Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon

Registration Opens January 15 at 12:01 AM CST

2012-01-13T13:29:00.001-08:00

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Friday January 13, 2012

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Registration for 2012 Opens SUNDAY

The time is (almost) NOW! We will open registration for the October 7, 2012 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon at 12:01 AM CST on Sunday January 15. The entry fee will remain at $75 - the same as 2011. We have increased our entry limit slightly to 3100 and hope that many of you will be back with us at our Grafton start. This will be our 32md year of helping runners to make their marathon dreams come true. We’ll be back in touch soon with more details of the 2012 race. In the meantime, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter for late breaking news.

Please remember that the registration link for the 2012 race will not be active until 12:01 AM Sunday. Also remember that we do not allow the transfer of entries, provide refunds or allow you to defer your entry to another year. Once you're in, YOU're IN.

Set your alarms. Tick, tock…

Million Mile March!!

Please don’t forget Million Mile March brought to you by the people behind the Jennipede. The idea is oh so very simple. 10,000 runners running 100 miles each in the month of March and donating a $1 a mile to the charity of YOUR choice. $1,000,000 raised for charity. Just find your charity on Crowdrise or set up a team of your own. If you provide your Crowdrise link to us, we’ll also post it on our LFM charity page.

Let’s come together and show the world the power of runners and what big hearts we have! Also feel free to post on our Facebook page or Tweet to us about it. The Jennipede showed us the way – really!

Not running LFM? Want to be part of the greatest marathon around?

We are always looking to add friendly and committed people to our volunteer and leadership team. We ALWAYS need volunteers and always have a few leadership positions open each year. We are also always looking to expand our sponsor involvement and to add exhibitors to our health and fitness expo.

Please shoot an email to Kris if you’re interested in leadership options, sponsorship or the expo. Contact Alice to volunteer.

Final Up-Date

2011-09-29T18:37:00.001-07:00

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Thursday September 29, 2011

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Race Weekend is HERE!

What time does the race start? 7:30!! 7:30!! 7:30!!

Race weekend is here â€“ we will be so excited to welcome our runners to the Expo on Friday night and Saturday and to the Start in Grafton on Sunday. We want to make sure that you have all of the breaking news related to the race.

Friends and family want to follow your progress along the course? Options for that? Boy (or girl), do we have options! They can follow you via email, Facebook and/or Twitter. Please note that these are separate links and applications.

Please review the packet pick-up procedures in the email confirmation you received last week. If you lost it or didn’t get it, please save poor Pauline (our Registration Manager) a little trouble â€“ look on our web site to confirm that you are registered and then review the procedures outlined on our blog (we copied the confirmation email there).

Please remember another runner CANNOT run the race with your number. We take steps to ID people who do this - when they are ID'd both runners will be barred from participation in future races. There are lots of reasons not to run with another runner's number, one of which is "Do you want your family to be called if THE OTHER RUNNER goes to the hospital?" and "Do you want YOUR family to be delayed when they call the registered runner's family?"

Last Minute Construction...

Something always happens at the last minute â€“ really, every yearâ€¦ We actually plan for it. This year it is a construction project at about the 22.5 mile mark. The contractors are working very hard to finish their work but you MAY be diverted to the sidewalk for approximately one block. If this is required, the transition will be at the widest driveways possible and you will be directed by Course Marshalls. Any change in the course (a few feet) will be accommodated by a change at the Finish. If a change in the course certification is required, we will follow-through wth that as well.

Spectators

We really want to love your spectators as much as you do - sometimes they don't make it easy. We know, you are sick of our harping on this issue â€“ please have your friends and family read and follow the directions we provide on the web site and in the Weekend Guide.

Perfect Storm of Sporting Events

Our out-of-town visitors might not realize this but this weekend will present the “Perfect Storm” of Wisconsin sporting events â€“ the Milwaukee Brewers are in the play-offs with games on Saturday & Sunday, the Badgers play Nebraska on Saturday night, and the Green Bay Packers play on Sunday afternoon. Ummmâ€¦ we’ve been working hard on media coverage but it is TOUGH this year. These events will likely affect your Saturday dinner plans and may affect other issues. Please be alert to this.

Thanks, Please???

Many of you know that our race is a volunteer-driven effort. Our race staff from Race Director to Course Marshalls do this for the love of running and runners. This is how we spend our vacation timeâ€¦ The staff of our host municipalities and their residents also go the extra mile for our runners. Please remember to thank the staff, volunteers, police, residents â€“ it means a lot to them to know that you appreciate what they are doing.

Jennipede Up-Date

We have been following our Guinness World Record attempt - the Jennipede - all summer. They will come to the Start with 60+ runners prepared to "make it happen" for Jenny. Speaking of which...some of you may want to be part of this magical journey through a personal contribution. It is easy to contribute on-line. They are approaching $100,000 raised for her on-going therapy - we can do this if we work together.

Race Course Medical Assistance

We have been working for a couple of years to improve the first aid support to you on the course. This year we will have two full First Aid Stations â€“ at the aid stations at 13 and 20 miles. The first will be staffed by the Concordia University of Wisconsin Athletic Training Department and the Medical Reserve Corps. The second will be staffed by the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Athletic Training Program, Medical Reserve Corps and Bell Ambulance. All Aid Stations will also be equipped with the usual “band-aids” and Vaseline. However, for liability reasons, we do not provide aspirin, etc.

We thank these organizations AND our Medical Staff from the Medical College of Wisconsin for helping to keep you safe on the course and at the Finish.

I-94 Construction South of Milwaukee

If you are coming to Milwaukee from the south via I-94 or the west via I-43 note that some freeway closures or re-routing may affect your trip. For more information visit the project web site.

Race Week Up-Date

2011-09-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

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Tuesday September 27, 2011

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Ready to Race???

Things are moving quickly here in Milwaukee. Your LFM staff is focused on your race and on doing the best we can to help you achieve your own marathon dreams.

LAST time... What time does the race start? 7:30! What time? 7:30!!

Runner Tracking. We have had several questions about the availability of runner tracking. Here is the link and instructions that will allow friends and family to track your progress via email. We also have a link that will allow them to track you via Facebook . Note that they will have to follow the link from the instruction page AND allow Facebook to access their profile info. We also up-load finisher times in “almost real time” from the Finish Area.

We are so excited to announce that we have secured a wonderful sponsor for our Finish Runner Food Tent â€“ Peapod! They deliver for us and for YOU. We have made an operational change in our food distribution this year â€“ you’ll receive a bag of food with a variety of items from Peapod (supplemented by our friends at Kangaroo Brands). You’ll also be able to choose from soda or a bottle of chocolate milk from our friends at Nestle. Please thank our sponsors and patronize them â€“ ALL of these sponsor contacts came via the LFM community. OUR runners stepping up to help us and YOU.

The final Speaker Schedule for the Expo has been posted â€“ take a minute to review it and plan to attend one of special guest, Bart Yasso’s talks or other popular sessions. Also note the Saturday morning Fun Run with Bart â€“ that is always great fun! We will also have a set of Technical Sessions put on by our Expo exhibitors â€“ they have special areas of expertise and are happy to share that with all of you.

Remember that the Expo is open to the public â€“ so invite your friends and family to come along.

Details, Detailsâ€¦

Please have your friends and family read the instructions for spectators and directions to Spectator Parking â€“ we don’t want them to get a ticket because they parked in the wrong place on the course or tried to park in the wrong place at the Finish. Really â€“ we do this for you and for THEM.

