Training camps are set to open in the next couple of days. We’re only a month away from the start of another NFL season. Green Bay is the smallest municipality that has a team, and in 2000, it hosted its first marathon.
From 2000 to 2024, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon was held in late spring. I ran the race on June 24, 2001. In later years, the race has been run on the weekend before Memorial Day.
In 2025, the EPIC Event Center began organizing and hosting the race.
My race stayed west of the Fox River, starting and finishing in a riverside park. Around mile 6, we ran past Lambeau Field.
In 2000, the course ran through the stadium. Because of construction, we could only wave as we passed. In recent years, the race began outside the stadium and concluded with a lap around the field.
The EPIC marathon course passes the stadium around mile 3 and does not finish on the field. Unlike my route, the current course runs on both sides of the Fox River.
Green Bay began as a French fur trading post in 1634, with inland access via the Fox River and to Canada via Lakes Michigan and Huron.
The area is primarily flat with a few small hills. I don’t recall any stress locations,
To avoid a lengthy connection and higher air fares, I flew into O’Hare and drove a rental car to Green Bay. It’s an easy 3-hour drive up the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The area has a population of approximately 335,000, which is comparable to that of Roanoke. On marathon and game weekends, most of the area hotel rooms are filled. And, the hotels charge full rack rates. If you plan to run this race, it’s recommended to book your rooms early. I don’t remember a coordinated reservation system,
Area weather in May has average highs of 68°F and lows of 43°F, which makes for excellent marathon conditions, although the 2012 version was stopped after 150 minutes due to excessive heat.
Play ball. Oops, wrong sport.