Milwaukee Marathon Returning In 2024 With New Route, Date
Race ditches Deer District, Downtown for Lakefront, East Side and Bay View.
Runners start the 2019 Milwaukee Marathon. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
The Milwaukee Marathon will return in 2024, with a new date and a new course, and a focus on creating a successful foundation to build larger events from.
The Milwaukee Marathon, not to be confused with the fall Lakefront Marathon run by a nonprofit group, was last held in 2019. It’s history, through a series of organizers, has been one of mistakes with the route length or bad timing. The 2019 event appeared to put all of that in the rearview mirror, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to scuttle the 2020 event and then permitting issues to derail the 2021 event. The 2023 event promised to be a move in the right direction, only for it to be canceled because of a snowstorm.
The 2024 marathon will be held on April 13, two weeks later on the calendar than the 2023 event. Ventures Endurance, which organizes races across the country, is also moving the race from Sunday to Saturday.
Runners will be able to choose between 5K (3.1 mile), half marathon (13.1 mile) or marathon (26.2 mile) lengths with a course that starts at Henry Maier Festival Park, proceeds north toward the East Side before doubling back, moves through Lakeshore State Park, Historic Third Ward, Harbor District and Walker’s Point and ends at Humboldt Park in Bay View. Shuttle buses will take runners back to the starting line.
From the first time it was held in 2015, the race has struggled with identifying a permanent route, due in part to politics within the Common Council. The latest route attempts to minimize road closures and relies heavily on the county-controlled Lincoln Memorial Drive and Oak Leaf Trail.
“We completely removed the downtown aspect, we won’t affect The Hop at all,” said Ventures Endurance director Chip Hazewski on Wednesday to the council’s Public Works Committee. The number of downtown road closures and shuttering of the city’s streetcar system for a half day were concerns raised with the 2023 event.
“The intent is to minimize the impact to city streets,” said Department of Public Works coordination manager James Washington. “A large portion of the route is going to be on the Oak Leaf Trail.”
Registration for the race is expected to open in the coming weeks.
Hazewski confirmed the company, a subsidiary of Gannett, doesn’t expect to make money in 2024. “This would be a multi-year approach to get back to where it was,” said the organizer. The 2019 event had 8,000 participants. The goal for 2024 is 3,000 people. “We know we have to earn the trust of runners in the city.”
Much of the race will take place on Lincoln Memorial Drive on the lakefront and on different segments of the Oak Leaf Trail. But some city streets, including E. Newberry Boulevard and portions of E. Russell Avenue, S. Kinnickinnic Avenue and S. 1st Street will be closed.
“[The Milwaukee Police Department] has assured us they will be able to get residents out if they need to,” said Hazewski of the full closure of Newberry Boulevard.
The race will also impose an earlier than usual cut off time, allowing streets to reopen earlier. “We have imposed a strict five-hour time limit, which is very strict for a marathon,” said Hazewski.
“That pretty much eliminates walkers,” said Alderman Mark Borkowski, a nine-time marathoner that once ran a 2 hour, 44 minute marathon and also completed the Boston Marathon (3:17 in 1985). Hazeski confirmed the slowest pace allowed would be 11:26 minutes per mile.
Milwaukee County must still approve the complete closure of N. Lincoln Memorial Drive from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the day of the race. A vote, said Hazewski, is expected to occur in January. A final city permit cost, to account for police and public works costs, is still being calculated. A security plan will be finalized by March 15 said Washington.
“Once approved, we have about a 60-day communication plan,” said Hazewski of how outreach would be done to residents affected by street closures. East Side Alderman Jonathan Brostoff held a public meeting last year and that’s expected to occur again. “It’s ongoing up until the day of the event.”
The committee unanimously endorsed the plan.
“Thanks for your hard work. Thanks for coming up with a route that…” said downtown alderman and committee chair Robert Bauman, before another council member cut in.
“Stays out of your district,” said Common Council President José G. Pérez.
“Right,” said Bauman.
Route Maps
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Related Legislation: File 231171