We have tried to identify all of the “elite” athletes based upon their stated marathon times or contacts with our Elite Runner Captain. However, if you believe that you are in a position to run a time that might place you in the top males and females, please plan to attend the technical meeting at 3:00 at the Expo â€“ in the Technical Session area. At that time our Elite Runner Captain, Dan Held and our independent USATF Official will be present to go over the race rules and other issues of interest.

Have a little time on Saturday afternoon? Head down to the Finish Area at 3:00 for our Kid’s Run â€“ this is such a great event. Our LFM Kids have been training all summer and logging their miles. They will come to the start with 25 miles logged and will run the last 1.2 miles of their own special marathon â€“ finishing at the same place you’ll be on Sunday. It will bring happy rears to your eyes.

And, speaking of kidsâ€¦ remember that our popular Cheer Sign area will return to the Expo, sponsored by Performance Running Outfitters. Have your kids (or kids at heart) decorate a sign or two to help support you on race day.

Our Registration Manager, Pauline includes all sorts of vaulable information in the confirmation email she sent to you last week. Please take a look at it again - we've also posted it on our blog.

Race Weekend Materials

You will notice that we have reduced the number and size of the printed materials that we provide to you on race weekend. We found that the vast majority of you have internet access on race weekend and noticed that many of the races we attend provide little or no printed material â€“ looking to be Green and use the $$$ on more important items. You will receive a Weekend Guide in your packet â€“ with a course map. If you need other materials or more specific maps, please download them before race weekend.

We are also experimenting with a Virtual Goodie Bag to supplement our regular goodie bag materials. This will provide an opportunity to provide our sponsors with additional value and provide you with materials that you can choose to print or view. You will receive a separate email containing that just before and just after race day.

Champions, We Have Champions

Last year we were so honored to welcome many of our Lakefront Marathon Champions â€“ former winners â€“ back to the race. We decided then that we would recognize them with special race bibs and will continue that tradition in 2011. Our Champions will be wearing race bibs with a wide red stripe. Soâ€¦ when you see that fast guy wearing a red bib 1995 know that it is multi-year winner Randy Damkot (1995 was his fastest winning time) or that lady wearing red bib 1989 that is Mary Bolich â€“ she won LFM in 1985. Our 2010 Champions Nacole Fredrickson (#1) and Scott Jansky (#2) and multi-year winner Corina Canitz (#4) will also be wearing the red bibs.

Post Race Survey

On late Sunday afternoon you can expect to receive an email with the link to our post-race survey. PLEASE take a few minutes to respond to this. We really use this information to improve our race and to secure sponsors and community support and interest. Your RD reads ALL of the comments â€“ she really doesâ€¦

Confirmation Email

2011-09-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Expo and Packet Pickup

All marathon participants must pick up their packets at the expo. The expo is being held at the Kern Center in downtown Milwaukee (1245 N Broadway) on Friday, September 30, from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, October 1, from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. There is NO race day packet pickup.

Runner packets will be in alphabetical order. Make sure that the packet you pick up is your packet. Double check the city, state and division on the label on the packet. You can also pass the chip over the scanner at "Chip Check" to make sure that you were given the correct chip.

Everyone must provide a photo ID to pick up their packet. If you can't pick up your packet, we allow you to have someone else pick it up for you. You must fill out a Packet Pickup Authorization form . The form requires a copy of your phote ID or driver's license as well as your race number. The individual picking up the packet must bring the authorization form to the expo and show their photo ID also. They should bring a copy of their own photo ID.

Race Results

We decided that sending out race results to every individual was not necessary. Instead, you will have more options this year for getting your race results. You, your friends and relatives can sign up to receive updates on your progress thru Facebook and email. I'll put directions on the front page of the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon web site sometime next week. (Sept 19-24)

When you finish the race, you will be able to walk over to the scoring tent from inside the runner's area and have your individual preliminary race results printed immediately. Look at the finish area map to see where the results will be. For spectators, the race results will be printed and posted on the results board near the awards area.

Finally, you will be able to see the results online at OnlineRaceResults. The results booklet that was previously sent out will be posted in PDF format on our web site a week or two after the race.

First make sure that you read the runner's guide. Then check the Lakefront Marathon web site. If you still have questions, there will be volunteers wearing red hats at the expo, start area and finish line to help you.

I Won't Be Able to Run

We do know that some of you have had changes in plans or are (unfortunately) injured and will not be able to run the race. PLEASE, please remember that we do not refund your entry, allow you to transfer it to another runner, or allow you to defer it to 2012. We really mean this so please do not ask. We know that some of you will not run so take that into consideration in setting our entry limit.

IF we allowed transfers, etc. we'd just have to lower our entry limit. You may still pick up your packet at the expo. Please leave the chip at chip check if you aren't going to run. We can use your help as a volunteer, if you will be in the Milwaukee area race weekend.

Mid-September Up-Date

2011-09-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

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Volunteers - We REALLY Need 'Em

Contact Alice to volunteer - we NEED you!

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Wednesday September 14, 2011

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Important Details

Start timeâ€¦ What time does the race start this year, runners??? 7:30 â€“ that’s right, 7:30. We moved the start time up 30 minutes to mitigate any heat issues and to reduce inconvenience of the residents on the course. What time? 7:30 â€“ you got it.

We encourage runners to park FREE at the Italian conference Center (ICC) and take the FREE shuttle to the Start. This reduces traffic issues at the Start and ensures that your car is near the finish. We will have shuttle service from the Finish Area to the ICC after the race if you aren’t up to the .75 mile walk. Directions to the ICC are on the website. Remember that WE DO NOT PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION BACK TO GRAFTON AFTER THE RACE. Reallyâ€¦ We mean, reallyâ€¦

Entry transfers, refunds & deferrals. I get LOTS of questions about this about now. Remember, we don’t allow the transfer or deferral of entries for any reason and do not refund your race fee if you can’t run. Please don’t ask for an exception. IF you find that you can’t run, we’d (absolutely) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have you as a volunteer. Marathon runners make the best volunteers. We have lots of spots and options for volunteers â€“ take a look at our on-line volunteer page.

There is still time for vendors to get in on our Health and Fitness Expo on Friday night and Saturday at the MSOE Kern Center. If you are interested in showcasing your business or know someone else who is please contact us ASAP. We also have opportunities to distribute promotional material in our goodie bags â€“ just contact us.

We are blessed with many friends and sponsors. Come to think of itâ€¦ our sponsors are our friends â€“ how lucky for us. We could not put this race on without their support. Please take a minute to look on our sponsor page and thank them on race weekend.

Don't Forget the Pasta Dinner

There is still time to buy your ticket to the American Cancer Society DetermiNation Pasta Dinner. Tickets are a reasonable $13 for Adults and $6 for Children ages 5-16. This is a great opportunity to share a meal with other runners. If you want to participate in the dinner, make your reservations now. Race weekend sales will be limited so get yours now.

Runners Guide & Up-Dated Runner Information

The 2011 Runners Guide has been posted on-line. In an effort to reduce unnecessary paper, we will not print the full Runners Guide tabloid this year. The vast majority of you indicated that you have access to the internet on race weekend so we figure that you can view this material on-line. We will, however, publish a one-sheet piece that includes the course map, up-dated runner instructions, and the Spectator Guide. We will also post this on-line as well as make copies available at the Expo.

