Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114
Race Review: Madison Marathon Skip to main content
Race Reviews

Race Review: Madison Marathon

September 8, 2022October 11th, 2023

General Info

Price: $135 (that's the 2022 price, it may vary depending on the date you register)

Date I ran it: 11/11/18

Participants: 1,072 (2018)

Weather: in the 40s and overcast (2018)

Overall Opinion:

It’s a nice small and peaceful marathon in a great city with beautiful scenery. It was a cheap low stress trip for me. There are some medium sized hills that will slow you down slightly. There are a lot of fast runners, so if you are on the slower side, expect to be in the back of the pack without a whole lot of other runners around you. It’s quiet and there aren’t a lot of spectators. There aren’t the bells and whistles of bigger city marathons but it has what you need.

Pros

  • It’s a lot cheaper than other marathons such as Chicago, NYC, Boston, etc. Hotels aren’t expensive either.
  • Parking is easy and close to the start line.
  • Madison in November is beautiful. The course has views of the downtown, the lake, and the University of Wisconsin. There are also some nice stretches of nature, I saw some wild turkeys.
  • It generally has good running weather.
  • It had a nice peaceful vibe.
  • It wasn’t crowded, I didn’t have to zig zag through the crowd like I did in the Chicago Marathon.
  • The people in Madison are friendly.
  • If you arrive a few days early, Madison is a great city to explore for a day or two.

Cons

  • It’s hilly. I wouldn’t say don’t do it because of the hills, but it’s not a “fast” course compared to totally flat marathons like Chicago or Indianapolis. If I had to guess I would say that I would have run a flat marathon 5 to 10 minutes faster if the weather was the same.
  • I don’t know if this is necessarily a con but it seemed to be very competitive. It attracts mostly experienced runners.
  • There weren’t a lot of spectators compared to other marathons. It’s not a big city and it’s usually chilly out. It wasn’t a very exciting atmosphere for the most part.
  • They didn’t have the amenities or extras that bigger marathons like Chicago and Indianapolis have. For example, they didn’t have a biofreeze station or as many on-course food options as Chicago. Indianapolis had a heated building to wait in before the race and pizza afterwards. It felt more minimalistic, but they had the basics covered.

Leave a Reply