Monday, November 15, 2010

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Monday November 15, 2010

2011 Preview

Over the last six weeks we have been winding down from the 2010 marathon, taking care of post-race runner questions, and beginning to plan for 2011 (though that actually began quite a bit before the 2010 race…). We really appreciate the time that many of you took to respond to the post-race survey. We look at every single comment to find ways to improve our race – more than 700 of you provided at least one comment and many of you commented on several questions – that is a LOT of input. We were very pleased with your overall rating – 99.6% of you said that you’d recommend the race to a friend. All I can say is WOW and THANKS for your continued support! I do hope that you noticed that our survey company, Events Response, removed the ads on their “landing page” this year. When we explained that we are not really a commercial endeavor, they agreed to do that – thanks so much to them for that!

As we begin planning for our October 2, 2011 race, we’d like to make you aware of a couple of significant changes in the race and a couple of other things that we have in mind based upon your comments.

Relay and Marathon Entry Limit – After much thought and discussion over the last several years, we have decided that we will no longer offer a relay as part of the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. Since the inception of our race in 1981, our race staff and the Badgerland Striders have focused on the marathon as our primary mission and on making this the best marathon experience that we can. The relay was added many years ago as a secondary event to support the marathon. We have simply gotten to the point where the effort and resources required to maintain the relay are taking away from the marathon. The relay is the equivalent of 100 marathoners - for whom we have a separate busing strategy, have very significant spectator management issues, and accounts for a vastly disproportionate number of questions and issues. Importantly, our post-race survey shows that the relay runners want MORE from us - medals, immediate bus service to the finish and between exchange points, accurate timing of their splits, treatment equal to what we provide the marathoners, etc. We simply are not in a position to meet those expectations. We also received many marathoner comments about the relay - that they believe that it detracts from their experience and that we should drop the relay and simply increase the marathon entry limit. That is exactly what we will do. We will increase our entry limit by 300 to 3050 in 2011 and focus entirely on the marathon. We know that some people will be disappointed but hope that you all understand that we believe that this decision is in the best interest of the race and ask your support.

Start Time – Since the heat in 2007, we have discussed a change in our start time from the current 8:00 to 7:30 - and will implement that change in 2011. We believe that this will provide for a safer race should we experience the temperatures we experienced in 2007 and that Chicago experienced in 2007 and 2010. We also believe that this will reduce race-related access issues with homeowners and businesses on our race course.

Registration and Fees - For those planning ahead…we expect to open registration for 2011 in late January – we will let you know (in January) when we set the exact date. The 2011 race fee has been set at $75 and will include the on-line registration fee. Registration will be on-line only – we will not be processing paper race forms. And, for those REALLY planning ahead the date for 2012 is October 7.

Race Shirts – We received such great feedback on our 2010 shirts and happy to report that 2010 designer Mike Kasun has agreed to return to design our 2011 shirt. We’re still thinking about color choices… Back to the survey…Events Response tells us that we have a higher proportion of female racers than other marathons and many of you have requested gender-specific race shirts. Therefore, in 2011 we have decided to make the plunge to offer both male and female sizing in our race shirts. Do I hear a “Yippee” from the ladies?

Finish Area Food – We had a lot of comments from people about the food lines and the quality of the food at the Finish. We will figure out a better way to feed you at the end. What we’d really like to do is to find good sources of pre-packaged items that can be bagged and handed to you in the runners' corral. Believe it or not, it is hard to get 2000+ items when we ask. This is where you can help – please let us know if you know of a good source of pre-packaged items – cheese, dried fruit, salty stuff, meat snacks, etc. One of the runners said in their comments “Tell us what we can do to help.” Well…we could use your help on this. And…we really ARE working on the chocolate milk thing.

The Train – Several of you commented on the train delay. Ever since the front runners were delayed by a train more than 25 years ago, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that things like that don’t happen. We contact the railroad several times, double check with them, and promise them sweatshirts… The railroad person in charge was very embarrassed by this glitch and promises that it won’t happen again…we’ll also triple check on this next year.