We have alos up-dated many of our Race Weekend documents â€“ FAQ’s, Race Rules, Course and Finish Area maps, Spectator Parking directions, etc. Please review these and let us know if you have any questions.

Races Have Rules

We have up-dated our race rules. PLEASE take a few minutes to review them to ensure that all of your hard work will result in an official finish. We would really hate to DQ you but we’d have no choice if you are found to violate the rules. Elite athletes â€“ those who might run well enough for USATF, RRCA, or prize money awards â€“ are urged to particularly review the sections that apply to them as well as the USATF Rules of Competition.

Confirmation Email

Within the next week or so you’ll receive your special confirmation email indicating your race number and your registration information. Please review the information carefully to ensure that it is correct. Let us know ASAP if there are any changes â€“ it is MUCH easier to fix things now than in the middle of the Expo.

As you know, there is no race day packet pick-up. However, you can authorize a friend to pick yours up for you. The confirmation email will also include the link to the Packet Pick-up Form.

Spectators

We really do love our runners â€“ we also love their friends and families because we know that marathon day is a big deal to them, too. If nothing else, it represents proof that they “get their runner back” after a summer of long runs, hydration strategy discussions, and energy gel tests (can you really substitute gel for jelly in a PB&J?) However, I do have to tell you that we receive more complaints about spectator behavior than ALL other issues combined. We know that their hearts are in the right place because they are focused on YOU, but reallyâ€¦? We hear about spectators who park in front of No Parking signs, who park in intersections, who crowd the road and refuse to move when directed, and those who think that their mom or the “Latte Fairy” is out there picking up all the discarded cups and trash. Runnersâ€¦your loving friends and family are sometimes our (and your) worst enemy on race day.

Please make sure that your friends and family who are there to share your day follow the instructions in our Spectator Guide and follow the directions of police and race officials. It is important for them to know that street parking is prohibited in the first eighteen miles of the course. We have made provisions for them to park in designated areas at approximately 7 and 16 miles â€“ but that REALLY is it. Please let them know that they will be ticketed if they violate parking restrictions or impede traffic. Also â€“ those of you whose spectator friends are riding bikes (especially those going against traffic) please tell them that they can also expect to be ticketed and you can expect to be DQ’d.

Spectators are sometimes confused finding parking at the Finish. There is really only one place for them to park this year â€“ the O’Donnell Park Parking Structure on the NW corner of Lincoln Memorial Drive and Michigan Street. There are three entrances to the structure noted on the map on our website . We will also have directional signs to assist them and volunteers to direct them to the finish from O’Donnell Park. Note that there is an $8 fee to park in the structure and that Milwaukee County Parks staff will collect the fee as they enter (helps when everyone leaves at once). They can also park free at the ICC but will have to walk from there to the Finish. We cannot emphasize this enough â€“ there is no spectator parking at the War Memorial or off of Lagoon Drive. If they try to park there, the Sherriff will make them turn around and go to O’Donnell Park â€“ delaying their arrival at the Finish = they may even miss seeing YOU finish. So, it really does come back to YOU.

Presenting... BART Yasso

We are so happy to welcome Runners World’s Bart Yasso as your special race weekend guest. Bart will lead a fun run on Saturday morning, speak at the Expo, greet the finishers of our Saturday Kids Run, and serve as honorary Grand Marshall of the Jennipede â€“ the attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the most number of people running a marathon while tethered together.

Jennipede, you ask? We’ve named it that as the participating runners will be raising money for the continued therapy for runner Jenny Crain, seriously injured in 2007 while training for the Olympic Trials. (Get it? Jenny + Centipede=Jennipede) To date, they have raised more than $50,000 of their goal.

Milwaukee Film Documentary

Speaking of Guinness records, our own Milwaukee Film will premiere the documentary film “Breaking and Entering” the week before our race. Take a look for details on the film and show times. A bunch of us will be going to the film on opening night - so think about joining us then. This film documents the (sometimes zany) lengths that some people go to in their quest for a Guinness record. Who knows, maybe our Jennipede will be on the marque next year.

Volunteers - We Need You & Your Friends

Volunteersâ€¦ Yada, yada, yadaâ€¦ Really, it takes 1300 volunteers to put this race on for YOU. If you have time on Friday or Saturday, we’d love your help. If you’re injured and can’t run, we’d love to have your help on Sunday. If you have friends and family members who want to see the marathon up close and have a great time with positive and great people, we need them too. Please contact Alice if you can help â€“ pretty please? Also â€“ if you have volunteered via the database and have not yet been contacted, also let Alice know.

Expo Still Accepting Exhibitors!

2011-08-10T05:22:00.000-07:00

Note the recent press release about our expo - know of anyone who wants to reach runners interested in healthy lifestyles?

MILWAUKEE, WI – The organizers of this year’s Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon are still accepting exhibitors for their two-day Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, prior to the Marathon on Sunday, October 2.

The Expo, which is open to the public and the marathon’s 3,000 registered runners, 1600 Badgerland Strider members and the 1000 race volunteers will be held at the MSOE Kern Center, 1245 N. Broadway in downtown Milwaukee. Expo hours are 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, and 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. In addition to the exhibits, there will also be technical sessions for running enthusiasts on Friday night at 5 and 6 p.m. and on Saturday at 10 and 11 a.m. as well as 1, 2 and 3 p.m. All times are subject to change.

According to Kristine Hinrichs, race director for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, “Our marathon annually draws 3,000 runners and their guests that according to our research, spend $1.2 million - $2.4 million with the US Department of Commerce multiplier.

This Expo offers vendors a great way to reach these runners in addition to many health enthusiasts from the area since it is free and open to the public.”

The Expo is also where all registered marathon runners are required to pick up their actual race information.

Space for a 10 x 10 booth is just $350. There are also finish line and goodie bag opportunities. Product donations are free and technical seminar speaker opportunities are also available. For more information visit http://www.milwaukeelakefrontmarathon.org/LakefrontMarathon/Public/Expo_Brochure.pdf or contact Pam Mankowski at pam@netnet.net.

July Up-date

2011-07-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

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Volunteers!! We Need Volunteers - Really!

If you can volunteer to help this year contact Alice or complete our on-line form or contact Alice.

Visit Our New On-line Store

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Monday July 25, 2011

Feature

We're Baaaccckkk

Sorry to have been out of touch for so long. We have been very busy here at LFM with plans for the 2011 race and also spending a little time on some long-term planning. Mercifully, there were no flip charts or white boards used or harmed in the latter. Really â€“ we HAVE been busy!

We know that you'll all soon be looking for the up-dated Runners Guide. Please be patient as we finalize race weekend details. We will be reducing the content of the PRINTED Guide and moving most of that to our web site - in an attempt to reduce the amount of wasted paper material. In the meantime, the 2010 Guide has most of the information that you'll need in the next month or so.

Course Changes

We are very excited to announce a couple of course changes. First, to allow all of you more room to line up, the Start will be moved to Cheyenne Ave. just north of Hwy 60. This is about 1/2 block from the traditional Start.

Second â€“ at Concordia University we will circle more of the campus, allowing you to partake of the beautiful Lake Michigan vista on the east side of their campus. Trust me, this is a beautiful sight â€“ one that you’ll still be able to appreciate at that early point in the race. And no â€“ we won’t make you run up and down their lake path :).

