Woman who got kicked off Milwaukee Marathon route finishes 26.2 miles, runners question 5-hour cutoff
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- You've probably seen online a lot of conversation surrounding the medals from the Milwaukee Marathon this weekend. Thousands found out they actually ran a "marthon" -- as the medal was missing the second letter "a." That wasn't the only thing runners were talking about this weekend. Many were frustrated over the cut-off time for marathon runners, unlike those of other Midwest races.
Zecilia
"Right off the bat, I knew it was going to be difficult," said Zecilia Alamillo-Roman, also known as "Zeci."
It would be difficult, but not impossible, as she'd been training for months for the Milwaukee Marathon. She had run several 5Ks, half-marathons and a relay race — now setting her goals on a full marathon, with only finishing 26.2 miles as her goal.
Weeks into her training, though, she came to find out there was a cut-off time for the marathon of five hours.
"That was, I think, something that added a whole nother layer of stress," she said. When Zeci registered for the Marathon last winter, she said there were no indications or warnings that there would be a cut-off of five hours. "I just said, ok, I don’t want to focus on improving speed or anything like that, I didn't want to risk injuries," she continued.
Around four miles into the race, Zeci said she was "swept up" by race officials, and instead of finishing the 26.2 miles on the course with thousands of other runners, she had to take off her bib and move onto the sidewalks instead of the roads.
"At this point, I'm running the race on my own. So that's OK - they reminded me I won't have access to water, any of the aid stations, or anything," said Zeci.
She relied on her family and friends, who would find her along the course, bringing her water and snacks.
The Milwaukee Marathon's cut-off time is the shortest compared to other Midwest races. Chicago and the Twin Cities let marathoners run for six-and-a-half hours. In Indy, it's up to seven hours.
Officials with the Milwaukee Marathon said the five-hour limit has been in place since 2024 to "reduce community impact, manage city resources, and meet event permit requirements." The Milwaukee Department of Public Works indicated this year's permit from the Milwaukee Marathon ended at 1 p.m., one hour later than previous years, leading some participants to question why the cut-off remained at the same time.
At a pace of 11:26 per mile, some runners described it as "inaccessible" to beginners. Race officials however say an "inclusive race experience" is a priority and they will "explore the possibility of extending the time limit in the future." They went on to say, "Fewer than 5% of participants were turned around at cutoff points or opted to use a SAG (Support And Gear) vehicle during this weekend’s race."
But this first-time marathoner, six hours and 38 minutes later, crossed a finish line, even if the official one was long gone. Her friends with Buena Tierra Run Club made her a tunnel and made sure to grab her a medal before they were packed up.
Zeci expressed her gratitude to her support system for allowing her to lean on them and to accomplish her goals.
"If you want to keep going, you can, and that really applies to anything you do," said Zeci.
Milwaukee Marathon