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Finisher Shirts

We still have a good selection of the navy blue ¼ zip Finisher shirts, though availability of Women’s Medium is limited. You can order them using the form on the web site . We also have a few 2010 black runner shirts (no women’s XS or S) – the form to order those is also on the web site. And...for those who liked the 2009 shirt we do have some of them available for sale as well.

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Thanks Again...

This is probably enough news for one e-blast… Have a great holiday season, stay safe on the roads, and thank you all so much for your support!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Race Weekend Approaches!

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Saturday September 25, 2010

Ready for Race Weekend?

Race weekend is almost here – we can hardly believe that in just a week we will be welcoming all of you to Milwaukee and to the 30th Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. Your race staff has been working very hard to make sure that you can run the best race that your training will support!

This is your "almost final" e-blast. You can expect another on Thursday or Friday.

Questions... Questions... Lots of you have lots of questions related to packet pick-up, the expo, race rules, the race (of course), etc. We have tried to assemble lots of information to answer those questions on our web site. We hope that you find everything that you need on the Race Weekend and Maps tabs.

If you have questions related to you registration – correcting data errors, lost your confirmation e-mail, etc. please contact our Registration Manager directly at LakefrontRegister@gmail.com . If you need to have someone pick up your packet you need to use the Packet Pick-up Form. Please fill out the form as indicated, attach a copy of your photo ID, and give it to the person who is going to pick up your packet.

This might be a good time to tell you all a little bit about our race and some of the things that we think contribute to making it special to everyone. First, we are sponsored and owned by the Badgerland Striders Running Club. We have approximately 1600 members and are very active putting on 15-20 races annually. The race is put on by an army of people who have full-time “day jobs” or are lucky to be retired… We have more than 50 Race Captains or Managers and marshall more than 1300 volunteers to assist on race weekend. We think that the fact that we are all runners putting on the type of race we’d like to run is one of the things that makes LFM special.

We could not conduct this great race without the support and assistance of our host municipalities. We work closely with their public safety personnel - their greatest concern is the safety of you, the runner. Please be sure to thank the residents and police as you see them and remember that we are guests in their homes.

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Expo & Packet Pick-Up

In case you don’t have the information handy… packet pick-up and our Health and Fitness Expo will be held at the MSOE Kern Center on Friday from 4-7 and Saturday from 9-6. We have a great line-up of vendors and exhibitors. We will also again have our “Cheer Sign” area to provide a chance for kids to make special signs to support their favorite runner.

The Preliminary Expo Seminar Program has been posted on our web site. We hope that you plan your trip to the Expo to take advantage of some of these great presentations. Of special note is our traditional Saturday morning fun run with special guest two-time Olympian Anne Marie Letko. She will lead a run from the Kern Center to the LFM finish and back - about 4 miles. The group will leave the front of the Kern Center at 8AM on Saturday morning. Anne Marie will also speak at the Expo and will be available to meet you at the Jenny Crain Make it Happen booth.

Last year you told us that you’d like to see more seminars and technical information so we added a second, smaller seminar area to the Expo. We have invited our Expo vendors to make presentations in this area. We will post the preliminary schedule soon.

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Finish Area Runner Parking

As you know we strongly encourage you to park near the finish area and take the FREE Runner Shuttle Bus to the start. Last year we had runners park at O’Donnell Park and loaded the buses at the Milwaukee Art Museum. O’Donnell Park is closed due to structural issues. We have secured parking for the runners (paid for by the race) at the Italian Conference Center (ICC) approximately .75 mile from the finish area. We will load the buses to the start on Chicago Street directly in front of the ICC. Take a look at the handy map on the web site for details. As always, the buses to the start are for registered runners ONLY – no spectators.

Please note that you will (definitely) not be able to park off of Lagoon Drive or in the War Memorial lot. Please use the parking at the ICC. We will have shuttles going back to the ICC after the race for runners who don’t want to (or can’t) walk that far.

