Lake Geneva Marathon

The 2012 Lake Geneva Marathon was my 22nd marathon on my way around the 50 states. I chose this one as my Wisconsin marathon because my dad was born and raised in Lake Geneva, but moved away long before I was born, so I wanted to see the town. The comments from other runners below are all on the money. The portion along Route 50 around Mile 22 was terrible. We're running on the wrong side of the road with cars whizzing by at 60 mph for at least a mile. Yeah, blocking a lane off with some cones would have made me feel much safer. But other than this, the course was beautiful. I thought the portion thru farm country was very pleasant. And yes, the hills (especially that one at Mile 16) were quite tough. As others have said, don't expect a PR here. I too noticed that the mile markers were all about 1/2 mile off. I spent much of the second half of the race wondering if the course would be short. But there was a good 1.7 miles from Mile 25 to the finish, so like the others have said, the total distance was right on the money. The nicest surprise for me was that I came in 3rd place in my Age Group and actually won an award! And this was despite the fact that I was a good 15 minutes slower than my average marathon time. I'd never won an award in anything longer than 5k, so I was thrilled. It certainly helped that there were only 5 people in my AG. I was surprised that such a small race had AGs in 5-year increments instead of 10. So if you're a middle-of-the-pack runner who has only dreamed of an Age Group award, this might be a place where you could get one. Overall, I give the race a thumbs-up. It wasn't perfect, but it was still very enjoyable. And if the mile markers and safety issue on Route 50 get corrected, then I would enthusiastically recommend this race to anyone that doesn't mind hills and small crowds.

Overall, a good race. The spectators were awesome, although there isn't a ton of them as mentioned before because this is such a small race. I think about 110 people in total ran the marathon. I personally really enjoyed the smallness, even the spots when you are literally running alone. Warning about the hills - you've heard it in the other reviews. At mile 16 is when they start (I had no problems on the rolling hills before this and thought I had the hills in the bag). I've never seen a hill in a race as steep as mile 16. It is like running up one of the steep hills on the streets of San Francisco. There are a couple more afterwards, but you are so totally wiped from that first nasty one that walking up the hills seems like the only option. My calves cramped like nobody's business at every slight incline the rest of the way. The mile marker signs were off from about mile 9 - end, which there is no excuse for. To make it worse, they were ahead, so you see a sign saying you just ran 15 miles, but you actually only ran about 14.5. My GPS watch had 26.4 at the end, another person's had 26.9. I know it isn't that far, but at the end of a marathon it makes a difference. The run on the 4 lane highway at mile 22 is simply unacceptable. The cars fly by, don't get into the other lane and it is extremely dangerous. I can't believe there are laws that don't require one lane to be blocked off. I can't believe no one has been hurt on this portion in the past. I thought the signage marking the trail was pretty good most of the way. However, the last 1-1.5 miles was awful - It was on a small trail behind a residental neighborhood. The trail would go off in different directions, but no further instructions on the sign. I honestly had no clue whether I was going in the right direction or not and the way the course curves, you don't see the finish until just as you are coming up on it. Overall, I enjoyed this race. I'd consider running it again...but then I have nightmares about the hill at mile 16 and think better of it. But you never know.

Most of the comments I've seen hit the nail on the head. This is a hilly, rural race where you will have lots of time to yourself and not many people to cheer you on. If you are looking for a city-type marathon with lots of cheering crowds and other runners, look elsewhere. I thought the water stops were fine. Weather was perfect - low 50s, overcast. The finish was amazingly anticlimactic - there were a dozen people sort of half-heartedly cheering, and a few others milling about, and some fruit and water. It was kind of hilarious, or at least I would have laughed if I wasn't so exhausted. Only other downside was the route gets pretty narrow in some parts or you are competing for space with weekend tourists.