Marathon Photos Live
Come for the competiton, stay for the great scenery at Run Madtown with its 5k, 10k and half marathon.
It’s a sunny weekend day in Madison. I tie my shoes, push in my AirPods and start my long run down the Lakeshore Path. I pass one girl at the end of her run, and get passed by a young man and woman sprinting beside me. Then, I wave to a few runners going the opposite direction.
Maybe it’s a rainy weekday in Madison. Maybe it’s below freezing. I still see runners. From early in the morning to late at night, there is always someone running along the lake, on the bike path, up State Street or through campus.
I have friends who live in smaller towns complain that they have no one to run with, or that they always run the same boring highway routes, but that certainly isn’t a problem in Madison.
Running is a big sport in Madison, and there are plenty of ways to participate, with excellent paths to explore, clubs to join, and opportunities to compete.
For Christine Benedict, running is the perfect active outlet.
“I did not find an athletic home until I found running in middle school,” Benedict says. She felt that running helped her to set personal goals and “still be a part of something bigger, It made me feel like a successful athlete.”
Today Benedict is executive director for Girls on the Run South Central Wisconsin, a space for girls in elementary school to run. She says running is a great way for girls to find joy in movement without needing the competition of traditional sports.
“We do see a number of kids fall in love with the sport,” Benedict says.
Emily Jo Peterson also runs a running club, but hers is for adults. The local chapter of She Runs This Town caters to women and those identifying as non-binary. Peterson turned to running “as a way to cope” when she moved from Milwaukee to Madison in 2022 and says it was a great way to meet other people. She began volunteering with She Runs This Town and became the chapter leader in May 2023.
“The main goal of She Runs This Town is to provide a safe space for female and non-binary runners throughout the greater Madison area,” says Peterson. The group aims to build a running community that “allows them to be their authentic selves in the most inclusive way.”
Members of the club make sure they show up to cheer each other on at races. Notices of these races are posted to the group’s Facebook page as is the schedule for the group’s runs.
The Movin’ Shoes Running Club meets nearly every day of the week at different times, for different groups and paces. Anyone is welcome to join, no matter their running ability.
Grace Franklin, the group’s president, started running just a few years ago.
“It’s nice for mental health, to get out of your own head,” Franklin says. “You can listen to music if you want, you can listen to an audiobook or podcast and have some time to yourself.” Franklin also likes having others to run with and to explore new trails.
The club has around 300 members including newbies, ultra-marathoners and people in between; ages range from young adult to seniors. There are runs almost daily; the most popular are on Sundays, with about 60-70 participants.
For those looking for a group that combines running with other exercise, there is The November Project. Caitlyn Hussey, a leader of The November Project, says that the group lets members be who they are, and move in a way that’s good for them.
The November Project meets at 6:28 a.m. (the group chose an odd time so people would remember it) on Wednesdays and Fridays for workouts. On Wednesdays, runners meet at Bascom Hall to run up and down the hill. Bodyweight and high-intensity exercises are worked in between running. The workout moves to the Capitol Square on Fridays.
The workouts are structured so that people of different skill levels don’t feel like they have to keep up with others like on a traditional run, according to another November group leader, Aaron Cahn.
The November Project was started in Boston by two college students who wanted to do a workout every day in the month of November 2012. The Madison location started in February 2013.
Anywhere from 75 to 100 people usually show for summer runs, with 30-40 people in the winter. All are welcome. See the group’s Instagram page for more information.
Opportunities to race
Madison has many races that provide a way for people to challenge themselves with pace, or just enjoy the race environment with friends. Here are some coming up in the next few months.
Lake Monona 20k
May 4, 9 a.m.
My favorite is the Lake Monona 20k. This 12.4-mile-race goes around Lake Monona, starting and ending at Winnequah Park. There are beautiful views along John Nolen Drive, Monona Terrace, Olbrich Gardens and the Capitol. There is also a run/walk friendly 5k on the same day.
Run Madtown
May 25, 7 p.m., and May 26, 7 a.m.
Later in May is the Run Madtown 5k, 10k and half marathon. On Saturday, May 25, the twilight 5k begins in the evening at Library Mall, with the course circling the UW-Madison campus. The next day, runners start early in the morning for the 10k and half marathon to run a larger loop around campus and the UW Arboretum.
Madison Mini
Aug. 10, 7 a.m.
The race has a 5k and half marathon, with a very similar route to the Run Madtown course. Runners can see Madison landmarks including Picnic Point, UW-Madison campus, Capitol Square and the Arboretum. The race starts and ends at UW Memorial Union.