Buses to take runners to the start will also leave the Hyatt and the Courtyard by Marriott at 6AM sharp. As with the ICC buses, the hotel buses to the start are for registered runners only.

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Have Your Friends & Family Follow You on Facebook

This year your friends and family can follow your progress via Facebook. YOU need to set this up on Facebook prior to the race using the link provided . Please follow the instructions provided - they are so easy that even your overloaded RD coulf figure them out :). We will have timing mats at 7 miles, 13.1 miles, 20 miles and the Finish.

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Elite Athlete Technical Meeting

We have scheduled a special Technical Briefing for Elite Athletes on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 in the small seminar area at the Expo. The briefing will be conducted by Elite Athlete Captain Dan Held, assisted by Race Director Kristine Hinrichs and our USATF Official. The briefing will cover race rules and other logistical issues. If you think that there is any chance that you will compete for prize money, WI USATF Championship, or RRCA National Championship we strongly suggest that you attend. Note that Masters and Grand Masters athletes also compete for these awards.

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Race Weekend Freeway Closures

WDOT announced last week that a portion of I-894/I-43 in the Milwaukee area will be closed on race weekend. This will not affect most of the runners but may affect you if you come from communities southwest of the Milwaukee area. Information about this closure is available in this article in the JournalSentinel . Also...runners coming from the south should be aware of freeway construction from the WI/IL border through the Mitchell Field area.

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The "Rule of 2000"

Huh??? Yep – you know the concept… “I know that I shouldn’t be doing this but IT is JUST me and it can’t matter to anyone.” One latte cup left on a resident’s lawn might not be a big deal – 2000 spectators, each dropping a cup IS a big deal. One spectator who thinks that it is cool to follow their runner by car might not cause a problem – 2,000 cars on the course following a runner – chaos. One runner too impatient to use the porta-pottie – 2,000 runners…get the idea?

We know that runners are great people and that your friends and families are the greatest in their support for you. However, we would like to remind you to review the Race Rules and Spectator section of the Runners Guide. As we have said before, we get more complaints about the behavior of spectators than any other issue. Please make sure that your spectator is not the one that makes it difficult to get a permit next year, makes it impossible to secure use of a private parking lot, or does something that will result in YOUR disqualification.

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Runners of Note

We have many special runners who will toe the line on October 3rd – including each of you! However, there are a few that you’ll want to watch for. First, we have assigned #1 to Anne Marie Letko and #2 to Mike Henze member of the US 24 Hour Team who won a bronze medal at the World Championships in May. Mike's performance in that race was nothing short of amazing! We also have several former winners who have come back to help us celebrate our 30th Anniversary. With the exception of Cornia Canitz running with her favorite #4 in honor of her four beautiful daughters, all of the Champions will have red race bibs - their race number represents the year they won the race.

We also have three guys who have toed the starting line every single year – James Bahr #38, Duane Tate #39, and Bill Boehm #40. If you see them, give them a high-five.

You also might see a guy out there running a bit of the race (he has retired from marathons) wearing #30. That will be Bob Fitts – our original Race Director. Thanks, Bob for setting us on the course from Grafton to Milwaukee. We hope that you like what your baby has grown up to be.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Early September Up-date

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Thursday September 2, 2010

30th Anniversary Jackets

Just a reminder for those of you thinking about ordering the special 30th Anniversary jacket. These jackets are available for pre-order only and will not be sold on race weekend. The deadline to order yours is September 8. Information about the jacket, sizing and cost is available on the LFM web site . If you will be doing the LFM marathon build-up run on Saturday September 4th, Alice will have samples there for you to take a look at. And, Yep – your trusty RD and several of our race staff have already ordered theirs.

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Race Day Runner Parking - NEW Location

As you know we strongly encourage you to park near the Finish Area and take the FREE Runner Shuttle Bus to the Start. Last year we had runners park at O’Donnell Park and loaded the buses at the Milwaukee Art Museum. O’Donnell Park is closed due to structural issues. We have secured parking for the runners (paid for by the race) at the Italian Conference Center (ICC) approximately .75 mile from the finish area. We will load the buses to the Start on Chicago Street directly in front of the ICC. Take a look at the handy map on the web site for details. As always, the buses to the Start are for registered runners ONLY – no spectators.

