Green Lake Area Half Marathon is a local half marathon (and 5K) run on labor day weekend every…read moreyear. I have run it the last couple of years as I have been in the area for the long weekend. Really pretty lake and town and area in general is definitely worth visiting. If you are already going to be in Green Lake for the weekend, you might consider running this race, but be prepared for a very hilly course. Add in the risk of it being hot on labor day weekend (like it was in 2015) and this can be a tough race to really enjoy. Race is fairly expensive for what you get, pretty bare bones support on the course (from enthusiastic volunteers). Long sleeve cotton t-shirt comes with entry fee (along with another item if you register early enough (I believe)). Finisher medal is nothing to write home about. There is beer for finishers.

This is a classic Wisconsin running event. The 20 mile run has a long history but there is also a…read more10 mile run and 17 mile walk affiliated with the event. The course runs from downtown Madison to Stoughton. Race is part of Stoughton's Syttende Mai citywide festival, so when you finish the race you can have some fun at the festival. The course is very hilly. Participation in the 20 mile run seems to have slowly declined over the years (which I would attribute to the non-traditional distance (i.e., it is not a marathon), adding the 10 mile run, and the difficulty of the course). Entry fee is reasonable (~$60). There is no finisher medal, but you do get a short sleeve tech t-shirt for finishing.

This was perhaps one of the best races I've ever experienced. Located in a quiet room setting, very…read moregently rolling hills provided just enough challenge To make the course something I will remember. I absolutely love this race and hope to return next year and for many years after.

A really fun spring run. Half course is straight / extremely flat and run on crushed gravel…read more(except for beginning and end). If it were not for the time of year (and area of the country), I would suggest this is a PR course. Race volunteers are extremely enthusiastic (I think most have a passion for the charity affiliated with the event.) Nice goodies at the end of race (beer and pizza). Course support and finisher medals just OK, but I give a pass as the race raises a good amount of money for a great cause. Note: Comments based on 2014 race.

Great place for kids! They also have discount coupons for eye exams from Packerland Eyecare next…read moredoor, and bedroom blinds from Gotcha Covered next door. Great Local business operator that helps others! Great family place!

Workers don't care (high school kids), walked past spilled food/water multiple times and I guess…read moredogs are allowed? Now, I'm a dog lover but imo there is a time & place & it just didn't seem super sanitary to me. Definitely NOT service dogs btw. Kids love it, but I'll probably try to push them toward Altitude or something similar rather than here. Kids *could* also technically walk out by themselves, while other venues have a locking gate. About as expensive as any other place. Great for older kids, I suppose, but for my younger ones I'd rather go someplace else

Modeled after the television show The Amazing Race, the Amazing Milwaukee Race is the local version…read moreof the race. Trust me, it's a lot of fun! The Amazing Milwaukee Race is a great way of meeting people and to learn about Milwaukee. It also brings more awareness to community activities, various restaurants, non profits and places you probably would never have visited otherwise and make a difference in the Milwaukee area (such as donating to the Historical Society to upkeep a memorial, building a prop for a local acting company, or spruce up a wall of a school by painting it). Per The Amazing Milwaukee Race's facebook: "Teams of two experience Milwaukee landmarks and businesses on an amazing urban adventure with clues: activities, puzzles, & checkpoints that challenge participants to get from start to finish. Inspired by the TV show's design, it is a one day "Amazing Race."" I strongly recommend you participate in it to not only learn about Milwaukee but just to have fun!

I attended a conference here and thought it was a cool site for a group of 40 or so if you like…read moretrendsetting. The event ran smoothly and they never ran out of refreshments

At first, I was a little skeptical of this place when I saw the elf ears you can buy at the front…read moredesk along with the other DnD/Magic the Gathering/general fantasy nerd paraphernalia in the gift shop. No hate to that character archetype, unless you're my ex from high school, but it's just not my thing. However, I think this is possibly some of the best $30 I've ever spent. This place is MASSIVE and the amount of detail put into it all is insane. There's so many hidden doors/rooms and the experience is so immersive and fun. My boyf and I managed to complete all the challenges in about 4 hours (buying as much extra time with the game money as we possibly could). I would NOT advise bringing children under 12 honestly. The quests are probably too hard, and although small children would likely still enjoy the scenery, they will probably be in the way of people actually trying to play the game. We went in March (off season) and it wasn't too crowded, especially from 5-6, but I do think they shut everything down between 6:30 and 7. If we had gone during a really busy time, I can imagine this could be a frustrating experience. Regardless, the hype is REAL for freaks and normies alike.

