Here’s your chance to race indoors in the middle of winter on the longest indoor running track in the United States. The Pettit Indoor Marathon is the only winter marathon and half marathon at the Pettit Center.
There is a race for EVERYONE; not just marathon runners. We have a Marathon, Half Marathon, and Marathon Relay . All races are capped so make sure to register early.
Marathon
The Pettit Indoor Marathon is limited to 130 participants and is expected to reach its capacity prior to race-day. Runners will need to finish approximately 94.8 laps around the track to complete the marathon. The race will end on the front stretch of the running track. There is a 6-hour time limit. Those who are still on the track after 6 hours are not guaranteed a finish time or finisher’s medal. The course has been USATF-certified.
All registrants will receive a specially-designed shirt and a goodie bag. All finishers will receive a Pettit Indoor Marathon finishers medal.
Half Marathon
There will be two consecutive half marathon races. Each half marathon is limited to 130 participants. The first race begins at 7 am and has a 2:15 time limit. The second race will start at 9:30 am and has a 2:30 time limit. You can register for either race, however, to be eligible for the overall awards (top three male/female finishers), you must run in the 7 am heat.
Participants will run approximately 47.5 laps around the track to complete the marathon. The race will end on the front stretch of the running track. Those who are still on the track after the time limit are not guaranteed a finish time or finisher’s medal. All registrants will receive a specially-designed shirt and a goodie bag. All finishers will receive a Pettit Indoor Marathon finishers medal.
Marathon Relay
Marathon Relay teams will consist of 2 to 4 runners. The field is limited to 100 teams. Runners will be chip-timed. Relay legs can be any length and we will be using a “tag team format” where you can switch runners as often as you would like. Teams must complete approximately 94.8 laps, which is equivalent to a full 26.2 mile marathon. All registrants will receive a long-sleeve performance shirt and a goodie bag.
Gold Medal Challenge
The Gold Medal Challenge is for runners who are brave enough to run the half marathon on Saturday and the full marathon on Sunday.
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Not as boring as I'd imagined
This race was fine. Had everything you'd expect from a race. Pretty typical as far as race organization goes. There were porta-potties on the track, tables to put your stuff … MORE
This race was fine. Had everything you’d expect from a race. Pretty typical as far as race organization goes. There were porta-potties on the track, tables to put your stuff on next to the track, and decent post-race snacks. Chocolate milk, fruit, M&Ms, and maybe granola bars. Nothing fancy. There is ample parking right outside the center.
The best thing about this race is just that it was different. I certainly wouldn’t regularly run indoor half marathons, but it was a fun novelty. Would I run it again? Probably not, but that’s only because I prefer running outside. Am I glad I ran it? Absolutely, it was a unique experience.
You’ll likely need to drive in for this race, there weren’t any hotels that I saw within walking distance. But the center is not in the middle of town anyway. Would recommend staying in downtown Milwaukee if coming from out of town, and then taking an Uber or Lyft, as I did.
Best thing about this race is that you can aim for a PR since it is perfectly flat. The only downside is that if you are a slower runner like me you’ll need to run in the outside lane, and thus run farther than the fast runners who run on the inside lane, and thus you have a slower time. The middle lane is for passing. I was within 1 minute of my PR and I may have beat that PR if I’d run on the inside lane for the entire race. But hey, no complaints! I’m glad I did it. It was nice to experience something different for a change.
Checked that box!
I have never run more than a mile or two on a track but hey, why not run 26.2 and see what happens? I had a hole in my race … MORE
I have never run more than a mile or two on a track but hey, why not run 26.2 and see what happens?
I had a hole in my race calendar and this was a chance to run a marathon in a northern state in January that I otherwise would have to put off till warmer months, so why not go for it.
Registration was easy as with most events, the marathon seems to fill up last, even though I registered somewhat late in the game. Getting to Milwaukee from VA was surprisingly cheap so my hubby came along too; it’s rare he gets to see me more than once or twice during a race…this time he saw me about 95 times!
There was no expo, just show up race morning and pick up your stuff, which is awesome in my opinion. One less thing to do the day before the race. The event was held at the Petit National Ice Center and runners and family spent the first little while before the start upstairs in a warm room with tables, chairs, coffee, water and most importantly, bathrooms. Close to race time we made our way down to the track where we were given instructions on where to set up our personal water bottles and nutrition. I had mine in a plastic bag with my name and bib number written on it, and two bottles (1 with water, 1 with Gatorade), also labeled. These were set up on a table that corresponded to a range of bib numbers. Volunteers manned this table throughout the event and handed off bottles and Gu’s to runners then took them back the next lap. It wasn’t a perfect system but it was pretty good and you can’t beat having access to food and water ever .25 miles during a marathon. I didn’t need it, but there were a couple of portajohns set up along the track too.
The organization of this race was pretty great. Maybe it’s easier in some ways because there is no “course” to mark and monitor, but it has its own slew of logistical issues, none of which was noticeable to me as a runner. Everyone wore an ankle bracelet that gave us a chip timed run, and you crossed a couple of mats where your lap times, lap countdowns, and average lap time were displayed prominently. This was helpful, although I underestimated the difficulty I would have doing the math to time my laps and nutrition like a normal marathon. Regardless, I made it out okay!
There is no scenery. It was roughly 95 laps around the indoor ice arena where yes, a couple of hockey games were going on, and some speed skaters were training in the outer ice loop. But I couldn’t really focus on that stuff for very long. There were no headphones allowed, but the RD had a playlist of music pumped out over the PA system, including selections that we runners sent in ahead of time. That was pretty cool, although some people have weird taste in running music!
So, 90 laps later, with 5 to go, the RD announced my name as closing in on the finish, and then again on my final lap (he may have done this with 20 or 10 to go as well, I can’t remember). I have never been so delighted to be done with a race as I was here. 95 laps on a track that doesn’t change is mind numbing and leg numbing in my opinion. I wish there could have been a hill manufactured for the race just to change up what my legs were doing. But, that’s the way an indoor marathon goes, and now I know.
I am very glad I did it and appreciate the fact that they have a great long-sleeve tech tee and solid medal for finishers. I was pleased with my time and the swag, and hobbled away happy, though I have now checked the indoor marathon box for good!
Fun Track Relay
The indoor marathon relay is a very popular race. There's nothing quite like it. The marathon distance can be broken up between team members (2-4 people) in any way. There … MORE
The indoor marathon relay is a very popular race. There’s nothing quite like it. The marathon distance can be broken up between team members (2-4 people) in any way. There is one velcro ankle timing chip that is shared by the team. A large variety of people run this race, from college track teams to people wearing costumes. The race itself is well-organized. Medals only go to the top 3 womens, mens, and mixed teams. Everyone receives a long sleeve tech shirt and cookies. Check my race report for more details.