Please note that you will (definitely) not be able to park off of Lagoon Drive or in the War Memorial lot. Please use the parking at the ICC. We will have shuttles going back to the ICC after the race for runners who don’t want to (or can’t) walk that far.

Buses to take runners to the Start will also leave the Hyatt and the Courtyard by Marriott at 6AM sharp. As with the ICC buses, the hotel buses to the Start are for registered runners only.

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Race Day Spectator Parking

As with runner parking, spectators will not be allowed to park at the War Memorial or off of Lagoon Drive. We suggest that they park in one of the two private structures on Michigan Street between Lincoln Memorial Drive and Cass Street. The location of these structures is noted on the Runner Parking Map . We will have signs directing spectators to the Finish Area via the seawall east of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Speaking of your loving family, friends, and fans… PLEASE, PLEASE have them read the Spectator Section of the Runners Guide. Spectator parking is VERY LIMITED on the course this year and they will have to be prepared to walk a half mile or more to get to the course. They really do need to follow the direction of the police and volunteers and to remember that the parking areas we have secured for their use have been generously donated by private businesses – these generous owners really don’t want to be picking up your spectator’s empty latte cups.

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Relay Changes

Remember that September 15 is the (really) final deadline to make substitutions to your relay team. Instructions are posted on the LFM web site.

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Pasta Dinner Tickets Still Available

Pasta??? What would a marathon be without pasta? You want to share pasta, camaraderie, and a good story with other runners? Don’t forget the American Cancer Society DetermiNation Pasta Dinner . The featured speaker this year will be 22 year cancer survivor Darren Fortney. Darrren has completed the Badwater Ultramarathon, Ironman triathlons and many other events to raise funds for cancer research. Register directly with ACS no later than September 24th. Remember – there will be a lot of people in Milwaukee for the Farm Aid concert on Saturday so dinner reservations may be an issue for you.

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Special Guest Anne Marie Letko

We are pleased to welcome two-time Olympian Anne Marie Letko as our special guest this year. Anne Marie competed in the marathon in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 (10th in 2:31:30), the 5k in Sydney in 2000, and in three World Championships. Anne Marie was also inducted in the Road Runners Club of America Hall of Fame in 2009. As a very special bonus Anne Marie will be running the marathon with the three Foy brothers to raise funds for Jenny Crain. She will host a fun run from the Kern Center (to the LFM Finish and back) on Saturday morning, will speak at the expo, and will be available at the Jenny Crain Make it Happen Booth throughout the weekend to talk to runners. This will be great – we are not aware that an Olympic Marathoner has ever run LFM.

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Have Your Friends & Family Follow You on Facebook

We are excited to announce that we soon post a link on the LFM site to a Facebook app that your friends and family can download to allow them to follow you (and others) in the race. Stay tuned for details…it will be cool…because we are all really cool here at LFM. We will also add another timing mat at the 7 mile point to provide you with additional feedback after the race and to provide another way-point for people to follow your progress.

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A Few More Important Details

Runners Guide Thanks for your patience! The 2010 Runners Guide has now been posted on the web site. The Guide includes most of the information that you will need for race weekend. Please take the time to review the information – most of what you need to know is there and it will save those e-mail responses from your trusty RD that begin “As noted in the 2010 Runners Guide…”. Saves me time to work on other important LFM stuff. We always have a few late-breaking issues that we will cover in our Race Weekend Bulletin will be available when you pick up your packet.

Expo/Packet Pick-up We do have a nice mix of vendors and informational booths for our health & fitness expo but can always use a few more. If you would be interested in being a part of the Expo this year, contact Pam and she will get right back to you with the details. We also have a nice goodie bag stuffer program that might be a good fit for your business. Pam can tell you about that, too.

