- Is this course certified by USATF?
Absolutely! Every year we usually have to make some modifications to the course - but we do get the course re-certified. We also make sure that you actually run the course we have certified.
- Is this a Boston Qualifying race?
Again, absolutely! We provide our results directly to the Boston Marathon after they become official. Your BQ time at the Lakefront Marathon will qualify you for BOTH 2011 and 2012.
- I got injured or decided to run another marathon. Can I get my money back, transfer my entry to someone else, or transfer it to next year?
No, you cannot - please don’t ask. Entries are not transferable or refundable and cannot be deferred until another year.
- Can I walk?
You can walk or run so long as you maintain a pace to finish in 6.5 hours. Absolutely no times or medals after 6.5 hours!
- Can I start early?
Absolutely not, this is due to safety considerations - the beginning of the course is on country roads without streetlights. It is dark until just before the race starts. If you start early, you will be disqualified and barred from participation for at least one year.
- Can I listen to an IPOD, radio, run with headphones, etc.?
Our race is sanctioned by USATF and we serve as the Wisconsin Marathon Championship. We are also the RRCA 2010 National Marathon Championship. If you compete for a RRCA, USTAF award, and/or for prize money, you may NOT use them and will be disqualified from the race, if you do. The USATF Rules of Competition prohibit portable headphone devices - i-pods, headphones, etc. If there is any chance that you might compete for any of these award categories consult the USATF Rules of Competition directly. Other runners can wear them but are cautioned to consider the safety issues that they present. ANY runner who fails to heed the direction of a race official will be disqualified.
- Do you have a pasta dinner?
Our runners will have the opportunity to participate in a pasta dinner on Saturday evening. The dinner will be sponsored and organized by the American Cancer society as part of their charity runner program – but definitely open to ALL marathon participants and their friends and families. Information is available on our Charity Runner page. Please note that there will be NO race weekend ticket sales.
- Do you have Pace Teams?
You asked for them and we listened. We will have pace teams again in 2010 at intervals from 3:20 to 5 hours. Details will be provided in our e-mail newsletter, on this site, and in the Runners. Please note that all participants in the pace teams will be required to run in a manner that does not impede the progress of other runners.
- What flavor of Gatorade will be on the course?
Endurance formula - we believe it will be lemon-lime.
- Will food and gel be available on the course?
Gel will be available at the water stops at approximately miles 7 and 19. Please deposit packs that you carry in the next trashcan - otherwise one of our volunteers has to pick it up. We will again provide Hammer Gel on the course and in your goody bag. Hammer Gel is available locally at Instep stores, Performance Running, Wheel & Sprocket, to name just a few.
- Can my friend pick up my packet for me?
See special instructions that will be provided in the Runner's Guide.
- Speaking of the EXPO - what about that?
We will have 30 or more booths - including national vendors. Packet pick-up will again be held at the MSOE Kern Center Friday evening (4-7pm) and Saturday (9am-5pm).
- Will there be speakers at the Expo?
Yep! Stay tuned to see who we will have as our special guest. We will also bring back the popular course talk, have a medical briefing, a session on post-marathon recovery, and more. We will post the Speaker's Schedule soon before race weekend.
- I'm interested in being an Expo vendor - who do I contact?
Send an e-mail to the race director at lakefrontmarathon@sbcglobal.net
- Where do I wear the chip?
Wear it on your ankle if you are in the relay - transfer it from one runner to the next according to the instructions provided. Marathoners should follow the instructions provided.
- Can I carry the chip in my hand?
If you do, you will not be scored. It must be on or near your ankle in order for the sensor to pick up the signal. Relay participants who carry the chip in their hand will be DQ'd.
- I only plan to run part of the race - just for training or fun. Should I wear my chip?
If you don't plan to finish, please do not wear your chip – it really can mess up race scoring – believe us! It would be easier for you if you inform the people at registration of this fact and return the chip before you leave the packet pick-up area. If you aren't sure, wear the chip but DO NOT cross the finish line or accept a medal unless you have run the entire marathon course! Doing this will delay scoring the race for everyone else and is unfair to those who ran the entire distance.
- Will you provide transportation from the finish back to my car at the start?
No.
- How do my sweats get to the finish?
Put them into the bag provided for this purpose - with your race number on it. Close the bag securely and place it in the USPS truck near the start line. The USPS delivers! If you do not pick them up, they will be donated to charity.
- What happens to the clothes I dropped on the course?