Finallyâ€¦ all of this will require a minor relocation of the Finish Line. Even though we know how much you all enjoy running toward the lake at 25.5 miles and then (basically) having to double back on the seawallâ€¦ we thought it was time for a little change. The new Finish will be on the east side of the lagoon north of the Veterans Memorial. This will provide a straight shot for your finish. We’ll be updating the course maps soon â€“ so stay tuned.

For those who can’t waitâ€¦ (and you know who you are Châ€¦) all mile marks from mile 8 south will be adjusted approximately a half mile north.

On-line Store

We’ve finally opened our on-line store. At the moment, we have it set up with our In-Training shirts and our caps. We’ll be adding more items soon so check back often.

Jennipede and Guinness World Record

If Milwaukee area runners happen to see a bunch of crazy “centipede runners” at the build-up runs, don’t worry. It is not a centipede but the JENNIPEDE â€“ the group of LFM runners training to run our race and break the Guinness World Record for the most people running a marathon tethered by a rope. Actually, they intend to shatter the record set at the 2010 London Marathon and then broken there in 2011.

Seriously, this dedicated group of runners, led by the “Head Pede” Robin, are committed to raising funds for Jenny Crain’s continuing therapy. You may recall that Jenny (a member of our race committee) was hit by a car in August, 2007 while training for the Olympic Marathon Trials and sustained a traumatic brain injury. With continuing intense therapy, Jenny can (with assistance) walk a little more than a half mile. The funds raised in this effort will allow her to continue her very personal marathon. For more information about the Guinness attempt and for information about Jenny’s story follow the links.

Pasta Dinner

There is still time to register for the American Cancer Society DetermiNATION Pasta Dinner. Details are on our web site.

LFM Kids Run Returns

Our Lakefront Marathon Kids Run will return in 2011 â€“ sponsored again by our friends at Body Basix. We have moved the Kids Run to Saturday afternoon at 3PM to allow all of our runner-parents to be part of this special event and to give these kids the attention they deserve.

The concept is pretty simple - the kids each run 25 miles in little increments between now and October 1 â€“ on race day the kids run the last 1.2 miles of their own special marathon â€“ through the official LFM Finish arch with music playing (just like your race) â€“ and are presented with their very own Finisher medal and Finisher shirt. There is still time for kids to register â€“ we start them out with a special running log with kid-focused nutrition and training tips and their special In-training shirt to encourage them as they work toward their marathon goal. Details are on our web site.

Tell Us YOUR Story

You all have such special stories about why you're running LFM - your first marathon, in honor of a loved one, to rais money for a charity, to qualify for the Boston Marathon, or just because...

If you'd be willing to share your special story with us for use by our PR team, please tell us in an email or post it to our Facebook page. We all have marathon dreams - share yours with all of us!

A Few Details...

There is still time for vendors to get in on our Health and Fitness Expo on Friday night and Saturday at the MSOE Kern Center. If you are interested in showcasing your business or know someone else who is please contact us ASAP. We also have opportunities to distribute promotional material in our goodie bags â€“ just contact us.

Start timeâ€¦ What time does the race start this year, runners??? 7:30 â€“ that’s right, 7:30. We moved the start time up 30 minutes to mitigate any heat issues and to reduce inconvenience of the residents on the course. What time? 7:30 â€“ you got it.

Official Energy Gel. After several years of generous sponsorship, Hammer Nutrition has decided that they can no longer support races as short as a marathon. Lucky for us (and you) our friends at Body Basix have a yummy and effective gel. This is the gel that will be provided on the course at (approximately) Miles 7 and 20. You WILL want to try it out beforehand as we'd never recommend doing something new on race day. It is available in the Milwaukee area at Performance Running Outfitters, Attitude Sports & In-Step Running & Walking Centers. It is also available on-line. We will also provide linited supplies to the BLS Marathon Build-up Program.

Entry transfers, refunds & deferrals. I get LOTS of questions about this about now. Remember, we don’t allow the transfer or deferral of entries for any reason and do not refund your race fee if you can’t run. We know that stuff happens and not everyone will join us on race day and plan for that in setting our entry limit. If we allowed these changes, we’d just have to set our entry limit lower and I’d drive our Registration Captain crazy. IF you find that you can’t run, we’d (absolutely) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have you as a volunteer. Marathon runners make the best volunteers. We have lots of spots and options for volunteers â€“ take a look at our on-line volunteer page.

MIlwaukee Lakefront Marathon | www.milwaukeelakefrontmarathon.org/

April Up-date

2011-04-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

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Friday April 8, 2011

Feature

We're Baaack

We know that it has been a while since you’ve heard from us…that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been thinking about all of our runner friends and haven’t been busy with plans for the 2011 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. As you can see, we have actually been VERY busy!

First and foremost, we are approaching our 2011 entrant limit of 3050. As we’d planned, we think that the increase in our entry limit will give our runners just a little more time to decide – but not much more, really… We are now approaching the point when a LOT of runners commit to the race so don’t be lulled into that “there are 300 slots left” thing. Those last slots go very quickly.

We really do hope that sometime before race day you will be just sick and tired of the reminders about our changed start time. We just want to make sure that you get to the Start on time and unharried. So…remember the RACE STARTS AT 7:30 AM – 7:30 AM – 7:30 AM. What time? 7:30 AM.

Kids' Run Returns

Many of you have written to tell us how much you and your family enjoyed being a part of the Kids Run in 2010. We have to tell you that emails we get from parents about how much the run meant to their kids and their family bring tears to our eyes – we know that this event is absolutely the right thing for LFM, our runners, and our runner families. We can’t wait until we see some of these kids running the race as adults… Won't that be cool?

We will be bringing the Kids Run back again in 2011 – but with a small and important change. We have moved it to Saturday afternoon in the 3:00 or 3:30 range. That will allow marathon parents to share the run with their kids, provide the kids with all of the special attention they deserve, and will allow more kids to participate. YIPPIE!!! The generous folks at BodyBasix will again sponsor this event and will provide the very special training logs that they provided in 2010. The kids really liked the logs and we think that it provides a way for them to be heartened to see each mile they tick off to completion of their own very special marathon. Entry information will be posted soon on our web site.

Also, for the Milwaukee area parents and Kids Run supporters - our Badgerland Striders Kids Programming Director and our Kids Run Director will be speaking at the April BLS meeting on Wednesday April 20 at 7:00 at the Pettit Center. If you are interested in kids running, make plans to attend, hear what we are doing for kids, and to get involved with this important part of LFM and BLS.

Pasta Dinner Details

Many of you have asked about the pasta dinner. The American Cancer Society DetermiNATION program will again put the dinner on for us. Ticket information was not available when many of you registered but is available now. You can buy your ticket as part of your registration or can register directly with ACS. It is important to note that the venue for the dinner has changed to the Plankinton Arcade within the Grand Avenue Mall. This will allow them to offer a quality dinner at a much more reasonable cost to you.

Cool New Sponsors

We are happy to announce a couple of very special new sponsors. I can’t tell you the number of requests we have had for chocolate milk at the Finish – you may remember the mention of it in an earlier e-blast. Well…as it happens one of our runners actually works for Nestle and “voila” chocolate milk for all of you. It was not really exactly THAT easy but runner Kelleen made it happen for all of you big time. THAT is one of the many things that makes LFM so special.

We also have a great sponsor for our changing tents at the Finish – a company called PaperShower . They have a great product (your RD has now placed two orders, personally) that makes it quick and easy to clean up after a race or workout. They will be stocking the tents with their product for your use after the race. We are very excited to help showcase their product and to provide something special for our runners.