Farm Aid Speaking of Farm Aid… Don’t forget that the 25th Anniversary edition of Farm Aid will be held at Miller Park in Milwaukee on Saturday October 2nd – 40,000 people filling the stadium, hotels, and restaurants. We don’t know exactly what impact this will have on your pre-race preparations – however, you do need to be aware of the event. If you have not yet booked a hotel room, do so ASAP! Our host hotel blocks have been filled – go to VisitMilwaukee.org for other options.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Special 30th Anniversary Jacket

30th Anniversary Jacket Now Available

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As we promised in our last e-blast, we have a special 30th Anniversary Jacket available. This jacket is available for PRE-SALE ONLY on Active.com . Runners will pick them up at the Official Merchandise booth at the Expo. Complete information about the jacket is available on the LFM web site. OK... we do know that the Active.com site is not really set up for merchandise sales... please follow the link and click on "Register Now" to be directed to the ordering information.

Sizing information is on the sale sheet. We also expect to have sample jackets (without the printing) available for inspection at the BLS marathon build-up program - just look for Alice...The deadline for ordering the jackets is September 8, 2010. Note that the $75 and $80 sale prices include Wisconsin sales tax.

Take it from your Race Director - I own more LFM merchandise than anyone will ever need. I am, however, tempted to add this to my inventory - this is a great jacket for winter running and for knocking around in cooler weather.

Again - please note that this is a PRE-SALE item only. We will not be selling them on race weekend.

We do hope that you like the 30th Anniversary logo as much as we do. LFM friend Mike Kasun designed this and othe special logos for the 2010 race. Thanks, Mike!


Wednesday, July 21, 2010

July E-Blast

Hello...Hello...Yep, We're Still Here

Sorry for the gap in our E-blasts… We HAVE been busy planning our 30th Anniversary race to ensure that it is the BEST ever because, of course, the BEST times are still in Milwaukee.

There are at least three guys who are particularly serious about their LFM training. For 30 years Duane Tate, Bill Boehm and Jim Bahr have trained through the summer, laced their shoes, toed the start line in Grafton, and made the trip to Veterans Park. All three will be at the starting line again this year - WOW 30 years of the Best Times... Speaking of 30 years of dedication, we have at least two volunteers who also have a 30 year LFM streak. Both Len Wachinak and Don Weyer have volunteered each and every year - now, that is a WOW. No medals or LFM PR's - but 30 years of helping our runners to make their marathon dreams come true. They'll also be at the Start again in 2010 - I thank them for their support and commitment.

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LFM Kids Marathon

We are pleased to announce the return of our “Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Kids’ Run”. Participating kids will run a total of 25 miles before race day – documented by a parent or adult. On race day they will run 1.2 miles, crossing the same finish line that our marathon runners cross. As part of the program the kids receive a special training log with training and nutrition tips, an in-training t-shirt, a finisher shirt, refreshments at the finish AND a special finishers’ medal. This program is completely sponsored by our friends at BodyBasix . There are still slots open for this program – see the information posted on the Kids Run page of our LFM web site.

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Special LFM 30th Anniversary Jacket

Stay tuned for an e-blast announcing our special 30th Anniversary Jacket that will be available for pre-order (only). This jacket will feature our special 30th anniversary logo that will also be featured on the runner shirts and other mercandise. Even your trusty RD - with tons of LFM merchandise in her closet - is lusting after this item...

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Details, You Want Details...

We are working on the details for the 2010 Runners Guide. We know that many of you can’t wait to get it. It is always a balancing act between getting the Guide out to you early and waiting until we have as many of the final details set as we can. You can expect to receive an e-mail with a link to the Guide in early September. In the interim, you can get much of what you need form the 2009 Guide.

There are a couple of things that we know will change. The first relates to our Hammer Gel stops. By popular demand we have moved our 23 mile gel stop to the aid station at Concordia University and will continue the second stop at Klode Park (approximately 19 miles). Although we would like to offer additional stops, these two areas are the only ones that allow our volunteers to safely pick-up discarded gel packet.

