Just finished the 2013 Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha, WI on Saturday, 05/04/13, as part of my 50…read moreStates Marathon goal. I had ran the Mad City Marathon in Madison, WI back in 2010 for the state, but heat issues had forced the race to black flag it and made me DNF. With that, I just had to redo Wisconsin. Luckily for me, the Wisconsin marathon and the Kalamazoo Marathon in Michigan were on back to back days, so I got an opportunity to knock off 2 states in one shot. Insane, huh? With their "Mittens Challenge" promotion this year 2013, you'd get an additional medal upon completion in Kalamazoo, MI. The Wisconsin Marathon is held in the quiet town of Kenosha, WI.Just 2 hours from Chicago and Kenosha is considered one of Chicago's many suburbs, just across state lines. I flew into Milwaukee the Monday before, having ran the Kentucky Derby marathon in Louisville, Ky and stayed with friends during the week in Fitchburg. I eventually drove down to Kenosha for race weekend and it was amazing! Packet pickup was held at the Best Western hotel on 6th Street on the Lake Michigan waterfront. The packet pick up was on the 3rd floor conference room. There wasn't much at all, in terms of an expo. I found a couple of my friends there and we were out of there in 5 minutes, after picking up packets and looking around. It was that small. Better to have mailed everyone's packet! The race itself started at 7am, so I was up at 4:30am and got to the start at 6:15am. The first 10 miles, we weaved in and around the Lake Michigan waterfront and the residential neighborhoods of Kenosha, which were already decidedly pretty. Just kept at my own pace. Weather temps that morning were 72/45 and expected to rain, but it didn't! The first 10 miles were an out and back, with the full and the half marathon course together. I would take to first time half and full marathoners there to keep things moving and they were pleasantly shocked at how much marathons and halfs I have done so far. The course split at mile 11.5 bid an end to new friends and onward to the half way point. There were no timing points at 5K, 10K, and 13.1, which was interesting, but not unheard of. I would've thought half way, but I guess this race was small enough not to warrant multiple split points. The last half of the course ran through more neighborhoods, along with a highway stretch that was opened to traffic. Just needed to stay on the right side of the road, although traffic was light on a Saturday. In the later miles, there was gravel surfaces to run on, so that provided much needed relief to my legs. I did meet up with a few of my marathon maniac club friends, so that was a huge boost to my mental stamina, when my physical stamina was waning. At mile 18, there was a short out and back section, which was about a mile and an oddly placed timing point on the course. I guess that's a way of marking who did pass through and not cut the course. The asphalt road was also marked with faded orange arrows, so that helped a bit when all you see is residential neighborhoods and nobody really in front of you. The course support was good, especially in downtown Kenosha, where spectators would line up along the streets and cheer us all on. That was great. The aid stations were adequate and the course Marshals were wearing tuxedo t-shirts. Not sure what the theme was, but it was like that. They were especially helpful with directions on the later miles when it got particularly warm and more tough. Overall, I think that this marathon (full or half) is one to do. If you are looking for a PR course in Wisconsin, this one can provide you with that benefit while giving you the best race ever. Weather can be a factor, but normally it's cool enough for a great experience for the novice or experienced racer. Run More! A+

A pleasant spring marathon. Course is nice in places along the lake but can also be pretty boring…read more/ residential / gravelly in other places. Well supported. Virtually no crowds except in a few select places along the course. Would not travel to run but not bad if looking for a local spring marathon.

Drinks were good and quick, even though they were busy. Great to be able to stop in, warm up and…read morehead back out for a little more skiing.

Hot Dog Mountain is back baby!! Grand Geneva's terrain park is making a serious comeback. The jumps…read moreare insane and the rails are ridiculous. They might have the most rails in Southern WI. They've been making a ton of snow and creating some fantastic features every week. The black diamond is really a black diamond. I'd love to see some of the features become permanent like the giant jump on "A". Thanks for all your hard work! Let's shred the gnar!!!!

Excellent customer service and prompt Shipping. I had to contact the company because parts were…read moremissing. Stafford responded promptly and we sorted it out . It was my fault. Thank You Recommended!

Very bad customer service. I just bought an Impact vest online which turned out to be too small. It…read moretook me 2 days to get in contact via mail with someone at the store (Stafford). I asked for an exchange and they said i would need to pay for shipping both ways because they sold the vest at a lost in the first place. They also told me there is a 15% restocking fee in case of refund. Well very bad customer service and definitely not a place you should buy from. Alessandro

What a difference 3 months makes for a race such as this. I got a taste of Warrior Dash at their…read moreMidwest event which was hosted in June. The temperature at the time was in the 90s and it was sunny. Now it's September and I ran in their Upper Midwest event. Supposedly Saturday had perfect conditions for competing. Sunday, the day that I chose, was overcast, cold and raining. That definitely dampened (pardon the pun) my experience. However, they still offered the great obstacles that Warrior Dash always promises, I came out relatively unharmed and I had the chance to run the race with a group of great ladies! Parking was much better here. There were fewer dips and humps, so my car's bottom never hit the ground. They were very welcoming of my spectating boyfriend and my dog. Check-in was a breeze and there were signs everywhere to direct you to the places you needed to be. The afterparty area was a fun time as always, and I got my turkey leg despite the fact that they were supposedly sold out right before I finished my wave. The course itself was a lot of fun, but seemed more dangerous than Midwest's. I saw two major injuries in my wave and banged myself up pretty well. The conditions made many of the obstacles tougher than usual and it would have been nice to see more volunteers on the course to keep an eye on people. I also think they should have scraped off the steps on the vertical wall because mud from previous climbers made it nearly impossible to get up the first and second steps. Many Warriors attempted, failed and skipped that particular obstacle. Otherwise, I was very impressed with what they offered and I'm glad to see it was different than the course I did earlier in the year. It makes each location unique. I think I'll come again next year!

