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Kickoff marks start of race preparations
26.2-mile course to differ little from
that of last year's event
by Malavika Jagannathan
Green Bay Press-Gazette | January 10th, 2008
LAWERANCE - It's 26.2 miles to the finish line of the 2008 Vellcom
Green Bay Marathon, but the preparation and the training starts
now for runners looking ahead to May 18.
Several hundred of them attended a kickoff for the Green Bay
Marathon on Wednesday night to jump-start that process by registering
early, finding training partners and gleaning tips for a faster
or further run.
About 6,200 runners crossed he finish line for all of the Cellcom
events in 2007. In addition to the marathon, a qualifier for
the Boston Marathon, a half marathon and 5K race also started
in front of Lambeau Field.
The marathon will keep its location and course almost identical
to its 2007 event. After years of starting in downtown Green
Bay, a new start and finish around Lambeau debuted last year
and was well-received by the runners race director Sean Ryan
said.
"There's a few minor changes, obviously, we can't run over the
old (De Pere) bridge unless everybody wants to bring their swimsuits,"
Ryan said. Runners in the full marathon will also get to run
through the campus St. Norbert College in De Pere this year.
The half-mile WPS Kids' Power Run is still held the day before
the marathon in downtown Green Bay.
Professional runner and California resident Sally Edwards delivered
a keynote address that engaged the audience in a number of heart-rate
exercises she said would help runners better target their training
efforts. Under her guidance, participants also split up according
to the area they live in to find someone living nearby for a
training partner.
"Between January and May there's lots of opportunity to drop
out," said Edwards, a 16-time Ironman finisher who has run more
than 100 marathons and holds several world records. "One observation
is that woman are more likely to drop out without a support
system."
With woman representing more than two-thirds of the half marathon
participants in the previous year and growing percentages in
the full marathon, Ryan said it motivated him to find a female
speaker this year.
For Green Bay resident Amie Gardipee, 28, who has run both full
marathons and half-marathons in the Green Bay event over the
past five years, training with a partner could very well help
her determine which event to do this year.
As in previous years, funds raised in the registration will
be distributed to three local charities, including a new one,
the Boys and Girls Club of Green Bay.
Last year, the race donated a record $45,000 to the Lakeland
Chapter of the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and Habitat
for Humanity, which completed its three-year partner-ship and
will be replaced in the rotation by the Boys and Girls Club.
Race organizers are also initiating a six-week training program
through the Boys and Girls Clubs to help children run 5K race,
even if they haven't done a lot of running before.
On the Net
www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com
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