The second relates to parking at the finish. Local runners have read about the tragic accident that has closed the O’Donnell Park parking structure that we used for runner parking in 2009. We do not know if the structure will be open by race day so are looking to other alternatives for runner and spectator parking. We’ll provide information as soon as we can. In 2009 many spectators used the War Memorial parking lot on race day. We have been informed that they have two events at their facility on race day and that parking will not be available for our spectators. Again, we are investigating alternatives so that we can direct spectators to parking that can accommodate them. It will be important for you to make sure that your spectators know that this parking will not be available to them – it will prevent them from being stuck in traffic on race day. Also - just a reminder that on-street parking is prohbited in all areas of the City of Mequon and Villages of Bayside and Fox Point - effectively from mile 5 to mile 19. Spectators who violate these regulations can expect to be ticketed or towed.

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Marathon Build-up Program

Our marathon build-up runs began July 3rd and continue through September 25th at Lake Park in Milwaukee. These runs are open to anyone – you don’t have to be a Badgerland Strider member or registered for LFM AND there is no charge to participate – how great is that? Join build-up run director Dr. Jon Mueller for the weekly runs – with Gatorade and (in longer runs) Hammer Gel, both of which will be served again at LFM. Take a look at the schedule that includes the Saturday runs and a few races to get everyone in marathon shape.

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Volunteers...Health & Fitness Expo

Volunteers…we always need volunteers but what does that have to do with the expo???. We always need volunteers and non-profit organizations always need exposure – we thought that there may be a way to fill both needs. In 2010 we will pilot a program that will provide a limited number of non-profit organizations with free space at our health and fitness expo in exchange for providing a minimum number of volunteers on race weekend. If you are involved in an organization that might be interested in this opportunity, please have them contact our Volunteer Manager Alice . We also need individual volunteers - please use our on-line form to indicate when you, a friend, or family member are available and what you'd all like to do.

Speaking of the health and fitness expo, we do still have vendor space and can still accommodate goody bag items. Contact us at the LFM e-mail if you are interested in more information.

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From Our Charity Partner - American Cancer Society

Training for an endurance race is a huge commitment, but by joining the American Cancer Society DetermiNation endurance event program you can help save lives. Join our nation of athletes determined to save lives by dedicating your training and race participation in the Lakefront Marathon to fight a disease that has already taken too many lives. With every step you take and every mile you conquer, you’ll be helping create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Once again the American Cancer Society will be working with the Lakefront Marathon to provide the opportunity to fight back against cancer while running this year’s marathon. The American Cancer Society will also be hosting a pasta dinner the night before the race. If you are interested in more information please visit acsdetermination.org/lakefront or call 262-312-4041.

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Refunds, Transfers, Etc.???

At this time of the year we get questions about possible deferrals, entry transfers or refunds. As indicated in our registration materials, we do not allow them. We know that plans change, people get injured, etc. and that not everyone who registers actually runs the race and we plan for this in setting our entry limit. Please do not ask for a special exception.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

April E-Blast

2010 Marathon Filling Quickly

We are quickly approaching our registration limit of 2750 marathon runners. As of April 4th we had just over 1000 spots remaining. Sounds like a lot, right??? Not so many… In 2009 it took just two weeks to fill those last 1000 spots and the last 300 filled in just two days. If you want to run in 2010, you do need to commit now.

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Help Locate Former LFM Winners!

Many of you know that 2010 marks our 30th Anniversary Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. Back in 1981 marathoning was a very different sport – mostly men and mostly fast men. However, even in 1981 Milwaukee provided an opportunity for both elite and citizen marathoners to test themselves and to meet their marathon goals. Over the years we have been honored to see several of our elites achieve Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying times and to see many of the rest of our runners (sometimes as many as 22%) achieve a Boston Marathon qualifying time. We have also been a race that even in that first year, also welcomed 5+ hour runners.

To mark this anniversary we are trying to locate ALL of our former winners. We are making good progress in this but need your help. Do any of you know these runners?

