2011 Registration Information

Registration for the 2011 InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon will open on August 1, 2010. We have some exciting changes in store for next year's race weekend.

The Complete Race Report

This is about as good as it gets when it comes to a race report...and a running blog. Thank you Shirley!

http://humbletriathlete.blogspot.com/2010/01/instep-icebreaker-indoor-marathon.html

Check This Out

More fine reporting by Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel.

Video from Relay

The teams from Fit Milwaukee brought their own videographer to the Marathon Relay on Saturday. You can view his work here.

Help!!

If you enjoyed the event this weekend and you want to take a few minutes to help us, please go to MarathonGuide.com and leave some positive comments. This is very important way for us to market the race since we are a small event and don't have much of an advertising budget. If you go to the site, just search for our event and it directs you how to leave feedback. It's very simple and you don't have to log in. Thanks!!

Race Coverage in Journal-Sentinel

Today's Journal-Sentinel online has great coverage of yesterday's events. Check it out here.

Race Director Thanks

Thanks to everyone for making another great InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon, Half Marathon & Marathon Relay possible. I am going to start a list here of all of the people I would like to thank for helping me pull this off. I will add to the list often so keep checking back.

• Rob Multerer and the staff at the Pettit National Ice Center for opening up their house to us. They have one of the most unique facilities around and to be able to host an event like this there is a real honor.
• My staff: Jaime Lee, Dana Schulz, Jeff Ferris and Brian Volkman. They are as dedicated to this event as I am, and it showed in their work. Brian, your announcing was a terrific addition to the event.
• All of the volunteers....there are too many to name. The most frequent compliment I got from runners yesterday were about the volunteers and the energy they bring to the races.
• Jeanette Seitz and Olu for performing the national anthem at the start of each day.
• Paul at Saucony for all of the wonderful things you did for us....the jackets, hats, gloves, shirts....for manning the InStep table. Thanks!!
• Our sponsors......Lakefront Wellness Center (awesome massages!), Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp, Zym, SweatVac.
• Bill Flaws from RunningIntheUSA.com for capturing the events in pictures.
• Bill Schneider, who not only completed the Gold Medal Challenge, but also provided much guidance in the days and weeks and months leading up to the race.
• PR Medal Engraving for providing such a valuable service to our runners.
• Angela C. for helping take my mind off race-directing for a little while each day.
• PT Timing for the excellent race scoring. An event is only as good as the timers and they were spectacular.
• Don Weyer for measuring the course(s) again this year.
• Neal and Juris from USATF for picking our little race to include on your tour. You guys are true road warriors!
• My family for their patience as I sat in front of the computer in the kitchen every night for the past month working on spreadsheets with song lists, runner lists, bib number lists, etc.
• My co-workers and co-owners at InStep who provided much assistance.
• Ashley Kumlien and Andrew for letting us be a part of MSRuntheUS for a few days, as well as Thomas with the Give Shirt.
• Sue at Salute, Inc. for all you do to help our veterans!
• Anne at FitMilwaukee.com for helping spread the word about the Marathon Relay and also fielding a few teams.
• Tom Held at the Journal-Sentinel for excellent reporting in your Off the Couch blog.
• Larry @ Technique Web for not only designing the new Indoor Marathon website, but being there whenever we needed quick changes. If anyone reading this ever needs a website designed, I could not make a stronger recommendation. Go to http://www.techniqueweb.com/.
• Dave Jesse, who not only competed in all three events, but also lined up the singer for the national anthem and sent us a bunch of volunteers. You are our Superman!
• And most of all, thanks to the runners who participated in the event. You are why we do this.

Age Group Awards

If you finished in the top three in your age group and did not pick up your award at the race, we will be mailing them to you.

Marathon & Gold Medal Challenge Results

The marathon results and Gold Medal Challenge standings are available. Thanks to all for a fantastic event and congratulations to our winners: Matt Sveum (overall and men's) and Julie Spencer (women's). You are both great champions! Also congrats to the Gold Medal Challenge winners: Stephen Tietz (men's) and Mary Flaws (women's).

Half Marathon & Marathon Relay Results

Here are the results for the Half Marathon and Marathon Relay. Thanks to everyone for some great races today. What a wonderful day!