Not for the faint of heart…read more I have mixed feelings. We went around 11am on a rainy day during spring break. There was a line. It wasn't super long, but it was slow moving because they give each family their tablet and explain how things work. Waiting in a slow line is really hard for kids when they are super excited. I wish the people at the desk just sold tickets and that they had someone in the starting room explain the tablets to a group at a time to speed things up. Some people behind us in line bought tickets in advance online and were annoyed that they had to stand in the same ticket line as everyone else. Buying tickets online does not expedite things at all. There was no line when we left, so maybe late afternoon is a better arrival time. Overall, the design of the questing area is very cool. There is a lot to explore, and there are lots of fun details and secret passageways to explore. My kids are age 7 and 9 and really enjoyed it overall. As a parent, 2 hours was way too long for younger kids. It would have been perfect for teens and adults, but it is way too long for younger kids. We're pretty fit, and we were exhausted by the end because there is a lot of walking and going up and down the stairs. We were also carrying our kids coats and umbrellas as we didn't see the lockers until the end. Tip; Ditch any gear before questing. There are very few places to sit and take a break along the way. This would be a very poor choice attraction for anyone with mobility issues or anyone who can't handle a lot of walking. I wouldn't bring grandparents along on this adventure. We ended up taking a break in the snack area, and they paused our quest, so taking a break wouldn't count towards the 2 hours. I wish we didn't pause the quest because we ended up deciding we were done after 90 minutes of questing time, but 2 hours of being there, and our kids did not want to leave time on the clock. As a parent, this was a lot. My kids were SO excited to find things and explore, but I felt a bit stressed because there are lots of passageways and secret doors, and any time another family exposed some secret entrance, they immediately wanted to run through it. I had to be on high alert to avoid losing them to their impulses to go through any secret passages they stumbled upon. I read everything on their website, some online reviews, and watched videos about Wizard Quest, but I wish I had more info going into this about what to expect. We finished 3 quests. We would have to come back multiple times to complete everything. That would have been nice to know going into it to manage kid expectations. People in larger bodies might have a hard time navigating certain areas because some passages are quite narrow. There are 3 levels. We never made it to the fire area in the basement, and I feel like most of our time was in the earth area. Tip:choose quests that start in different realms to explore different areas. There was a lot of walking back and forth, going back to places we already explored. I wish there was an option to tap for a hint in the app instead of asking the staff. We went inside the tree so many times. When my kids had trouble finding what they needed to complete the task, we had to circle around, come down, and loop around to ask for a hint and then go back up again (and again and again). The staff is helpful, but having to go in circles to get a hint was frustrating for younger kids. They wanted to finish the task and move on to explore new areas. I also wish there was a back feature in the app. When little kids tap through quest details quickly, They miss important information. Both kids had a blast and said it was 4 stars and want to go back. I had fun, but I also feel like I would wait several years before considering a return trip.

This is a nice race...even if you wimp out and only sign up for the 5k like me. :) All the races…read morehave good attendance but there's more hype around the quarter (its essentially a little less than doing a 10k) and the half marathon. I think it used to start later in the summer but they made the wise move of starting earlier in the June. Its a lot more pleasant to run when its 60 than when its 80 degrees out. With the quarter and half marathon: -you get to go on the Hoan bridge. -you get a "tech" material shirt. -you start right at 7 am vs 7:20. Why I didnt do the quarter marathon (other than I'm flabby and tired sometimes :): It's about $35 more for the quarter marathon and it starts at 7 am on a Saturday in summer. I dont know about you but it's really a gamble whether I'm getting my butt out of bed and showing up for these things on a weekend morning in summer. $30 is one thing - $65 is another. I registered late so it was $30 but you get goodies that make up for the cost including: -tshirt -medal -summerfest ticket -polish fest ticket -nice earbuds (you know you can always use more of these.) -free drink ticket -water, chocolate milk, banana, & snacks at finish. Couple things: - they ran out of large t-shirts by the time I got to pick up my stuff but medium is still pretty decent sized. -chocolate milk at the finish line=nothing I want in my GI tract after running hard in the summer. -I would suggest walking or biking down here if you live nearby at all. Many roads are closed in the morning and it just seemed a lot easier. Bike racks are next to the Summerfest Southgate and by the finish line

I heart Milwaukee and I heart this race!…read more It was my second time running this half marathon and I finished 20 minutes faster than last year! I signed up at the Shamrock Shuffle 8K Expo in Chicago and got a discount as well as the dirfit shirt from last year's marathon...score! The course was pretty much the same as last year with a challenging start up and down the Hoan bridge twice!...and that wicked incline up to the residential area after mile 6. What makes this race special are the great scenic views of Milwaukee's Hoan bridge, lovely quiet mansions, downhill stretch down towards the lakefront, past Discovery World and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Energetic pacers will keep you in check in case the fun sights begin to distract you from a PR goal. Water/gatorade stations litter the course about every couple miles or so...the most I've seen in my history of running half marathons...all three of them! Entertainment along the way also took the form of a band rocking out the 80's music, a Chinese dragon, Mexican folk dancers, a saxophonist, a spectator dressed as Scooby Doo. Even the runners were part of the entertainment too. I saw one dressed as Elvis! Crossing that finish line with the Hoan bridge in view was an amazing feeling. The volunteers were so sincere in congratulating runners. I love love the chocolate milk you get at the end of the race. They actually have so much re-fueling snacks at the finish that I was running out of hands to carry it all! This race is definitely challenging but worth every minute of the blood, sweat, and tears. The free beer doesn't hurt either=)

