Just finished the 2013 Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha, WI on Saturday, 05/04/13, as part of my 50 States 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+ read more

Wisconsin Marathon - Races & Competitions Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

A pleasant spring marathon. Course is nice in places along the lake but can also be pretty boring / 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. read more

Pros -Boston qualifier -Number of aid and water stations (5 out of 5 stars) -volunteers very friendly -Medal is awesome looking (for 2015 anyway) (5 out of 5 stars) -Flat course Cons -Lack of Crowd/Locals (1 out of 5 stars) Seriously treat this as a training run. There was a point where I didn't see anyone for 4-5 miles besides runners themselves. It's an extra mental challenge when you hit a wall to have no fan encouragement. -Course Route (1 out of 5 stars)If you are not used to out and backs and out and back again this course is tough to get used to. Scenery is nice as you run along lake a bit but most of the time you are running through neighborhoods were people could care less that there is race going on in front of their houses. -A others have mentioned it does seem easy to cheat on, the course should have a few more time pads, especially being a Boston qualifier -Does run on gravel for 1-2 miles if you aren't used to that just something to keep in mind read more

Wisconsin Marathon - Medal from 2015 - Races & Competitions Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

I ran my first half marathon here in 2011 and absolutely loved it! Because I loved the half so much, I decided to do my first (and likely only) full marathon here in 2012. The first reviewer pretty much nailed the pros and cons, but I like to talk... This is a small race (6,000 runners, I believe) on the wide open streets of Kenosha. The half and full share the same course for the first 12 miles or so. This portion is breathtakingly gorgeous: running along the lake front, through downtown Kenosha, past the Carthage campus, through beautiful residential areas. There's pretty decent crowd support for the first half too. It's not crazy like Chicago or anything, but a decent number of people gather downtown and people come out from their houses the cheer runners on. After the marathon breaks away? Not so much. The second half of the course runs south into a more rural area. The terrain is uneven and inconsistent alternating between gravel and pavement. The course is not marked very well. At one point, I honestly wasn't sure I was still on the course. The majority of the runners seem to run the half so if you're slower (like me!) you're running most of the second half alone, and there's basically no crowd support. Had my family not been following me on bikes, it would have been extremely lonely, desolate, and almost creepy. Overall course support is excellent, plenty of hydration stops, porta-potties, and volunteers along the way. The half is easily a five star race, and I would highly recommend it. But if you're looking for the full, I suggest you look elsewhere. read more

WISCONSIN MARATHON - ALSO KNOWN AS "KENOSHA" MARATHON= VERY EASY TO CUT COURSE AND CHEAT ON! NEEDS A 2ND TIMING MAT! Until they can rectify this problem, will never run this course again. PROS: - temps are usually cool and 50's and mid 50's. - Boston Qualifier - Plenty of Hydration stations. - Friendly volunteers and staff. CONS: - only 1 timing mat at mile 19. Very easy course to cheat on and a heaven for runners looking to qualify for Boston but can't. Caught a course cutter who only ran the southern half, had him disqualified. This marathon definitely needs to have another timing mat at the turn around at mile 7.5 at the minimum. Was told they cannot afford to have that in place. - crowd support is practically non existent. At mile 13, you are basically all alone. - There are some uneven roads for a portion of the race which makes for uncomfortable running. There is also a gravel portion that has large gravel mixed with limestone which can cause anybody wearing racing flats to - Course is also 3/10's of a mile longer than the marathon. - winds were a bit unpredictable, although not as bad as Illinois Marathon. - Beware of reviews placed on marathonguide.com as any negative comments is censored and not permitted to be posted. - No pace teams. - no age group winnings. read more