We are also working on a few other goodies but nothing that we can announce at this point.

RRCA National Marathon Championship

We are so happy to remind you that LFM has again been designated as the Road Runners Club of America 2011 National Marathon Championship. This is a testament to the work of the Badgerland Striders Running Club (our owners) and to the work of all of our LFM volunteers working together to make this a fist-class marathon. We will also serve as the Wisconsin USATF Marathon Championship, another great honor for our race.

Guinness Record for Jenny

Robin, our friend at BodyBasix has been busy. In addition to sponsoring the Kids Run, he is also the guy who came up with the idea for a Guinness World Record attempt to benefit Jenny Crain. He is organizing a small army to run LFM – tethered via rope – to set the record for the most number of people to run a marathon, all tied together. The current record is 37 set at the London Marathon in 2010 – he intends to SMASH that.

Many of you know Jenny’s story …an elite athlete training to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials, hit by a car while training, a traumatic brain injury and other injuries, and (now) almost four years of recovery. Jenny works hard every day at therapy and at home and continues to make progress – working harder at this than she ever trained for a marathon. The funds generated by this attempt will be used for her continued therapy.

Volunteers - We need and LOVE Volunteers

Yep – we’re starting our call for volunteers already. We know that many of our runners volunteer prior to race day and hope that many of you will be able to do that again. We also need a small (actually kinda big) army of volunteers on race day. This is a great way to see the race “up close” and to give back to the running community – just remember how many course sentries you run past every year in races and how many waster stops you pass. Contact Alice for more information about volunteer slots and how you can help. We'll be posting the link to our on-line volunteer sign-up soon. In the meantime, please save the date...

We also always have openings for Coordinator and Captain positions. These positions require a greater commitment but offer you the opportunity to be part of the race decisions as well as part of our runners’ “Marathon Dreams”. Contact Alice if you’d be interested in one of those positions.

And, we also have a program to involve charitable volunteers. If you have a group of 20-40 people who can commit to race weekend we can provide you with a donation to your organization or free expo space in exchange for volunteer time. This is a great way to enhance your visibility and a fun volunteer experience.

Boston Marathon Procedures

Almost 20% of our 2010 runners reported that they qualified for the Boston Marathon. We hope that many of you were able to get into the 2011 race and that you have a great race on April 18. We are sure that many of you are aware of the changes in their registration procedures and qualifying times. If you are not aware of the changes, we suggest that you review them on the BAA site.

Also - we do send our results to the BAA as soon as they are final. You don't need a confirmation from LFM in order to register - they simply verify it against our results file.

Tell Us YOUR Story

Here at LFM we figure that we are in the “dream business”. Yep – the dream business. We think that we are lucky enough to be in a position to help you make your marathon dreams come true. Yeah, it might sound hokey but it is true. Each of you comes to the Start with an idea, a dream for your race. To run your first marathon (we are honored); to run with your dad, your mom, your SO, your kid; to qualify for Boston; to run your “x th” state; even to make a few new running friends. We’re honored that you trust us with your marathon dreams and we’d like to hear about them. How about you all post them on our Facebook page so that we can share in them? It will be fun and it will inspire us all!

Up-Date

2011-01-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

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Monday January 31, 2011

WOW!

WOW things are really moving fast! We opened registration on Friday January 21 and a little more than a week later we have filled almost 700 slots – approaching 25% of our entry limit! If you are thinking of running in 2011, but not ready to make the decision now, monitor the web site to see how close we are to filling the race. It is important to remember that the last 500 or so spots go “in a flash” as those on the fence commit. Don’t wait too long…

In case you wonder why you are getting these e-mails – we merged the list of 2009 and 2010 entries, some volunteers, and many friends – and now those 600 people who have registered so far. As soon as we reach our entry limit, we will stop sending E-blasts to those who registered in 2009 and 2010 but who did not register in 2011. If you’d like to know what is going on you can always subscribe to our blog , follow us on Twitter, or “like” us on Facebook. You can also “unsubscribe” to these e-blasts. However, please understand that it is VERY difficult to add you back into the list as this service has very strict anti-spamming controls.

Guinness Record Attempt to Benefit Jenny Crain

Some of the runners in the Milwaukee area may have seen the articles about the exciting Guinness World Record attempt that will take place at our 2011 LFM. Robin Gohsman (long-time friend and sponsor of the race) will be putting a group together to break the record for the most number of people to run a marathon – while tethered together. This is being done as a benefit for Jenny Crain, an elite runner and LFM Race Committee member who sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2007 while training for the Olympic Marathon Trials. Robin has a great list of people who are interested in being part of this historic effort and is looking for more. The attempt is outlined in some detail in a recent Milwaukee JournalSentinel article . You may also be interested in the article about Jenny that appeared in Runner’s World. The group will be joined at the finish by honorary “coach” Bart Yasso and by Jenny, herself. As Bart says, “This will be EPIC”. If you can’t participate in the attempt, you can also help another runner raise the funds for their participation.

We do understand that, while there will be a great deal of support for this attempt and for Jenny, some of you may wonder what this will mean to YOUR race. Robin, with the approval of our Race Committee, is going to great lengths to ensure that your race is not negatively affected in any way. They will start dead last and make sure that they finish in the 5:40-6:00 hour range. They expect to provide support and encouragement to runners at that point in the race and to increase spectator interest.

Please note that all participants in this attempt must register for the race on their own AND before we sell out.

Kids, Pasta, What Else?

Kids… Some of you have asked if we plan a return of the very successful Kid’s Run (100% sponsored last year by our friend Robin and his company Body Basix ). We LOVED seeing the kids set goals and run those last 1.2 miles and know that you did, too!! We are working on planning for this year – very much hoping to make it a Saturday event. We will let you know as soon as we have made some of the final decisions on this.

Pasta… We are again working with the American Cancer Society and their DetermiNATION program for them to host the pasta dinner again this year. As soon as they have confirmed the venue and price we will let you know and provide the information you need in order to purchase tickets.

Merchandise, Shirts, Etc…. Remember that we now provide an option for men’s and women’s sizing on our race shirts. PLEASE check the sizing charts on the RaceReady site before you select yours. We really want you to be happy with yours …. When you’re not happy, we’re not happy. Some people have also been confused by the Finisher shirts for sale on the web site. These are the shirts we produced in 2010 – they have no year on them so are good for ANY finisher. We will produce another shirt in 2011 and will also have the remaining 2010 shirts for sale at the Expo and at the Finish. FYI – we find that the shirts without a year provide any of our finishers with the option to purchase one AND allow us to offer a quality product at a good cost as we don’t have to worry about obsolete inventory.

Expo… You may know of a business that would be interested in being part of our Expo. We will be posting information on the web site soon. In the meantime, they can contact your “Trusty RD” or Pam, our Expo Coordinator.

National Runners Survey - Still Time

Calling all RUNNERS! What motivates you to run? What is your favorite race distance? How often do you run? You are being invited to participate in Running USA’s 2011 National Runner Survey, a comprehensive survey to assess the demographics, lifestyle, attitudes, habits, and product preferences of the running population nationwide. The National Runner Survey is easy to access and available online. All responses are completely anonymous and confidential. Don’t miss this opportunity to join other runners nationwide!