Aah, the Warrior Dash. I was convinced to do it by a friend, and ended up having an absolute…read moreblast. The Good: Costumes. I saw super heros, Gumby, the seven dwarves and of course a lot of beards. The participants were all hilarious and friendly, and it was really fun. Everyone encourages each other in a weird way. Also good - It's only a 5 K plus the obstacles. I really don't think you need to train to complete this, as long as you have a little bit of guts and some pride, but not so much that you need to finish with a good time. Which means you can goad more of your friends into doing it, apparently. The whole event was very well organized. Packet pick up was a snap, staff were friendly, everything started on time. There were thousands and thousands of people there, but other than seeing them, you wouldn't really notice. $65 for the entry was reasonable - I paid extra for the eye patches. Getting to jump over fire and crawl in the mud, and then eat a turkey leg with a beer with 15,000 of your closest friends? Totally worth it. Oh! And the swag was very reasonably priced - most other events a t-shirt is $25 - they were $15 here for a good quality, well-designed one. The Bad: The obstacles were kind of monotonous after a while... I was expecting to jump and run over junker cars, and the tire obstacle was pretty lame. Also, I got completely banged up on one obstacle - the first one was a little dangerous, in my opinion. Most were fun though - including the mud and the fire jumping. The Ugly: The dude in the authentic Tarzan loin cloth. And the dude in the old-school kilt. Grosssss. My friends and I will be back next year - we'll be the ones dressed like ninjas. With warrior beards.

Yup, we did it again this year (this morning). Pretty much the same course, but they changed things…read moreup just enough so it was like doing it for the first time! A really challenging race with plenty of hills, obstacles, teamwork and....MUD! A really good, muddy time and you get a free beer afterward! Thanks to mother nature, the weather was cooler this year which made us perform better. We had a blast! I will post new pictures as soon as they are available on the site!

Fixing my review because the refund was provided. If it wasn't for the mix up I would have had a…read moremuch more enjoyable experience.

This was a pretty cool event. I have not been to the Six Flags theme park in at least 6 or 7 years…read more I'm pretty sure the last time I was there, the water park was not even built yet! The race was very well organized and was not crazy at all -I would estimate that there were about 200-300 participants or so. I like that it was not crazy like some of the bigger downtown Chicago races. The first mile was through the parking lot; at mile 2, you enter the park. It was super cool to run through the park and see how it has changed. The water park portion was so extensive that I definitely want to go back next summer. -Not just for the water park but for the rides too! I had no idea of the additions and remodeling that had gone on. Running through the entire park brought back so many childhood memories for me. It was crazy to see all of the old structures still there as well as many new rides and attractions. If you are looking for some new "scenery" during a 5K, this was a cool event. My only criticism is how they handled packet pick-up: it was only 12-3pm on the Saturday prior in Gurnee. I had to work that day, and when I left to try to make it in time, there was a torrential rain storm and I had to get off the highway. However, I'm proud of the way they handled it -my friend who did make it out to Gurnee said they will let you come to the race early and pick up the packet beforehand. So, that's what I did. No long lines, no drama. Again, a unique event for those looking for something different than the typical neighborhood race.

Great time, friendly staff and the airsoft community is great! No attitudes, no arrogance, just…read morepeople looking to have fun!

Love Black Ops Airsoft. The field is fantastic and HUGE and the refs are great. It's become my…read morego-to location.

My son was interested in trying a week of Nike Tennis Camp at Carthage College after hearing great…read morethings from a friend who went last summer. He loves tennis, but hasn't always loved being away from home in the past and it seemed like A LOT of tennis so I really wasn't sure how it would go. However, he loved it so much that he better to go back the following week. Unfortunately, week 2 didn't work with his schedule, but I hope it does next year. Facilities: They stayed in a dorm that had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. No AC, but my son said they were comfortable enough with the fans we brought from home. I arrived with Clorox wipes in hand, but it actually was cleaner than i expected. My son claims the food was so good he didn't even need to DoorDash which says a lot. He said they even had sushi! Coaches: My son absolutely loved the coaches. I heard a lot about Luka from Brazil who seemed to be his favorite, but he said they were all super fun Tennis instruction: He said the tennis itself was great. Morning drills, match play in the afternoon and fun games at night. He didn't feel like it was too much tennis and said it was the perfect mix. His favorite was match play time. Social interactions: He roomed with a friend and had another friend next door, but also met some kids he really liked. Most the kids seemed to be from the Chicago north shore and Milwaukee. He did say he probably wouldn't go without a friend, but a bunch of kids went on their own and seemed just fine. The kids ranged in age from 9-17 but I'd say most of them were around 12/13. There were about 50 kids and maybe slightly more girls than boys. Other activities: My son said the activities outside of tennis were even more fun. Bowling, movie nights, some gaming facility, volleyball to name a few. There didn't seem to be a ton of downtime but he enjoyed card games (send a pack of cards) when they did have time off the courts. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I plan to send him again next summer - maybe even with his siblings in tow.