Summerfest Rock ‘n Sole Half Marathon
Milwaukee, WI
- Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
Participants will enjoy breathtaking views of the downtown Milwaukee skyline, Lake Michigan and Henry Maier Festival Park as they race over the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge, a Milwaukee landmark and throughout the course. Race Highlights include: – Start and finish inside Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds) – Medals for … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Jun 10):
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
| H (°F) | 90 | 91 | 85 | 59 | 70 |
| L (°F) | 59 | 61 | 65 | 52 | 57 |
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Really nice setting for a first half!
Huge turnout.. nearly 4,000 runners just between the half and quarter. Lots of helpful emails pre-race regarding the weather, packet pickup, parking, etc. First you run through the Third Ward, … MORE
Huge turnout.. nearly 4,000 runners just between the half and quarter. Lots of helpful emails pre-race regarding the weather, packet pickup, parking, etc.
First you run through the Third Ward, wrap around and merge onto the Hoan Bridge. I didn’t think the gradual elevation change on to bridge was too bad, but other runners I knew thought it was challenging. The course flattened back out for a bit before a super steep hill in mile 7. Myself and a lot of others slowed to a walk for the 2/10ths of a mile or so. Close to mile 9 you go back downhill and the remainder of the course is really flat and leads back to the Summerfest grounds.
Plenty of aid stations throughout the course along with misting stations due to the heat, and even damp towels around mile 10 or so. Really nice views going over the bridge and through Veteran’s Park.. but a bit smelly as you’re going over the bridge. It also seemed like the course ran a bit long (I clocked 13.23 despite running tight corners on turns!) The medals are really nice and the tech tanks were cute despite appearing to run a bit short. Loved how much the course was right along the lake but there was a LOT of direct sunlight because of it!
Although I don’t have another half marathon behind me to compare this to, I thought it was a really nice first half marathon thanks to a nice view, fairly good race swag, and only one really rough hill! Now to figure out which race is next!
Great Race
This was a fun race to run. I wish they still had it. It was great to run over the Hoan Bridge. There were a few challenging hills but nothing … MORE
This was a fun race to run. I wish they still had it. It was great to run over the Hoan Bridge. There were a few challenging hills but nothing too difficult. The weather was always a gamble in June./. It could be 50 or 90 but I miss this race.
Take it to the Bridge!
Amazing views of Milwaukee, somewhat challenging course. Solid race production, post-race celebration leaves a little to be desired. But running across the Hoan Bridge into downtown makes everything worth it. MORE
Amazing views of Milwaukee, somewhat challenging course. Solid race production, post-race celebration leaves a little to be desired. But running across the Hoan Bridge into downtown makes everything worth it.
Best half marathon in Milwaukee
This was the second time that I ran the Rock N Sole. The course was changed because of construction on the Hoan Bridge. Previously you crossed the bridge twice. The … MORE
This was the second time that I ran the Rock N Sole. The course was changed because of construction on the Hoan Bridge. Previously you crossed the bridge twice. The bridge is about 2 miles long. So a majority of the course was on the bridge and the race started by going onto the bridge so there was a bit of a bottleneck as people funneled onto the ramp to the bridge. The change in scenery was nice this year and it eliminated the bottleneck. The organization has improved since the bumpy first year and I have no complaints. The race is a bit crowded in the beginning due to the quarter marathon starting at the same time but it thins out a lot when the quarter marathon course breaks off. Then you have free sailing down the lakefront, which is in my opinion the best part of the course. It seems like the course is a tad long and the finish is a bit farther than you expect it to be when you make the turn off Summerfest Island. 🙂 I should also mention that the new start location seemed to have some issues with traffic coming into the city from the west. My husband actually dropped me off about a mile from the start and I walked since it was quicker than driving.