The people who run marathons are used to strange looks from friends who reside in Couch Potato Nation.
"Why on earth would anyone run 26 miles?" they ask.
Wait until they hear this one ...
"I can't go out tonight. I'm training for a marathon in January ... in WEST ALLIS."
A marathon in West Allis? In January? Sounds improbable, if not impossible, right?
Not anymore.
The InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon is scheduled for Jan. 17 at the Pettit National Ice Center. It will take place on the 443-meter running track that encircles the Olympic Ice Oval. The Pettit Center is one of three indoor ovals in North America and one of just 11 in all the world; making for one unique venue for this unique event. The field of 100 runners who gain entry to the race will have to lap the oval just over 94 times to cover the official 26.2-mile marathon distance.
"We are excited about being involved with such a unique event" said Chris Ponteri, an owner of InStep Running & Walking Centers, the race sponsor.
"We think The InStep Icebreaker will be very appealing to runners who are looking for a winter marathon but do not want to travel to a warm climate to find one. We hope to do this on an annual basis."
Ponteri came up with the idea after hearing of a similar event at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. That event was held on a much smaller 282-meter track, meaning runners had to do 150 laps. The capacity of that race was only 40 runners.
When he approached the Pettit Center about hosting an indoor marathon at the Pettit, the Center officials jumped at the opportunity.
"On an average Saturday or Sunday in the winter months, our track can easily hold 100-200 runners at one time, so having 100 participants for an indoor marathon would be no problem," said Rob Multerer, the director of operations at the Pettit Center.
"We have heard from our regular users that this event would not only be very interesting, but very fun as well."
Because of the size of the field, proceeds from the event aren't expected to be huge. Any profits generated will go toward resurfacing the track at the Pettit Center.
"The track is as old as the building (which opened in 1992) and could definitely use some improvements," Multerer said. "We would be able to help an important piece of our facility, by holding this very important event. Runners who use this track regularly would see benefits immediately that would only improve their running experience."
Registration for the race will open Monday, Sept. 8. Information will be posted on Web sites for the Pettit Center and InStep. Organizers are anticipating the field to fill quickly due to the limited field size and the uniqueness of the event.
At outdoor marathons, it is almost impossible for spectators to keep track of individual runners. The Pettit Center allows seating for about 3,000 spectators, who will be able to watch the participants.
Ponteri said that PT Timing of Milwaukee will handle the timing for The InStep Icebreaker. PT Timing will employ a radio frequency chip timing system that is similar to what they use for high school and collegiate indoor track meets. Runners will attach the chip to their shoe or ankle, and laps will be automatically recorded by PT's computer system.
In researching the event, Ponteri discovered that indoor marathons were popular at Madison Square Garden in New York and in other big cities during the early 1900s.
"My guess is that these were staged events, much like boxing matches, where they invited some of the best runners in the world and pitted them against some of the top local runners," Ponteri said.
Ponteri found a story about an indoor marathon held in 1990 at Toronto's SkyDome, but the event lasted only one year.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