Freeway Construction Cancelled

The good news: the freeway construction scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled.

The bad news: the reason it has been cancelled is because freezing rain is in the forecast for this weekend.

Drive safely!

Olympic Speedskaters Are Here!

Seven of the 18 U.S. Olympic long-track speedskating team members, including Gold medalist Shani Davis, train at the Pettit Center. Some of them are here right now and many will be skating here this weekend. We will have our announcer introduce them to the runners and spectators so we can send them off to Vancouver in style. The XXI Winter Olympics start in just three weeks!

Packet Pickup Is On!

You can pick up your packets tomorrow at InStep Running & Walking Centers, 403 E. Buffalo Street, Milwaukee, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. And while you're there, make sure to buy a pair of running shoes!

Relay Registration Closes Thursday Morning

Registration for the Marathon Relay will close on Thursday at 10 a.m. (CST). There will be no race-day registration nor will be be able to add new runners to existing teams on race-day.

USATF Coming to Pettit Center

I just got word that the USA Track & Field (USATF) mobile tour is coming to the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon this weekend. This is great news. They were in Houston last weekend for the Chevron Houston Marathon, and stopped in New Orleans today to visit a running store. Their next stop will be Milwaukee and the Pettit Center before they head to NYC for the Millrose Games, which is the oldest track meet in the nation.

The 60-foot long truck and trailer will be rolling into the Pettit Center sometime on Friday. They will then set up shop inside the Pettit Center where they will be selling USATF Nike merchandise and other items. For more information on the USATF tour, click here.

Warmups

The running track will be open for runners to do warmups for 30 minutes prior to each race. However, if there are still runners on the track from the previous race, make sure not to wear your chip while doing your warmup run. This could cause headaches for the timers.

Public Skating Hours During Race Weekend

The Pettit Center's skating oval will be open for public skating from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. There will be speed skating during the mornings.

Beware of the Orange Barrels Next Weekend

There is going to be major road construction on the Zoo Interchange (just west of the Pettit Center) next weekend. If you are coming from the west or southwest, you may want to find a different route.

Here's the message from the DOT:

Traffic alert: The first full weekend closure of one system connection in the Zoo Interchange is scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 22-Jan. 25, announced the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). The following movements will be closed Friday, Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 25

· I-894/US 45 northbound system connector ramp to I-94 westbound
(During this closure, traffic will be detoured onto eastbound I-94 and will exit to 84th Street to turn around and head back onto westbound I-94 )
· I-894/US 45 northbound left lane (lane to I-94 westbound ramp) closed at Greenfield Avenue
· I-894/US 45 southbound right lane closed between the ramp to I-94 westbound to just south of the I-94 eastbound bridge
· Wisconsin Avenue westbound entrance ramp to US 45 southbound
Closures are subject to change due to weather. Additional law enforcement will be patrolling the detour routes to help maintain safe and efficient traffic operations.

The contractor, Milwaukee Constructors, will use this time period to place embankments for the new ramp locations. Dirt hauling operations will take place continuously throughout the weekend.

Further Clarification On Water Bottles

I was told tonight by my assistant race director that the water bottles will not be put in the race bags as I previously indicated; they will be handed out on race-day at the Pettit Center. Still, we encourage you to bring your own bottles if possible, but we will be able to provide each runner with one bottle.

Clarification On Water Bottles

I have been getting some emails about the water bottle situation and there seems to be some confusion. We will be providing each runner with a water bottle. You may also bring your own. You can have as many water bottles as you would like. You can fill them with the beverage of your choice prior to the race or you can have one of the volunteers fill them with water or Powerade during the race. There will be tables where you can keep your bottles. We will also provide runners with a means to identify their bottles (we will probably use those stick-on name tags and you can write your bib number on them with a marker).

As for drinking, my advice is to grab your bottle on your way past the table, and carry it with you for a lap or two. Then just put it back on the table when you're done. The volunteers will keep the bottles in the right order and make sure they are filled if you want more. I know this sounds a bit confusing but it will all work smoothly on race-day.

One final word of advice on this subject: make sure to stay properly hydrated. It is deceptively cool inside the Pettit Center and I would recommend taking in plenty of liquids.

