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Nov 8, 2024

Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.5

Number of comments: 20 [displaying comments 11 to 20]

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D. F. from Illinois (11/6/2016) "Do NOT run this race unless it improves" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 This race was pretty awful from every aspect - parking in a muddy field that we had to pay for, merging much slower half marathoners into the marathon at a point where the course narrowed, using long u-turn stretches to lengthen the course, purposely running on long stretches of concrete, terrible finish line, cookies, limited water in plastic bottles after they claimed to be green. Really terrible. The single bright spot was the enthusiastic volunteers. Really a nice group of folks who came out on a Sunday. No post race blanket, no post race PT or massage. This is a small race that wants to be a big race, but the missteps will doom it. Do NOT run this race.
M. K. from IL (11/6/2016) "Scenic, easy start/finish, 26.9M course" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Packet pickup plenty of parking and fast. Decent expo for size of race. Start line not too crowded - plenty of porta potties <15 minutes wait. Course with some hills but nothing killer. Really take you to some beautiful parks, neighborhoods. Only real complaint is that course is measured long. 26.9 by my watch and even longer for others I spoke to. Apparently a cone down somewhere around 20 for out and back, but even before that was off by 1/2 mile.
R. P. from Illlinois (11/16/2015) "A Good Start" (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A good start of a nice marathon. The course was good for the most part except the odd turns with a crazy run around a turf football field. The volunteers were FANTASTIC.
S. J. from Sioux Center, Iowa (11/9/2015) "Beautiful, scenic urban course through Milwaukee" (about: 2015) 4-5 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I came home to Milwaukee for the first time in almost two years this past weekend for the Milwaukee Running Festival. It was a treat - a great course through many Milwaukee neighborhoods, and some of the best November weather I've experienced anywhere. Even though due to work and other constraints I could only be in town for about 36 hours, the marathon was a perfect way to get my Milwaukee fix - to see a couple of close friends and remind me why I love the city while introducing me to areas Id never explored. The morning of the race was a perfect 47 degrees with bright sun and a stiff wind. As soon as my brother Jeremy and I, who were running together, walked out of our hotel and looked west down Kilbourn, a street construction sign blocking the south lane blew over with a gust of wind. That didn't bode well for the westbound portion of the race. It took about 8 minutes to get from the Hyatt to parking at the Summerfest grounds, and then about half a minute to walk from our parking spot to the race area. Ah, the perks of smaller races. Thanks to our VIP status (I signed up as a founder, which came with the number 7 bib for life, two marathon entries, a stay at a downtown hotel, and VIP perks), we were able to park for free less than a block from the starting line and the VIP tent. Non VIP parking was basically just as close as we were. I have never had such an easy, low-stress time getting to a marathon start. A world of difference from all the complications we encountered last year when running the Chicago marathon. The Summerfest grounds were a perfect place for the start and finish having both in the same spot made end-of-race logistics easy. There were plenty of port-o-pots, but as is usually the case, still not enough. I stood in line from 6:35 to 6:52 for one last try and was starting to get worried I'd miss the 7 a.m. start. Still, it was no worse than any other marathon I've run as far as wait time, and probably better than most. There were plenty of openings to get us into the start area, and no corrals; just markers listing paces so you could line up at the pace you were hoping to hit. Jer and I found the 1:40 pace group for the half (doubled, it would get us to the 3:20-ish marathon we were aiming for at about a 7:40/mile pace) and tucked in behind the others. When the gun went off, it took us all of 17 seconds to cross the start line, and we were swept along with the half marathoners, who started at the same time. It was nice that the half and full marathon races were run together, because we had plenty of company yet it wasn't too congested. After a 7:20 first mile (oops) and 7:19 second mile (oops), we decided the 1:40 pacer ahead of us was pushing it and tried to slow down a little. The first three and a half miles were along Lake Michigan, where the early morning sun glistened off the water to our right. It was storybook beautiful. Spectators were sparse, but there were a few, with cowbells, and the Corgi sign especially cracked us up (Run like theyre giving away Corgis at the finish line!) We turned west on Kenwood toward Milwaukees east side just before mile 4. The neighborhood was a bit sleepy, but there were a few hardy souls out to cheer us on. We then headed down Lake Drive until cutting west on Brady Street, where the 6.5 mile water stop was full of energy and encouragement, thanks to the November Project. Brady Street spectators also turned out pretty well, considering it was just before 8 a.m. when we made our way through there. And let me just say about the water stops they were all well staffed when we went through, with volunteers clearly yelling out where the water and where the Nuun