La Crosse Fitness Festival

this could have been a good race, but unfortunately the race director cancelled the marathon (but allowed the half to proceed) because of some early thunder and lightning (which then passed and didnt return) - the radar we looked at from hotel on race morning showed clearing skies - if it is safe to start one race it is safe to start both, and then if bad weather returns stop the races...they cancelled this at 5:30 AM and didnt wait to see what actually happened - a hasty decision...

Starting with a great sunrise crossing of the Mississippi, looping through downtown, and then winding along neighborhood streets made for a fun and energizing first half. The second half was much quieter on those long stretches, but for me that's just one of the challenges of this distance. The two short, wooded, paved trail sections were a nice touch too.... Along every mile we had great volunteers support and truly enthusiastic locals cheering us on. Great job, La Crosse! Aid stations were well stocked (full strength Gatorade) and well organized. The much anticipated heat/humidity did not materialize, so we all lucked out, but this could easily have been a scorcher - perhaps with a couple of races under its belt, the LFF might consider an earlier start time in future? Loved the town and the local warmth, so this is one race I will probably return to again. Once again, great job, guys.

I ran the LaCrosse Marathon both years and I've enjoyed it a lot. A few notes: The mile 2 marker was way off (unless I ran mile 2 in 5:36). Also, the shirts were sized too small. I've only run 2 marathons and both have been in LaCrosse, so it's my marathoning home. Keep up the good work!