You will probably like
the Lake City Marathon
if...
...you are trying to
qualify for Boston
...don't need large
crowd support to carry you through the race.
...don't mind a course
with several loops
...like a small city
setting
...like a pre-race pasta
dinner and post race meal.
...hate waiting in line
over 30 minutes to use a restroom
...don't mind running
with a smaller number of runners.
You will probably not like the marathon here if you...
...need plenty of crowd
support the entire race.
...run only point-to-point
courses.
..need digital race
clocks every mile.
...if you think a marathon
with 600 runners is too small.
Please read through
the following so you will know what to expect. We are a small town marathon and work hard to put on a quality race.
Q: What is the weather
typically like in September?
A: The start is usually
cool, but temperatures warm by late morning. During the last 4 years, start temperatures have ranged from around 40 to the
upper 50s. Temperatures may reach 80 or even higher by noon.
Q: Why Do you have an
early start?
A: The early start keeps
the field from getting too spread out and helps you run more in the cool of the day. Our weather can be just as
warm and humid as it was in Chicago last year for their marathon. If you include the time change, we start our race (early
start) 3 hours earlier than Chicago.
Q: Is it dark at the
early start?
A: Yes, so flashlights
are provided. The streets are well lit through mile 2.5; however, the trails are not lit at all (mile 3.2 to 4.2).
Q: Are the aid stations
open for the early start?
A: We are going to try
to open 3 of the first 4 aid stations early. It would be a good idea to carry a bottle for water or sport drink.
Q: When do the aid stations
close?
A: We try to keep them
open for everyone that is expected to finish by noon. If you are walking the marathon or plan to finish over 6 hours, please
carry a container for sport drink or water. We will try to have a sag vehicle out to check on the slow runners and walkers.
Q: Can I qualify for
Boston on you course?
A: Yes! Over 28% of runners
qualified last year.
Q: Are you going to
use timing chips this year?
A: No. We are using
the Ultrek10 timing system. This system is the road version of the one used for high school track meets. Results can be downloaded into
a spreadsheet. We have found this system better serves us since we use multiple start times and record split times.
Q. Do you have race
clocks on the course?
A. Only at 13.1
and 26.2.
Q. Is there very much
traffic on the course?
A. No. The entire course
traffic is mainly just local. We are going to see if the city will close a small section on Winona Beach Road miles 5-6
and miles 18-19 where the road is more narrow.
Q. Will I be disqualified
if I use headphones?
A. Yes
Q. How is crowd support
on the course?
A. If you need large
crowds, you will not find them here, but we are planning on having cheerleaders.
Q. Do you have post-race
massage?
A. Yes! We
will have 7 fully licensed massage therapists set up inside the Winona Lake Senior Center (large building by the lake near the start).
