MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Marathon, half, and 5K will now be a virtual race due to the current coronavirus pandemic.
The race, which was scheduled to take place on April 11, now must be run virtually by April 30.
What this means is all runners who signed up to take part in the race will receive their racing packages in the mail, which will include their medal, bib number, free t-shirt, and quarter-zip (for the half and full marathon runners).
Then, each runner must run their race, whether it be 3.1 miles, 13.1 miles, or 26.2 miles. Runners are asked to track their time, and when finished, they can log onto their EnMotive. From there, find the event on the "Upcoming Races" page, click Log Result, enter your time, and download your official finisher's certificate.
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While participants will still be able to get their medals and run their race, some runners may not get the opportunity to qualify for the Boston Marathon, as the Milwaukee Marathon is a qualifying race.
To run in Boston, you must qualify by running a qualifying race. Your time is then submitted to the Boston Marathon, where you can get accepted into the race.
Even though those runners who are trying to qualify will have time, their race may not count towards Boston. That's because there are specific requirements a marathon must meet to be considered a qualifier.
In an email sent to the participants, the Milwaukee Marathon is offering a discount to their race next year. They wrote, "As thanks for understanding during these trying times, we'll also be sending you a special code next week for 20% off the 2021 Milwaukee Marathon."
Some runners may be confused and wonder why the Milwaukee Marathon isn't merely being rescheduled. But according to the email to participants, "Due to unknown timelines, scheduling restrictions and other considerations, rescheduling the event is not an option at this time, and we want to provide participants with an immediate alternative."
While a virtual marathon is a very different method of racing, it still allows the runners to put their training to use. Now the only task is creating a route long enough to meet the distance requirements.
If you wish to sign up for the race, click here. You can still sign up for the half-marathon and 5K.