, I generally like Wisconsin railroad bed trails, but this one is my least favorite section of trail. The trail is lined with scrub trees and bushes for the most part - not tall enough to provide good shade, but dense enough to totally block the view. The course is shaded early on, but if you are a greater-than 4-hour marathoner, you will probably have a couple hours of full sun. The best part of the course was when it left the trail and went on country roads for a couple miles. Yes, this added some pretty serious hills to the race (which I like to change the muscle use), but the countryside scenery on this section was much better.

The medal and t-shirt were unremarkable and boring. I'd suggest that they integrate the Germanfest theme (running in West Bend that weekend), or some other Wisconsin-oriented theme for the shirt design and medal.

The best part of this race was the shower at the YMCA afterward. Hands down, this was the nicest post-race shower facility that I have used to date.