was (even though some of the volunteers thought Nuun was Gatorade and called it that). Nuun on the course was a huge plus for me; I took it at almost every stop, and my stomach didn't have that uggy feeling at the end like it does when I drink most energy drinks. Around that point, Jer and I were caught by some others who were aiming for 3:20 who had come from Madison and Chicago, and they remarked on how much they liked the course as we made our way toward the marsupial bridge by Trocadero. Crossing that bridge in the golden morning light, it made me happy to look down at the river and my beloved Lakefront Brewery. Brewers Hill and Commerce Street neighborhoods were familiar and full of good memories, and as we cut over to King Drive, the Brewers Hill neighborhood had a strong cheering contingent that was a nice pick-me-up. So far, so good! Running past the old Schlitz Brewery and then down along the river, it hardly felt like wed been running for an hour, and the day couldn't have been prettier. I usually prefer cloudy or partly cloudy days for a race, but the sun cast everything in a magical light. It was warming up to about 50, and we were sheltered pretty well from the wind most of the first 8 miles. We took a right to head west on Wisconsin at the Grand Avenue Mall at mile 8.5 and ran into the wind. It wasn't fun, but wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There weren't really enough people to draft, so we just resigned ourselves to fighting it until heading north on 35th, where the half marathoners left us to turn south. We got to enjoy the beautiful old mansions of the Concordia neighborhood before a long stretch north. At some point around there we stopped to use port-o-pots. Mercifully, there were four of them available, and two were open, so we only used about half a minute of running time for a quick stop. We made our way up through Washington Park next. It was just gorgeous, trees in full fall splendor, a few families out cheering, and kids on the playground. But oh those hills and sharp turns! We were to revisit both the hills and turns later after a trip up to Burleigh and back down Sherman Boulevard. We hit the half marathon point on Sherman at 1:40:22, right about on target. Then we were back to Washington Park for the second time around mile 16. We exited Washington Park and took a sharp turn north up another big hill before heading west down Washington Boulevard. Nice work, Washington Park and Heights neighbors there were groups of people out on every block, and many of them were making noise and welcoming us to their neighborhood. Some kids in the median were playing football and it was overall a nice, welcoming fall scene. I give them a tie with Brewers Hill for best neighborhood support. Although to Brewers Hills credit, they had to get up more than a whole hour earlier to catch the race. We headed south on Hawley Road at mile 17 and encountered some more hills, both up and down. There was an especially steep downhill at some point after that where I wasn't sure what would be more painful letting go or holding back. A little before mile 18 I let Jer get away from me. My lungs had been feeling off all race, and I wasn't sure I could keep the pace. I walked part of a steep short uphill as I was hooking up my headphones to get in the zone, and tried to lock in my pace. The music helped, and the next few miles went by pretty quickly. We passed the Mitchell Park Domes, went around a football field (definitely shouldve had a band there!), and by the Black Girls Run water stop at mile 21.5, I was getting back in the groove again. (For me, the hardest part of a marathon is typically somewhere between 15 and 20.) Jer was still about 50 meters ahead of me, and I kept him in sight as we followed a bike path along the river. There were a few more hills to deal with on this stretch, and lots of beautiful fall scenes as we ran along the river near tall golden grasses. The course took us across beautiful Sixth St. bridge at the 24.5 mile point, and by the time I hit mile 25 I hardly knew where mile 24 had gone. I pulled up to Jeremy for the last mile and tried to egg him on to a PR. Stride for stride, we approached the Summerfest grounds from the south and west, with a long arc along the lake before one last right turn under the overpass to the finish. Ah. It is always SO good to be done. Jer beat me by two hundredths of a second and had a three-second PR. On such a windy, fairly hilly course (Race Director Chris Ponteri described it as 3 out of 5 on a hilliness measure, and I would agree), we were quite happy. At the post-race party, I was especially thankful for VIP tent access. We got free massages (really good ones, too), hot chicken soup, and chairs to sit in. It was quite cool out of the sun with the wind, so the heater and tent walls were nice. Not a lot of people who stuck around for the finish line party, probably thanks to a last minute snafu with the liquor license and a lack of beer, but Im quite certain that wont be an issue next year. Kudos to the Milwaukee Running Festival for pulling off a great inaugural race. Im already planning to come back and run it again in 2016 on Nov. 6.
W. J. from Milwaukee, WI (11/7/2015) "Amazing course and a great first year." (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran this race in its inaugural year. Amazing course and a great way to see Milwaukee. It was hilly so I wouldn't expect a PR. We had great weather for the first year, which isn't a given in November in Milwaukee, but I would strongly encourage checking out this race if looking for a scenic big city marathon. Crowds were not large first year, but I assume they will grow.