Last year our race participated in this survey. We are participating again in 2011 and ask you to click the link and complete the survey. Select Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon as the organization that invited you to participate. Please note that the link is unique to our race. If you received a link from another race, it would still be very helpful for you to respond to ours. We receive the results of those who respond via OUR link. That allows us to target potential sponsors and to use the data locally – in addition to the post-race survey that many of you also completed. Please note that all responses are confidential.

2011 Registration Opens!

2011-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

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Tuesday January 18, 2011

2011 Registration Opens

Well…we told you all that we’d spend the months since the race getting ready for the 2011 race. We have definitely been doing that and will ratchet things up next week with our first planning meeting. The one piece of news that many of you have been waiting for is the opening of registration…set your chrono’s for Friday January 21 as we’ll be open then. As I indicated in my last newsletter, the fee for 2011 will be $75 and that includes the on-line processing fee. Also – registration will be on-line only, no paper forms. To register follow the link on our web site.

You will recall that we are making a few significant changes for 2011

* START time has been changed to 7:30AM. This will prevent potential heat-related issues and will mean that the race presents fewer problems for people living and doing business along our course.

* The entry limit has been increased from 2750 to 3050 – an additional 300 spaces for runners who plan ahead. We urge any of you (or your formerly unlucky friends) to register now, if you plan to run in 2011. Last year we sold out in mid-April and would expect to sell out very early again this year. We DO try to accommodate you by posting the number of available spaces remaining (some races don’t or don’t even tell you what their limit is, actually…). However, the last few hundred go in a matter of hours – really.

* The marathon relay has been discontinued. We know that many people enjoyed the relay and are disappointed by this decision. Please understand that it was not made lightly. We discussed over a period of several years and just had to admit that the relay required resources disproportionate to the number of participants. We’d encourage relay runners to give the marathon a try or to find a great volunteer assignment.

* We know that only men really think that “unisex” shirts are truly unisex… Therefore, we have decided to offer shirts sized for both men (unisex) and women. We’ll use RaceReady shirts again in 2011. Please consult the sizing charts on their web site before you register – saves us all a LOT of trouble later. Our 2010 designer – Mike Kasun – has also agreed to design our 2011 shirt – yiiipppeee!!

* We will continue to provide special recognition to former winners who run our race. If you are one of our former winners and are considering running LFM in 2011, please contact us directly before you register.

National Running Survey

A Little Housekeeping

It is great to see that so many people purchased the 30th Anniversary jacket. Today I saw a runner wearing one at a race – it made me feel so great! (I know - it is the little things.) Due to a couple of order issues, we do find that we have two jackets (now) in inventory – a Men’s Small and Women’s Medium. If you are interested in purchasing either of these please contact us for more information. Other merchandise – In-training shirts, 2010 runner shirts, and Finisher Shirts are available for purchase via the registration site or the form on our web site.

Thanks to Everyone for YOUR Help!

Finally, a note of thanks to everyone who responded to our request for help in identifying food providers. Our Food Captain Sherley will be in touch with you soon, if she has not already contacted you. I also want to thank the people who responded to our 2010 call for marketing/media help. I DID think that one of our race captains had followed-up with each of you but now find that that was not always the case... SO sorry and embarrassed. If you are still interested in helping out, please shoot me an e-mail - I promise not to lose track of you.

Which reminds me...we could also use a little bit of help in setting up a very simple on-line "store" for merchandise sales. We have no problem sending the merchandise out ourselves to save you the handling fees assessed by third party vendors but there HAS to be an easier way than using mailed order forms or tacking it onto our registration site. If you are interested in helping in any other leadership capacity, also let us know. We always have a few Captain and Coordinator vacancies to fill.

2010-11-15T16:28:00.001-08:00

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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.

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.

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!

Race Weekend Approaches!

2010-09-27T04:33:00.001-07:00

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Early September Up-date

2010-09-02T04:36:00.001-07:00

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An Army of Volunteers

We are in the midst of recruiting the army of 1300 (!!!) volunteers required to put this race on. If you are injured, have decided not to run for other reasons, or have friends or family who'd like to help, we REALLY need you! You can volunteer on-line or can contact Alice directly.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Special 30th Anniversary Jacket

2010-08-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

30th Anniversary Jacket Now Available

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!

July E-Blast

2010-07-21T04:07:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

April E-Blast

2010-04-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

February E-Blast

2010-02-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

2010 Entry Up-date

Entries for the 2010 30th Anniversary Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon are slightly ahead of 2009 when the marathon filled on May 16. The marathon is 25% capacity and the relay is just more than 50% to the 90 team limit. If you plan to compete in either event and have not yet registered, you can monitor the entry totals by going to our race website. Although we update the totals on a regular basis, it is important to recognize that the last spots go VERY quickly - if you wait too long you will not get into the 2010 race. Please remember that once your register you are IN - we do not allow transfer of entries, refunds, or deferrals to a future year - please do not ask.

2010 Special Guests

As many of you know, for the last few years we have been able to invite a special guest to participate in race weekend activities. We are very pleased to announce that our 2010 guest will be two-time Olympian Anne Marie Letko . She was in Atlanta for the marathon and in Sydney for the 5k. In 2009 Anne Marie and Khalid Khannouchi were inducted into the RRCA American Long Distance Running Hall of Fame. She will participate in all of our race weekend activities including expo program, the traditional Saturday morning fun run, and press appearances.

In addition to the customary race weekend activities, Anne Marie will also RUN the marathon - yep, that's right run the marathon! Not only will she run the race, but she will provide one lucky and generous runner with the opportunity to have her run the race right along with them. Anne Marie will be offering this opportunity as a way to raise money for former elite runner Jenny Crain's recovery from her August, 2007 accident. The "Jenny Crain Make it Happen Fund" will be auctioning off the opportunity for a mid-pack marathoner (3:45+) to have Anne Marie run with them - both (of course) registered for the race. The auction will be conducted on Jenny's Facebook Fan Page - beginning immediately and concluding 2 weeks after the LFM fills. This is a great opportunity for one of our marathoners to share some quality running time with a great runner and get to know a wonderful woman. It is also an opportunity to assist Jenny - who was serving LFM as a Race Captain at the time of her accident.

We also expect two more of Jenny's elite colleagues to participate in our race weekend activities. Two-time Olympian Elva Dryer (5k Sydney & 10k Athens) plans to be here but will not be able to run the marathon - the USATF National Marathon Championships will be held in NYC just a few weeks later. However, elite middle distance runner Janet Trujillo does plan to run the marathon. Both will be here in support of Team Jenny Crain - note the information in the "Raise $$$ for a Cause" article below. We are very lucky to have this trio of talented women participate in our race weekend - you will all have the opportunity to see what great people they really are!

30th Anniversary Doings...

We have come a long way since about 600 people toed the line at the innagural Miller Lite Lakefront Marathon in October, 1981. That first year we had 586 finishers - only 40 (!!) women... Back in those days there were very few marathons so this race, with the assistance of significant sponsorship from Miller Brewing, attracted a diverse and fast field. Just imagine what it would be like today if there were just a few quality marathons for the fast runners to race... Although our fastest finish times go back to those first years, I was surprised to see that we have always also been a race for the citizen racer - back in 1981 we had a significant number of 5 hour finishers at a time when "slow pokes" were not so welcome at marathons. While a lot of things have changed over these 30 years, a lot of things remain the same - our start at Grafton High School, the majority of the course along the same Northshore streets, and our finish at Milwaukee's lakefront in Veteran's Park. As we move into our next decade, we hope to keep all of the things that you like and to make strategic improvements to keep the race fresh.