Due to the number of items and their condition (sweaty, dirty ...) we will discard clothing left on the course. Sometimes clothing left on the course is brought to the finish by volunteers or spectators. You can check at the runner bag pick-up prior to 2:30 to see if someone picked them up.
- Where are toilets on the course?
We will post information summarizing the locations of toilets, relay points and water.
- Can my friends run or bike with me?
Absolutely not. Non-registered runners are not permitted to run with you - that is called pacing and is not permitted by USATF rules. Bicycles are not allowed on the course for obvious safety reasons. They will be removed from the course and you are subject to disqualification.
- Can I push a stroller?
See the answer above related to bicycles. Strollers create an unsafe condition for you, the child, and other runners and also are prohibited by our insurance carrier. If you push one you will be disqualified from the race and subject to a future bar to participation. If your use of a stroller causes damage or injury to another party you would also be personally liable as you are participating in violation of the race rules.
- How about dogs?
See the answers above. Also note that Milwaukee County ordinances prohibit dogs in County parks - this includes the finish area and several of the water stops.
- Where can my friends see me on the course?
See the information in the Spectator section of the Runners Guide and. Please note that the course is effectively inaccessible for about the first 15 miles of the race. Please ask them to be careful when driving on or near the course - runners and drivers are very distracted. Also please ask them not to park in areas posted for "No Parking" and ask them to be courteous to residents whose patience we value. Police WILL ticket those who violate parking restrictions or engage in unsafe behavior. Their good behavior will help us get permits for the race again next year!
- Can my friends give me water or food on the course?
Yes - but only directly adjacent to designated water stops. YOU are subject to disqualification if they impede other runners. They must be very careful about where they park and have them make sure that they do not impede other runners in their effort to help you. You may not receive fluids or nutrition outside of the designated aid stations – except for “citizen” aid stations where the fluids or nutrition is available to all runners.
- How do my friends get to the finish?
See the directions in the Runners Guide and breaking news on the web site. Note that Lincoln Memorial Drive will be VERY congested near the finish area. Spectator parking is available in the O'Donnell Park parking structure across from the Milwaukee Art Museum or in other structures or street parking south and west of the finish area. Spectators are not allowed to park in the area off Lagoon Drive or at the War Memorial parking lot just north of the Milwaukee Art Museum – really…
- Where do I park at the finish?
Please check back as to exact instructions concerning runner parking at the finish and to confirm the location of the bus loading to the start.
- How do I drive to the start?
Take I-43 north to the Hwy 60 west exit in Grafton. Proceed west past Cheyenne and follow the directions of volunteers at the high school. Be aware that parking is limited near the start - LOTS NEAR AND ADJACENT TO GRAFTON HIGH SCHOOL FILL VERY EARLY! Plan for delays here.
- Exactly how does this relay transportation work?
All team members go to the start and take buses to their exchange point. The person running the first leg lines up with the marathoners. The one on the second leg gets on to the "7 mile bus" - this leaves 10 minutes before the start of the race, third leg on the 19 mile bus, etc. If you get on the 7-mile bus, put your second set of sweats on the 19-mile bus (that is the one you will take to the finish) and they will be waiting for you at the end of your leg. Leave your first pair of sweats on the bus you took to your leg and they will magically appear at the finish! You will be able to wait on the bus at your exchange point. There are lots of people at the relay staging area and on each bus to help you with this. This process is more fully explained in your Runners' Guide.
- Can we divide the relay any way that we want?
In a word, NO. You must run the legs as we have them set out. For example, if you have 2 people, one runner must run two consecutive legs. Each team may have a maximum of three members.
- Do relay runners get a medal, too?
No - just those who have registered for and finished the entire marathon - that is what makes the medal so special.
- When and where will the results be posted?
They will be posted on this web site and http://www.onlineraceresults.com/. The Results Book will be distributed within 4 weeks.
- Can I exchange my shirt for another size?
You can bring it to the finish area on Sunday and exchange it for whatever sizes are available.
- Will merchandise be available for sale at the finish?
Yes - whatever we have left from the expo.
- Where does the money collected for the race go?
It goes primarily to pay the costs of the run – nice technical shirts without ads, tents, buses, tables, soda, porta-potties, shirts for volunteers, permits, beer, pace teams, rental of the high school, etc. Funds remaining support the activities of the Badgerland Striders Running Club - beginning running, fun runs, newsletter, etc.
- What is the date for 2011?
Sunday October 2, 2011. Entry information will be available on our web site in early 2011.
- I have a suggestion - who do I contact?
lakefrontmarathon@sbcglobal.net or the hotline at 414-291-2647.