1981 Steve Benson 2:18:09
1983 Fred Torneden 2:14:43
1984 Jesse Garcia 2:23:42
1988 Mark Horwitz 2:27:23
1989 Dan Martin 2:27:43
1994 Mitchell Craib 2:25:27

1981 Mary Bange 2:55:31
1982 Sue Moen 2:54:29
1983 Nancy Mieszczak 2:39:15
1984 Betty Nelson 2:51:57
1985 Audrey O'Brien 2:56:02
1988 Sandy Lovejoy 3:02:55
2004 Aaron Clark 2:58:30

If you do, please e-mail us with their contact information. If you are interested in results from past years, we have located and posted ALL of them on the web site – Post Race tab.

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LFM Memorabilia??

Speaking of 30th Anniversary doings… we still have three guys who have run every year and are ready to toe the line again in 2010 – Jim Bahr, Bill Boehm and Duane Tate. They are amazing for their commitment to our race!

Do any of you have old LFM race shirts, posters or other memorabilia? If so, take a photo and e-mail it to us and we’ll post them on our Facebook Fan Page.

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Run for Charity

Many runners find that running for a charity enhances their marathon experience and will be running LFM to benefit an organization that is special to them. Again in 2010 we will have the American Cancer Society DetermiNation program as a charity partner. An important part of that relationship is their sponsorship of our pre-race pasta dinner. Information about their program and the dinner are on our web site.

In addition to ACS, we will also have runners associated with Project ADAM, TEAM SALUTE, and Team in Training. Information about these programs is also on our site . If you are running for any of these charities – good for you! If you are running for another charity and would like to publicize that, send us an e-mail with information about the charity and (most importantly) why it is important to YOU. We’ll post that on our page.

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An Army of Volunteers

Many of you are receiving this newsletter for the first time – you are not LFM runners but VOLUNTEERS, the key element in making this such a great race. Because you are so important and it is good for you to know what is going on, we decided to include you in these e-blasts. You may not know that our race requires one volunteer for every two runners – an army of smiling faces.

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An Army Requires Captains

We are always in need of volunteers and hope that you will help out if you can’t run the race this year. However, every year we also have vacancies in our Race Captain positions – these are the people who do the planning and other work in preparation for race weekend. Examples of these Captain positions are Course Sentry (we have 5 of them), Merchandise, Aid Station Supply (4 of these), etc.. If you are interested in serving your fellow runners in a leadership capacity, please contact us and we will see if we can find something that meets your interests.

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Run to Benefit Jenny Crain

As we indicated in the last newsletter, our 2010 special guest will be two-time Olympian Anne Marie Letko. Anne Marie will also RUN the marathon with a lucky and generous runner to raise funds for elite runner Jenny Crain. This opportunity is being auctioned on Jenny’s Facebook Fan Page . We know what you are thinking – me? Run with an Olympian? GIVE me a break? Really, this is a great opportunity. Anne Marie will be a registered runner and has committed to run at your speed – from 3:30 to 6+ hours – to make your marathon day special to YOU. In addition to the chance to run with her, the lucky bidder will receive entry to the marathon (or a refund if already registered), LFM In Training shirt, special Brooks TeamJenny hi-viz shirt or singlet, $150 Brooks gift certificate, and lunch on Saturday before the race with Anne Marie (you can bring a friend). Running 26.2 miles with Anne Marie will be a great experience and an opportunity to make a friend for life.

There is also an opportunity to run the marathon as part of TeamJenny with each member raising a minimum of $250 for Jenny. You must, however, be registered for the race to do so. If you would like more information about the team and perks to be provided, please send an e-mail to TeamJennyCrain@gmail.com

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Course Maps

Maps…everyone LOVES maps but (boy) are they a pain to keep current… In an effort to provide more options for everyone, we have provided three additional map options for you – all on the map tab of our web site . Using the 2009 course - we’ve mapped it on the USATF site, MapMyRun, and iRace. The MapMyRun map is available on the web and for iPhone and the iRace map is available for iPhone only. As soon as we have finalized the 2010 course, we will update these and provide up-dated links.