In 2010 we have invited all of our male and female winners to come back to run the marathon or participate on special "Champions" relay teams. We have had a great response from many of them and hope that we will see them at the start in Grafton on race morning. For those who cannot be here, we hope to get an update to include in the Runners Guide. We would particularly like to locate our male and female course record holders - Steve Benson - 1981 & 1982 winner and Nancy Mieszczak - 1983 winner. We will also again be honored by the presence our three (!!!) runners who have completed every LFM - Jim Bahr, Bill Boehm, and Duane Tate.

Also in 2010, we will welcome our 35,000th marathon finisher home to Veteran's Park - yep almost 35,000 people have finished our marathon, enough to populate a pretty good-sized city. We plan to recognize that special finisher with a special award and to secure some special sponsor goodies for that lucky marathoner.

Raise $$$ for a Good Cause

We are very happy to welcome the American Cancer Society DetermiNation program back as a charity partner in 2010. Again in 2010, they will host the pre-race pasta dinner - open to all LFM participants, friends and family. Take a look at our Charity Page for information about this program.

In response to the many runners who have asked for the opportunity to run LFM and raise funds for Jenny Crain, Jenny's friends are organizing "Team Jenny". Details are still being finalized - if you are interested in joining the team or finding out more about it, send an e-mail to TeamJennyCrain@gmail.com . As with other fund raising teams, Team Jenny spots will only be available to runners who register before the race fills.

Many of our other runners are also running to support causes dear to their hearts - if you are one of these runners, we'd love to use our Charity Page help you publicize your effort. Simply compose a paragraph telling everyone about your cause, why it is meaningful to you, and how to help you and then send it to our LFM e-mail. We'll post your story.

RRCA National Marathon Championship

We will be honored to serve as the host of the Road Runners Club of America National Marathon Championships. This is a great honor for our race and will provide us with access to some additional perks for our winners as well as additional resources to benefit the race as a whole.

2009-10-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

E-mail sent to runners on October 15, 2009

LFM 2009 is now history. For 29 years, the Badgerland Striders Running Club’s Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon has welcomed marathon runners to the finish at Veteran’s Park from our start at Grafton High School.

I am sure that by now most of you have heard or read about the events surrounding our female winners. In my ten years as Race Director I have done my best to ensure that you – the runners – have been informed of important race-related events and issues. This year is no different. Hence, this very long e-mail summarizing the events and rules that governed the decisions.

The Lakefront Marathon is a race sanctioned by USA Track & Field (USATF). This sanction has many dimensions for us and for the runners. For example, it is USATF that provides standards for certification of race courses – this ensures that you are running the correct distance and that your performances are accepted as qualifiers for other races, most notably the Boston Marathon. USATF has extensive rules for the conduct of long distance races, many of which apply to our race as the USATF State Championship, one that provides prize money and a sanctioned race. What many people don’t know is that in the case of a championship race or one that involves prize money there are really two races going on at the same time – the one for the Open/prize money or Championship awards and one for what might be termed “citizen” runners. In some cases the rules are different for each race. In general, however, the Rules of Competition were formulated by USATF to ensure a level playing field for each race and to ensure that the race(s) are conducted in a safe manner.

I will briefly summarize the process used for addressing potential rule violations. In our case, it is the responsibility of our race management leadership to bring potential issues to my attention. Potential violations can also be identified by other competitors. It is then my responsibility to bring the issue to the attention of our USATF Official – someone who is an expert in the USATF Rules and their application. Once that official makes a determination, the runner involved has the option of appealing the decision to a Jury of Appeals who makes the ultimate decision. It is important to note that there is no mechanism in road racing to allow a time to stand but to be “qualified” by an asterisk indicating that the competitor was not eligible for awards or a provision to apply a time penalty.

In the case of Cassie Peller, a race official indicated that they had observed a vehicle stop halfway between the (approx) 21 and 23 mile aid stations, a woman got out of the vehicle, and then ran with her for some distance providing fluids to her as she continued running down the course. This appeared to be a clear violation of the rule that prohibits receiving aid outside of the immediate vicinity of an aid station. It is important to emphasize that it is not a violation of the rules to take water from a child or citizen aid station so long as that aid is available to any runner who might run by. In this case the aid was for a specific competitor and by any definition outside of the vicinity of an aid station.

Ms.Peller was informed of the investigation of the potential rule violation and did not dispute it. She was then disqualified by the USATF Official and informed of the decision. As Ms. Peller indicated at that time that she would not appeal the decision, Jennifer Goebel was declared the Female Open winner at that time. Ms. Peller, however, subsequently appealed the decision; and the issue was considered by the Jury of Appeals - who sustained the official’s decision.

The case of Ms. Goebel involved the use of an iPod (portable listening device). Many of you will recall all of the discussion concerning this issue in 2008. At that time their use was prohibited for ALL competitors in USATF sanctioned races. This was a rule that I personally opposed and wrote to USATF to support a change that would allow the race to make the decision. In December, 2008 USATF modified the rule - the race now has the authority to allow runners who are not competing for Open/prize money awards or for USATF championship awards to use them. For 2009, the race committee changed the rules to allow them for “citizen” runners (long before Grandmas and Twin Cities made similar changes). This rule, however, still applies to the elite runners competing in the Open/prize money or Championship race and is well-understood by the people to whom it applies.

Some members of the running community identified a photo of Ms. Goebel at approximately the 24 mile mark showing her to be wearing a “portable listening device”. This photo was reported to me, I was compelled to refer the matter to the USATF Official, and informed her of that referral. Again, the official considered the matter and decided that she should be disqualified. I communicated the decision to her and she appealed it. The Jury of Appeals then considered her appeal and sustained the decision of the Official.

Corina Canitz has been named the female open winner and the results declared official.

As we move forward from the 2009 race, it IS important to emphasize that I have the upmost respect for the talent of both of these young women and respect their decisions to move on. I have told them both that they will always be welcome at our race, should they decide to compete here again. As we move on with our planning for 2010 we understand that every experience in life is a learning experience and will learn from this.

Speaking of 2010, we hope that you will all join us in celebrating our 30th anniversary on Sunday October 3, 2010. We will welcome our 35,000th marathoner to the finish at Veteran’s Park – and it might just be you! We will open registration early next year – and let you know via this e-mail newsletter.

As always, we thank you all for your support of our race.

Kri s & the Race Committee

Get Your Seat to Enjoy 26.2

2009-09-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

That is - someone else's 26.2 miles - yep a whole marathon! We're inviting neighbors and friends to walk on down to the course - just head to the lake - to cheer the runners on. Some good spots include:

Lake Drive through Whitefish Bay, Shorewood and Milwaukee (to Kenwood) - be sure to watch for traffic and stay on the east side of the street.

The BEST spots are along Lincoln Memorial Drive south to Lagoon Drive - the runners REALLY need your help here.

Stop by the Bradford Beach House and be part of our "24 Mile Club" or grab a cup of coffee at Alterra on the Lake and cross the street.

June LFM News

2009-06-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

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

Entries for 2009 Race

2009-06-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

We know that there are many people who were disappointed when they did not register for the 2009 before we filled. There is ONE last chance for two lucky and generous runners. Every year we provide two entries to the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail (FOHAST) for use in raising funds for their kids programs. For those not familiar with the trail, it runs from the Milwaukee lakefront west through the Valley. Many of the kids in the adjacent neighborhoods have no concept of the world beyond their block or immediate neighborhood - they have never been fishing, never seen Lake Michigan just a few miles away, and have never enjoyed nature like most of us can. This is a good organization with good programs that need our support. FOHAST is a bonafide charitable organization.