Message to all Participants

We sent all email to all registered runners today. Since these emails tend to get caught up in junk mail filters, I am re-publishing the email below:

Greetings runners! With the race being just two weeks away, I wanted to provide an update on several important topics.

Packet Pickup - please check the race website at www.indoormarathon.com for packet pickup times and locations. You can pick up your packet on race-day or in advance at the locations listed on the website.

Chip Pickup - note that the races are all chip-timed and runners will have to pick up their chips at the Pettit Center before their race. Chips will not be given out at packet-pickup. There will be a table in the Pettit Center lobby just for chip pickups. For the relay, each team gets one chip. The team captain should get the chip.

Runner Arrival - please plan on getting to the Pettit Center about one hour before your race. If you show up too early (especially for those running in the first half marathon on Saturday morning), the building may not be open yet. We will try to open approximately 90 minutes before the first race on each day.

Water Bottles - each runner will receive one water bottle in your race bag. However, you may want to bring your own. There will not be any cups allowed due to spillage concerns. We will have plenty of water and Powerade at the aid tables.

Storage - for the marathon and half marathons, there will be a designated spot next to the track for each runner to store their "stuff" such as gel packs, extra clothing, food, etc. You are also welcome to keep your beverages in this area, but there will be tables where you can keep your bottles and have them refilled.

Age Group Awards - we are giving out awards to the top three runners (male and female) in 10-year age groups for the marathon and half marathon. However, we are not going to present these at the awards ceremony due to time concerns. When the results are posted, if you see that you have won an award, you can pick it up that day in the "food room", or we will mail them to you. The award ceremonies will be at noon each day and we will present awards only to the top three overall male and female finishers.

Weather - the event will go on snow or shine! If for some reason we get socked with a big snowstorm on the day of the race (remember this is Wisconsin in late January), we will still hold the races. In fact, a snowstorm would provide a perfect backdrop for an indoor running event!

Race Rules - please go to the event website at www.indoormarathon.com and click on the "race director's blog" link at the bottom to access the race rules. Remember that portable music devices are not allowed. Violators will be assessed a 500-lap penalty!

Miscellaneous - there will be a ton of action in the lobby of the Pettit Center before, during and after the races. Some of our sponsors will have tables and will be selling cool things. We will also be selling The Give Shirt, which will benefit MS Run the US; and Salute, Inc., a non-profit that supports military veterans, will also be on hand. And we just found out that massage therapists from the Lakefront Wellness Center will be ready and willing to give runners post-race massages!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors. Saucony, in particular, has really stepped up for us this year, and that is much appreciated. They have donated gloves and hats for the volunteers, and also jackets for the race staff. Runners will also notice that the race shirts are high-quality, performance shirts from Saucony.

For last-minute updates, please go to www.indoormarathon.com and click on the "race director's blog" link at the bottom of the homepage.We look forward to seeing everyone in two short weeks! Until then, happy running!Chris Ponteri, Race Director

Announcement

After much deliberation, we have finally decided exactly what will be showered upon the winners of the Gold Medal Challenge. The male and female winners, as determined by lowest combined time in the half marathon and full marathon, will each have their name put on a large banner that will hang from the rafters of the Pettit Center. It will be similar to the banners that list the US Olympic Speedskating Teams. The winners will also receive free entry into the event of their choice for the 2011 InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon and will get a plaque. We hope that's enough!

And Now a Word (or Two) From Our Sponsor

One of our favorite sponsors is the Lakefront Wellness Center in Pewaukee. They offer a host of services for distance runners including massage therapy, nutrition consultation and yoga. But one of their more interesting specialties is sports psychology. Here is a piece on this topic from one of their psychologists that I thought might be appropriate for Icebreaker Indoor Marathon participants.

What is sport psychology?
By Dr. Beth Johnson

It is the science of human behavior as it applies to sport. Sport psychologists are interested in finding methods to overcome normal and abnormal thought processes that interfere with athletic performance.

