Going up against the much larger Twin Cities Marathon and LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon hasn’t hurt the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon’s popularity. In fact, the Lakefront’s field has nearly doubled in the past five years even though its early October date and Upper Midwest location put it in direct competition with Twin Cites and Chicago for runners.

To distance it from the others, the organizers of the Lakefront Marathon like to say, “The Best Times Really Are in Milwaukee!” They have used the slogan for several years in promotional materials for the race in an effort to draw runners that would otherwise enter the Twin Cities or Chicago races. Their claim is that the Lakefront course is faster than the others.

So are the best times really in Milwaukee? MarathonPlanet.com did an analysis of the finish times for the Lakefront, Twin Cities and Chicago marathons for the past two years (2003 and 2004). The conclusion: Yes, the best times really are in Milwaukee, and by a wide margin.

Here is a look at all three marathons, and the percentage of runners finishing under certain times the past two years combined:

LAKEFRONT
Under 3:00 = 2.7%
Under 3:15 = 7.5%
Under 3:30 = 16.6%
Under 4:00 = 48.0%

TWIN CITIES
Under 3:00 = 2.4%
Under 3:15 = 5.9%
Under 3:30 = 12.1%
Under 4:00 = 33.9%

CHICAGO
Under 3:00 = 2.4%
Under 3:15 = 5.7%
Under 3:30 = 11.5%
Under 4:00 = 32.3%

As you can see, the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon had a higher percentage of sub-3:00 finishers, sub-3:15 finishers, sub-3:30 finishers, and sub-4:00 finishers. In fact, as a percentage of the field the Lakefront had 50% more sub-4:00 finishers than Chicago, and about 40% more than the Twin Cities.

Please keep in mind that this is not a scientific analysis and that weather, course problems (we all know what happened in Chicago last year) and timing methods could change these percentages slightly. Also note that we used net times for Chicago (which actually helps its number). And finally, since Twin Cities and Chicago have larger fields than Milwaukee, there is a possibility that more of the runners in those two events are beginners and/or non-competitive types, and that the smaller the marathon, the better the times are, as a percentage of the field.

There are many theories as to why the Lakefront course is faster, including the flat to slightly downhill course, and the frequent tailwinds. Race Director Kris Hinrichs offers another reason why the Lakefront is faster than its neighbors in Chicago and Minneapolis.

“One of the other reasons it’s faster is because it’s not crowded,” Hinrichs said. “I tell people, ‘Whatever race you have in your legs and hearts and minds, you can run it here.’”

Last year the Lakefront had about 2,100 runners, and this year race directors have set a limit of 2,300 runners. On the other hand, Chicago’s cap is 40,000 (and filling up fast) while the Twin Cities’ is 10,500 and is already full for 2005.

According to Hinrichs, 15% of the 2004 Lakefront Marathon participants qualified for the Boston Marathon, while 22% qualified in 2003. A strong headwind at the finish contributed to the “slower” times in 2004.

In addition to being a faster and less crowded course, the Lakefront has another advantage over Chicago and the Twin Cities: price. The registration fee is $90 for Chicago, $75 for the Twin Cities, and just $50 for Milwaukee (that number increases to $55 after Sept. 17).

If you decide to take advantage of Milwaukee’s fast course, this year’s Lakefront Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 2. The race starts at Grafton High School and winds down along Lake Michigan south to the City of Milwaukee. The race finishes at scenic Veteran’s Park, which is located on the eastern edge of downtown Milwaukee, right along the lake shore. For registration information, visit the offical Lakefront Marathon website.

This is the 25th running of the event, which also features a marathon relay. And for the first time, a marathon expo will be held in conjunction with the race. The expo will be held at the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Kern Center. The race is organized by the Badgerland Striders, one of the largest and best-organized running clubs in the country. The race is staffed by volunteers, including the race director.

“One of the things that shows at the Lakefront is that we are all volunteers and we are all runners”, said Hinrichs, who has ran about 50 marathons and ultra-marathons.

For those who have never been to Milwaukee, they will be surprised to find one of the cleanest and friendliest big cities in the United States. And there are plenty of hotels from which to choose, including the co-hosts Courtyard by Marriott and Hyatt Regency, which are both located downtown. There are also several top tourist attractions, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, which has been drawing visitors from all over the world due to its unique new design and premier collections.