This year the two entries will be made available for a donation of $250 each according to the following protocol:

Interested runners are to send an e-mail to FOHAST - fohast@gmail.com - indicating their interest and that they are prepared to make the $250 donation.

E-mails will be accepted until noon CDT on Monday June 15.

Each e-mail will be assigned a number that will be used for a random selection.

The first two people selected will be contacted via e-mail and directed to send their $250 check to FOHAST. As soon as the checks have cleared, the entry form will be mailed to the runner. The runner then submits the entry to LFM.

If either of the selected runners fails to follow-through, FOHAST will go down the list in the order randomly designated until both entries have been distributed.

PLEASE do not contact LFM directly about the status of your e-mail.

It is also important to note that these are the ONLY legal entries avialable. We do not allow the transfer of entries from one runner to another, do not set them aside for other charities, and can not increase our field. If you hear of a runner trying to "sell" their number, please report this - we are serious enough about this issue that several people were DQ'd for this offense in 2008 and both the registering runner and participating runner were barred from participation in LFM this year.

More Great News for LFM Runners!

2009-04-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

First - I understand that some of you have had trouble with the link to our hotel block at the Hyatt. We are correcting it on our site but here is the correct one...

https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=85019

Now that we have that straight...If you have already registered for the race, great for you! 2009 will be a great marathon year here in Milwaukee. If you have not registered, there IS still time but know that we are filling somewhat faster than 2008 when we sold out the first week of June. At this rate, we will sell out in May. Remember that registration totals are posted on our web site so you can always see where we are with the limit. I do need to emphasize that the last 500 spaces go VERY quickly. If you are sure that you want to run in 2009, don't wait too long.

In terms of our 2009 race plans, I have already posted information about our new pace teams - you asked for pace teams and we have found a way to provide it without taking our attention from the important elements of the race.

Over the years many of our runners have used LFM to raise money for a variety of charities. In support of these efforts, in 2008 we set up our Charity Page in the "Pre-Race" tab on the LFM website. This allows you to tell everyone about your fund raising and the charities that you will support with your run - also what that charity means to you. We will continue with our charity page in 2009 and hope that you let us all know about your fund raising plans.

As an extension of our charity support, I am now very happy to announce a partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS) for 2009. We have designated them as an official LFM charity and encourage you to review the information about their program that is posted on the Charity Page. If you are interested in more information about this program, I encourage you to contact Amber Flanagan at amber.flanagan@cancer.org.

A key part of this new relationship will be the LFM/American Cancer Society Pasta Dinner - yep - a pasta dinner! Many of you know that we have not provided this in the past due to limitations on managerial and volunteer resources. A pasta dinner is an established part of the ACS charity program and they have agreed to open the dinner to ALL runners and their families and friends. We will provide details on location, cost and ticket purchase as ACS finalizes the details.

We hope that you are as excited as we are with the debut of pace teams and the pasta dinner - we are listening to you!

Stay tuned for more exciting details on 2009 race plans and on special planning already underway for our 30th anniversary in 2010.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions concerning the race.

Relay SOLD OUT

2009-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

We need to let everyone know that the LFM relay sold out on March 14th. No on-line entries were accepted after we reached our limit. To be fair to those who mail their entries, we will accept all entries post-marked on the March 14 closing date. We do appreciate the support of all of those who have registered and hope that those who did not get in will put us on their 2010 calendar - October 3, 2010.

The marathon is about 25% full. If you are on the fence, you still do have time to decide on your plans for 2009. Note that we do post the number of registrations on our web site so that you can have an idea as to the entry totals at any given day. That said, you do need to realize that those last 500 spots go VERY quickly - people on the fence making their decision - so be careful when registrations get to that point.

We so appreciate the support that our runners show for LFM every year. We hope that you will be happy with your choice to run our race in 2009.

Pace Teams for 2009

2009-03-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

I told you to stay tuned... In our post-race survey many of you told us that you'd really like us to add pace teams. In fact, many of you said that you'd even be happy to see an increase in the registration fee to cover the cost of bringing in someone to organize this professionally.

I am sure that many of you will be happy to hear that we have been able to arrange for pace teams for the 2009 race. We have retained an experienced pace team provider to organize this in 2009 to ensure that runners using the teams will have pace leaders who can "deliver" (just like our USPS sponsor :)). We will have pace teams spanning finish times from 3:20 to 5:00 hours. Details will be posted on our web site in a few days - so take a look!

If you are an experienced pacer, stay tuned for information about serving as a pacer, too.

Oh - BTW - we did not increase the registration fee for 2009 to accommodate this cost (as we were not sure we could make it happen) but will probably have to do so in 2010.

Registration Update

2009-02-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

It is great to see that so many of you have registered in this first week. At this rate, we will fill sooner than last year!

For those already looking for race details, note that we have updated almost all elements of the web site - or at least those that we can at this point. I will up-date the Rules section soon. The site contains reservation links to our co-host hotels - the Hyatt and Courtyard by Marriott. You might note that the Charity Page is pretty empty. We invite any of you running for a specific charity to send me an e-mail - with the link and with a paragraph about why you are running for tha group and what it means to you. We'll post these again this year.

As always, feel free to e-mail us directly at lakefrontmarathon@sbcglobal.net

Registration Opens January 29th

2009-01-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

Registration for the 2009 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon and THREE person Relay will open on Thursday January 29th. Our 29th anniversary race will be held on Sunday October 4, 2009. Please follow the link on our web site www.badgerlandstriders.org/lfm for on-line registration.

Note that - in light of current economic conditions - we have not increased the registration fee for the marathon in 2009.

You will note that we have changed the relay to a three-person event beginning in 2009. This was done to enhance safety on the course by removing the relay exchange that was at approximately 11 miles. Parking issues and traffic congestion in this area presented potential hazards to the runners, volunteers and the public. Relay legs will approximate 7, 12, and 7 miles. In recognition of this change and after considering runner comments from 2008, relay runners will now also receive a long-sleeve Race Ready technical shirt. The registration fee for the relay was set in recognition of this additional cost - and value to participants.

Many of you have e-mailed and asked about our position on Mp3 players for the 2009 race. You may know that USATF changed the rule in December to provide greater flexibility for local race committees. Runners competing for prize money and for USATF awards will be prohibited from using Mp3 players. Other runners are cautioned to consider the potential safety issues presented by their use but will be allowed to use them. If you decide to use them, please make sure that the volume is low enough for you to hear what is going on around you - for your own safety and that of other runners. We will closely monitor the course - runners who fail to heed the direction of race officials WILL be disqualified.

Last year many runners asked that we provide pace teams. We do expect to do this in 2009 - but we are still investigating our options. Stay tuned.

We are also very excited to report that the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon was named the Road Runners Club of America 2008 Road Race of the Year!!! This is a testament to the work of more than 1500 volunteers, the support of the Badgerland Stirders Running Club, and to the hospitality of our host communities. It is rare for a race this size to be managed and run entirely by volunteers - we think that you all see the difference.

We will be updating the web site as we finialize race details. In the interim, check back here for my quick up-dates.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the Finish Line on October 4th

Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon

Registration Opens January 15 at 12:01 AM CST

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