Best finish for Lakefront Marathon in 38 years
Sammy Rotich not only won the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on Sunday, but when race officials offered a special challenge — a bonus award of $5,000 to the winner with a time that would have qualified for the ASTAF's U.S. Olympic time trials for Rio in 2016 — Rotich collected that, too.
Breaking the tape of the 39th annual Lakefront Marathon after 2 hours 17 minutes and 10 seconds, the 27-year old Kenyan needed a time of 2:19 for the special Lakefront Marathon bonus - and smashed it.
Meanwhile, Liz Berkholtz finished just 27 seconds shy of the 2 hour 45 minute women's marathon qualifying time. The former University of Minnesota runner and Sun Prairie native saw her 2:45:27 time as she crossed the finish line and immediately bent over, overcome with emotions.
But it was a spectacular race for all involved.
Rotich, who now lives in Toledo, Ohio, is an accomplished half marathon runner, winning the Lincoln (Nebraska) Half repeatedly. This was his first trip to Milwaukee and he'd been averaging about 120 miles (200 kilometers) of training per week as he extended his endurance for the marathon distance.
“Today was perfect conditions, and the weather was good,” said Rotich. “There was not a lot of wind.”
Rotich's time was the fastest the marathon has seen in the last 38 years. You have to go all the way back to 1981, when Wally Saeger ran 2:16:39 (for third place!). The course record is 2:14:09, set by Steven Benson that same year.
One tricky spot was Mile 25. There was so much rain that this part of the course was under a couple of inches of standing water. Organizers warned runners with a Facebook post on Saturday, and the Milwaukee County Parks department tried, but found no easy solution, to fix it since there was nowhere for it to drain.
Race organizers didn't want to change the course at such late notice, either, since this is a popular Boston Qualifier (and the area other marathon, the Milwaukee Marathon, had two years of incorrect distances in recent years).
So runners sloshed their way through the water.
“When you step in the water, your shoes get somewhat heavy,” said Rotich. “I was just trying my best.”
Looking comfortable and confident at the finish line, Rotich said he ran Lakefront on the recommendation of another running friend from Kenya, and he liked the course.
“I will be coming back,” he said. Minutes after her dramatic finish Sunday, Berkholtz was already contemplating the possibility of doing another marathon.
“I was happy and sad at the same time,” said Berkholtz. “It was a very happy moment but it was also a bummer that I just missed it; so close."
“The whole thing was positive,” added Berkholtz, 26, now a nurse in Milwaukee. “The best part was Mile 18 and 19 – where you really start to hurt. But there was a huge crowd so it really kept me going.”
Wearing a watch but not checking her pace obsessively, Berkholtz knew she was very close to that sub-2:45 time. After starting out crisp, she felt herself slow down just a little at Mile 22. She still finished strong, running the second half of the race on familiar ground - since the lakefront is her training ground.
The Lakefront Marathon is considered a fast, runner-friendly, point-topoint USATF certified course. It began at Grafton High School and traversed south through rural neighborhoods and then passing Concordia University and Lake Drive before winding down along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Podium finishers won prizes of $500 to $1,500, and this year, the additional $5,000 bonus payday for those U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifying times (2:19 for male, 2:45 for female).
But for the other runners, the race organizers from the running club Badgerland Striders and director Scott Stauske really enhanced the marathon this year by moving the finish line from Veterans Park to the Summerfest grounds. Other improvements were noticeable, with a beautiful lakefront view for the final miles and easy access to parking for spectators who headed to Summerfest.
The post-race atmosphere by the Johnson Controls stage at mid-gate was also festive, with plenty of photo opportunities for runners to take selfies with their medals and achievements.
They lucked out with the weather, too. Other than that water at Mile 25, it was a gorgeous day with temps in the 50s and dry. That was a welcome sight for weather-weary runners who have had a challenging 2019: the Cellcom Green Bay marathon back in May, and the Fox Cities marathon just three weeks ago, were both canceled due to flooding, rain and heavy storms. But more than 2,500 runners from 41 states and 11 countries ran the Lakefront Marathon or Lakefront Marathon 5K.