• Madison,
    Wisconsin,
    United States
  • May
  • 3 miles/5K, 6 miles/10K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Lisa Dretske

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
50 34
2016
"Sunset over Madison"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Lisa Dretske's thoughts:

I had never done a race in Madison, Wisconsin before, so I was excited for this event. The packet pickup was mandatory either the Friday before, or Saturday a few hours before the race. This was a little inconvenient, since I didn't know the area very well and the location charged for parking. But I was happy to see that I received a tech shirt for each event that I was running that weekend. I registered for the Conquer the Capital Challenge (10k + Half Marathon). The event gave me 2 tech t-shirts and a tech long sleeve. The expo also had a few photo opportunities, one being an area that had everyone's name listed as a backdrop.

Luckily, parking wasn't too expensive when coming back to downtown Madison for the 10k. There was a wicked downpour about an hour before the race, so I just stayed in my car until it finished. The start line area was very clearly marked and easily accessible. The race started right in front of the capital building, which was beautiful at sunset. The entire race was very pretty, with views of the sun setting over the lake. We ran through different areas of the UW-Madison campus-past the observatory, Camp Randall, and the Science buildings. The final stretch had a breathtaking view of the Capital building lit up at night.

The finish line was right back at the Capital building, with a slight incline for the last stretch. When you run through the finish line, they announce your name over the speakers. They right away give you a very solid medal, then walk you through the recovery area with water, bananas, and yummy pizza and beer!

Some things that could be improved about the race are:
-aid station were a tad confusing and not spaced out well along the route
-parking is a bit annoying at the expo (not happy about having to pay for parking twice, once at the expo and then again for the race)
-the start of the race a a tad confusing since the corral is a free for all

Pros:
-nice t-shirts
-the course is very scenic
-awesome post-race food and beer!
-free photos!

I would run this race again, but I'd potentially look for a hotel closer to the race to alleviate parking issues.

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