SPECIAL FEATURE: MILWAUKEE RUNNING FESTIVAL 2016

The 2nd annual Milwaukee Running Festival was held November 5-6, 2016.  With a one-miler on Saturday and a 5K, half marathon, and full marathon on Sunday, this festival saw over 3,000 runners pound the pavement during the various events.  I ran the half marathon again this year and although I ran a personal best time, my knees and hips are still hurting.  But it was worth it--the course is beautiful and the camaraderie of the crowds, the water stop crews, and my November Project tribe members was infectious.

The great thing about this event is that the race coordinators make sure that the runners see the city, which is what ZIP MKE is all about.  The half marathon goes through SIX zip codes (53202, 53211, 53212, 53203, 53233, and 53204) and the marathon adds THREE MORE to that list (53208, 53214, and 53215). 

Half Marathon course

Marathon course

The mission of the Milwaukee Running Festival is to "produce a world-class running event in Milwaukee that will be open to people of all ages and abilities. The event will be a source of civic pride for our citizens, a reflection of our diverse culture and history, a showcase for our landmarks and unique neighborhoods, a means to boost tourism and enhance the economic well-being of the greater Milwaukee area, and a vehicle for giving back to our community through a strong partnership with local charitable organizations. We will bring together governmental agencies, community organizations, neighborhood groups and businesses to create a high-quality and safe event."

We at ZIP MKE think they're living up to their mission quite well!

Enjoy these galleries from local photographer Troy Freund, who not only ran the half but documented it along the way; my November Project workout buddy Eric Venn; and ZIP MKE's very own Austin Anderson, who was zipping around the course on his bike.

TROY FREUND

ERIC VENN 

AUSTIN ANDERSON (coming soon!)