2011 Icebreaker Indoor Marathon Spectator Report

As I mentioned yesterday, I couldn't race the Icebreaker Indoor Half Marathon (HERE) yesterday in Milwaukee. The full marathon was scheduled for today and I wanted to spectate and see what this race and the Pettit Center was all about. So, I loaded up the munchkins in the marathon mommy minivan for a roadtrip to Milwaukee.

I was so happy that I decided NOT to wash my minivan yesterday, because I found this sweet note from Little Diva before we headed out. Made my heart melt.


As we headed out of town, it was a chilly January day in Wisconsin. Bright and sunny, but really cold. What a perfect day for an INDOOR race!

We arrived at the Pettit Center shortly after 11am (after two rest stops for the munchkins!). Several marathoners were still chugging along. The race started at 8am.

The kids and I headed upstairs to a nice room that overlooked the Pettit Center. You could see the runners on the track, speed skaters and games of hockey. There was so much going on. You really got a great view from upstairs ... and it was warm, too. Afterwards we also saw ice skaters and synchronized skating. Pretty neat. The track wasn't packed with runners at that point, but there was a steady stream of marathoners around it.

We headed back downstairs to get a closer look. It was quite a bit chillier inside. The kids opted to keep their coats on. I didn't find it necessarily (since I run hot). We unloaded our "bag of tricks" and sat down on a blanket to spectate. There were also bleachers off to the side and spectators lined up around the track. There were monitors that showed the names of the runners and how many laps they had completed. Announcements were constantly being made with updates.

Not too long after sitting there, I heard someone say 'hi' and it was Amy from Running (Reading) is Cheaper Than Therapy (HERE). She ran the half marathon the day before and stopped by to meet me and the kiddos. She brought along her two adorable little girls as well. The kids enjoyed coloring while we chatted for a bit. We were supposed to have connected back in early-October when we both ran the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon, but didn't connect after the race on that cold fall afternoon. I hope that we can meet up again if she races in the Madison area this year. She was really, really sweet and I hope to see her again.

While we sat there, I saw Bill from Love 2 Run (HERE) running around the track. Bill and I had been writing ever since we both ran events at the Haunted Hustle Marathon and Half Marathon last October and discovered eachother's blogs. He had been working the Icebreaker events all weekend and completed his insanely busy weekend of fun by running the full marathon. His enthusiasm for these events is infectious and was the one that encouraged me to sign up last fall. Bill saved my packet for me, and the shirt really rocked. We met up after the race and sat around and chatted. It was really nice to finally meet him in person. He's totally down to earth and a great guy. I hope that we can meet up at some events or training runs in the future. He has A LOT of marathon experience, and I hope to gain some of that knowledge for my full marathon in October!

I am so happy that I stopped out to spectate and see what this race is all about. Had I raced yesterday, I would have showed up blind to what it all entails. I really am looking forward to signing up again next year and being a bit more informed in 2012. The concept of an indoor race in January in Wisconsin is really very awesome.