This is the third triathlon I've experienced and it was the best! It was pretty small (but not the…read moresmallest triathlon), casual, and just gosh darn beautiful! The entire race is in Bigfoot Park. Swimmers swim in clear waters where they can see fish near the bottom. They bike on a closed off road that skirts the park and the lake. Lastly, they enjoy a scenic run in the woods to finish. Oh - and the transition area was really well organized. Everyone was assigned a particular spot in transition and (what's more) everyone abided by their placement. Spectators have an easy view of all three events and move around without disrupting the race. There are even picnic tables for them to sit at while waiting. Additionally, there's a ton of portapotties and other bathroom facilities scattered throughout. Besides, there weren't THAT many spectators. It seemed as if many racers came solo just to enjoy the race and not to be cheered on by fans. Since it's a small race, the scores are posted on paper immediately after the race. However, because it's a small race, there also aren't a lot of bells and whistles. Unless you placed in your age group or something I don't think you got any type of award or participation ribbon. The swag bag only contained race related necessities (timing chip and bib) and a Running Away Multisport sweatshirt. No granola bars or chapstick or anything else. At the end, racers received a bag of food (that's where you could get a Silk drink, banana, bagel, and granola bar).

This was an awesome race, great course, and a whole lot of fun…read more Lake Geneva is crystal clear and it was a fun course to swim. The bike course took you out in the country of the best state in the USA. The run was a fantastic trail run with great spectator participation. This was probably my favorite course I've done so far and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Madison Mini-Marathon is what I wish the Madison Marathon was like…read more It's unfortunately run by a group in Indiana rather than a local organization or chamber of commerce, but it's hard to resist this race regardless. Their race course was so well planned out. It hits all the highlights of Madison and ends with a beer on the terrace. It's by far my favorite half marathon in the Madison neighborhood. The half marathon starts at the Memorial Union terrace, runs up Langdon past Frat Row, cuts over to the Capitol via Wisconsin Ave, gets you a nice view of the Farmer's Market in the summer before sending you down State Street. Southwest bike trail, Picnic point, Lakeshore Path, UW Arboretum, and ending back at the Memorial union are all highlights of this course. I really enjoy that the medal doubles as a bottle opener in true Wisconsin fashion. The course is relatively flat. The race is in August so there's always a danger of hot temperatures but it's been in the 60s at the start the last couple of years. Many things about this race reads like a love letter to Madison. Parking is not so easy. But I live in Madison so I sort of knew the ins and outs. Might be tough for out of towners. There's also a 5k event and I believe they also give out medals for that.

Awhile back, I signed up for the Madison Mini after getting in through being a BibRave Pro. It was…read morea plus for me, since I needed to add Wisconsin to my 50 state list, especially before I move out west. Getting to Madison: if you're flying in, you'll likely go through O'hare in Chicago and in up on a little puddle jumper on a quick 30 ish minute flight to Madison. Rental Car companies are right in the airport after you get out past security to get around Lodging: Main partner hotel was the Double Tree and it was about 1/3 mile from the start. I stayed a few miles away at the Sheraton, but it was a quick 10 minute drive to parking Parking: Madison is a college town so there are parking garages all over the place. I parked a little farther out (by the Double Tree), just so it would be easy to get out. About 4 hrs was $4 Expo: I can't' speak to the expo, as a fellow Pro picked up my bib for me since I got in late. Bonus points for making things easy as to having someone pick up your bib for you. If that's not an option, they do offer race day pick up for $25 when you register. If you didn't get to check out gear, they have gear at the finish off the terrace in the post race party. Race day: race starts at 7 AM. Corrals are pretty easy to get into and visible. Expect hills. There are flat parts to the course, but the last few miles had some hills that I wasn't ready for (I was undertrained to begin with). The course (from what I've been told) changed again this year, but I have nothing to compare it to. You go through the capitol, through UW Madison, Camp Randall, the UW arboretum. You get a good amount of scenery and cheering sections, though I wish more people would have come out since it was a nice day. It did get hot towards the end. In terms of aid stations, at the beginning they were spaced pretty far apart and then closer together for the back half (every mile or so). The last mile or 2 was through campus, how does it have hills in it?!? Not a lot of photographers at this race. I saw one around mile 12 and 1 at the finish Post race: Huge post race party on the Terrace and 1 free beer if that's your cup of tee. Banana, water, granola bar, Wisconsin Pop corn and chocolate milk through the chute as you finish. I wish they'd just bag it up and give it to runners so it's less to carry. Pretty decent bling too. If you due the Rock n Sole in Milwaukee the same year as Madison, you get extra bling! Overall: good race. Wish they'd cut the hills at the back half of the race. Hopefully they'll keep improving the course