Erin Smith from Milwaukee, WI (11/7/2015) "Awesome inaugural marathon!!!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Went into this marathon with no expectations, being the first year. I was blown away by everything. The course was the most interesting I have run. I live in Milwaukee, love Milwaukee and we ran by every major spot in Milw. LOVED the course. Never knew Milw was so very hilly! (my watch registered more of an elevation gain for this one (698) than for the Boston course (602). Its a tough, quite challenging course. Race starts and finishes in same spot, downtown. It was so well organized with some of the best volunteers. Nothing was lacking. I've run 17 marathons and this was up there with one of my absolute favorites. I'm for sure doing it next year. This race weekend has the beginnings of a major event!
M. S. from Milwaukee (11/7/2015) "Excellent inaugural race" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was the inaugural attempt at this race. It had a couple of logistical and crowding issues but was a lot of fun and went off without a hitch for a first time race. Positives: -Absolutely beautiful course. Perfect running weather helped as well, but it was a true showcase of Milwaukee with very few out and backs with a lot of major tourist highlights as well as beautiful scenery. -Cops and volunteers did a great job with road closures. For a field of less than 1k for the full the route was very very safe with plenty of room for runners. -Great city with plenty of hotels and plenty of good places to eat and drink before and after the race -Perfect amount of aid stations and in very good locations Neutral: -Challenging course. The elevation changes are documented so you can prepare for it, but the sharp turns and harder surfaces in parts of the race still hurt a bit. Negatives: -Same medal for half and full -Same shirt for all race distances -5k started 15 minutes after half and full making gear check and portapotties way too crowded -Packet pickup/expo was cramped and hard to maneuver -Fruit, sugary snacks, gels or any type of food aid would have been appreciated, especially bananas given all the hills. Overall I would say this might go down as the most successful inaugural race of 2015 and its great for the running community to have another half and full in Wisconsin. Thankfully it was way under capacity year 1 because I don't think it was designed well enough for 10k half and full runners, but I had a great time. I think the race director and volunteers did an amazing job and this will become one of the premier runs in Wisconsin.
J. R. from Vienna, VA (11/6/2015) "Great Inaugural race" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was a well organized race over an interesting course. Pros - A wonderful course with some elevation changes to keep things interesting, but not arduous. (I ran the half marathon.) The course was a nice mix of lake front, river walk, downtown, 'township,' and light commercial/industrial. I thoroughly enjoyed it. - The race organizers did everything well from the beginning (race registration) to the end (shuttle back to the race hotel). I emailed the organizers a couple times for some clarifications before the race, and my queries were responded to promptlywithin hourswith the requested information. - The event staff and volunteers were professional, helpful and Midwest friendly. - There were enough cheering people along the route to let me know they cared and supported us. A race organizer said that they made a big effort to get a good turn-out. While not Boston-sized crowds, I never felt lonely. - The race has a nifty interactive map to help runners precisely determine the grades they will be facing and how long the grades last. In addition, the map has a 'third' dimension' that shows were (via a street map) the grades occur. - Runner safety: not an issue. - Gear check and pick-up was near instantaneous. Cons - The only things that could have been better were trivial and not affecting the race itself. For example, the exit from the fenced-in finish area was obscure and not marked. I had to ask a race official how to get out. No big deal.
T. K. from Waukesha, WI (11/5/2015) "Awesome course that tours Milwaukee!" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great course layout. Well organized by an experienced local organization that knows how to put on a race. The course tours the city of Milwaukee. Runners get views of Lake Michigan to start, then go into historical neighborhoods and run by many landmarks. From Miller Park and Lakefront Brewery to The Harley Davidson headquarters and The Marsupial Bridge, you always have something to look at. The volunteers and spectators were high-energy folks and the excitement they brought was palpable. Will be running this race again for sure.
A. P. from Chicago, IL (11/2/2015) "Great race. Would definitely recommend." (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Milwaukee Running Festival Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Great inaugural race. Organization was fantastic. Volunteers were enthusiastic. Not a ton of spectators but I thought it was perfect. I much preferred the size of this race to the much larger, more crowded big city races. Nice medal and long sleeve technical shirt. Enjoyed most of the course but found the last 3-4 miles a little uninspiring. Felt like maybe they could have used a extra water stop during this section. The organizers provide an elevation map but I don't know how to translate elevation numbers to reality so the course was much hilly than I expected (my fault, not theirs). Really appreciated the free shuttle buses to and from the hotels. Not sure if I could face those hills again but I'm a wimp. Would definitely recommend to those less wimpy than me.

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