Anxiety is a normal emotional response to competition. This normal response can become abnormal if it interferes with performance…

· One triathlete became so nervous that she hyperventilated in the swim portion of the triathlon. She needed to be rescued from the water.
· A marathoner became so nervous at the start that he ran the first three miles one minute under his race pace. He struggled for the next 10 miles because he didn’t keep on pace.
· A racer had reached her best time in the 5K but has never reached it again. She has become preoccupied with the time and beating it. The result has been that she has lost time.
· An athlete over-trained for the triathlon and had to drop out because of a knee injury. He did not feel that he was prepared enough unless he completed a triathlon at every workout.
· A gymnast was told she needed to lose 5 pounds to eliminate an unsightly bump in her abdomen. The gymnast started to restrict her diet and developed anemia.
· A high school cross country runner wanted to make varsity. She was within 10 seconds of reaching this goal. She ran varsity during practice but focused excessively on her teammates’ times and “psyched” herself out in competition. She was always one spot away from making varsity.
· A natural athlete engaged in self-destructive behaviors and was kicked off the team.
· A soccer player learned to hate his sport because it caused arguments with his father.

The examples are as limitless as there are athletes. The sport psychologist doesn't offer “cookie cutter” solutions. Sport psychology offers the expertise of a doctor of psychology who specializes in personality assessment. Strategies are developed and tailored to meet your needs and utilize your strengths. Sport psychology requires an interaction between you and the expert-it can’t be accomplished by reading alone!

Age Group Awards

We have lined up some very nice age group awards and will be giving them to the top three finishers (female and male) in 10-year age increments in both the half marathon and full marathon. However, we will not be presenting the awards to winners at the race-day ceremony; only the top three overall finishers (female and male) will be presented with their awards at the ceremony. However, once results are posted, if you see that you have finished in the top three in your age group, you are free to pick up your award. They will be in the same room as the post-race food. As much as we would like to personally present them to each age group award winner at the ceremony, it is not logistically possible. If you aren't able to pick your award up, we will mail it to you.

Race Rules

Here is a list of race rules. Keep in mind that these are subject to change.

1. Runners will need to complete 95.37 laps for the marathon and marathon relay, and 47.68 for the half marathon.

2. MP3 players or any other type of portable music players are not allowed. Violators will be disqualified.

3. There are two lanes on the track. Runners should try to stay in the outside lane unless you are passing a slower runner. If you are coming up behind a slower running in the inside lane, use the word “track” to indicate that they should move aside.

4. The race will be chip timed. There will be a timing mat at the finish line. Runners can ask a volunteer to give them a lap count, which they will get the next time they cross the line. Lap counts will also be provided to runners on a regular basis toward the end of the race.

5. There will be an aid station at the northeast corner of the track. Runners will need to bring their own bottles (one will be provided in the goody bag). Volunteers will be able to fill the bottles with water or Powerade during the race. Each runner will have a designated area to place their bottles during the race. Cups or other open containers will not be allowed due to spillage concerns.

6. There will be a separate designated area next to the track for runners to keep extra clothing, gel packs or other items.

7. Runners can accept items such as food, drinks, clothing from spectators, but only next to the designated aid station. Violators are subject to disqualification.

8. There will be two bathrooms near the track. Runners are asked not to leave the track area for any reason. The bathroom in the Pettit Center lobby is for spectators.

9. For the marathon relay, each team is given one chip. Teams will consist of 2 to 4 runners and can switch runners as often as they would like. The chip will have to be exchanged between runners each time there is a runner switch. Each team will have a designated chip exchange area along the side of the running track.

Indoor Marathon Relay Gets Noticed

FitMilwaukee, which is your race director's favorite fitness blog, has a post on the Indoor Marathon Relay. Check it out here. Thanks Anne!

Special Guest for Gold Medal Challenge

Ashley Kumlien, who in just over two months is going embark upon a run across the United States, will be participating in the Gold Medal Challenge as part of the InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon. Ashley is from Brookfield and will be running across the US to raise money for MS. Visit her website for more information on her journey and her charity, MS Run the US.

We have decided to donate Ashley's race entry fee to her cause. There will also be a special opportunity for participants of the Icebreaker Indoor Marathon & Half Marathon to contribute on the day of the race. Located in the Pettit Center lobby will be a table which will be selling The Give Shirt, which is line of apparel that simple says "give" on it. Profits from the purchase of this apparel normally goes to the charity of the buyer's choice. At the Indoor Marathon, all profits will go to Ashley's charity, MS Run the US. For more information on The Give Shirt, please visit their website.