June LFM News

It is hard to believe that it is June already! WOW - you amazed all of us by your support for our 2009 race - we filled on May 19 - three weeks ahead of last year - amazing!!!

I'd like to announce an exciting program put together by our sponsor, In-Step Running and Walking Center. They have put a seminar series together at their Third Ward store to help you prepare to run the best LFM ever and do it without injury or problems. The first session is on June 25th and is free of charge to LFM registrants - $5 for everyone else. Take a look at this flyer for more information on the series as a whole and the first session- http://tinyurl.com/luotfb

Also - don't forget the Pasta Dinner sponsored by the American Cancer Society - http://tinyurl.com/l7zsvp

I'd also like to clue you in to a GREAT improvement to the last mile or so of our course. Even though we know that many of you really have enjoyed all of the zig zagging along the marina and running over the grass and down the curb, we will be making a change in that part of the course. Although all of the details have not been finialized, you can be sure that the course will cross Lagoon Drive at Lincoln Memorial Drive - Yippie!!

The course change is possible because we have made an IMPORTANT CHANGE IN THE LOCATION OF THE RUNNER PARKING. There will be NO parking off of Lagoon Drive. Instead, we will provide free runner parking in the O'Donnell Park parking structure on the corner of Lincoln Memorial Drive and Michigan Street - this is south of the finish area. This free parking is available for runners taking the bus to the start ONLY. The buses will load from this area as well.

As the summer goes on, some of you will (alas) get injured or have things come up that will prevent your participation. If that happens, you are welcome to come to the expo to get your shirt or authorize a friend to get it. However, please don't ask to transfer your entry to another runner or another year - we don't allow that. Also - and this is really important - do not give your number to someone else to wear. First - it is unsafe - how would you like us to call YOUR family if that runner went to the hospital? Second, that runner will be DQ'd and you will BOTH be barred from participation in future LFM's. As much as we hate to do that, we had to DQ and bar several people in 2008 and will do so again in 2009, if we need to.

Finally, we are working on the bringing you another great health and fitness expo - same great site, MSOE's Kern Center. If you do business with someone who you think would benefit by exposure to all of our great runners, let us know and we will contact them. Also - let them know that YOU think that it would be a good idea for them to participate. We are also trying to increase the number of goodies provided to our runners - maybe you know of a business that has a nice product that they could provide as a sample or an advertising specialty. In either case, have them contact me in the usual way - lakefrontmarathon@sbcglobal.net