We use a colored-flag warning system for all course dangers, including weather, medical, fire & police events. There will be a flag system at each Aid Station along the course. The Race Director or Event Coordinator will contact each Aid Station Captain to initiate a color change as needed. Our Lead Bikes will stop and notify all runners if the race is cancelled. We will also post on our official Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/RockinBrewsMarathon if the race is stopped or if there is an emergency situation along the course. If you signed up for Text Notifications and you have your phone with you, you will receive text messages with updates as well.
We receive live weather updates from the National Weather Service throughout the event. Our Weather Policy is based on expert advise from the National Weather Service, and the Madison and Monona Fire Department & EMS.
The following describes each flag color.
GREEN Good Conditions: Races will start without issue.
The “feels like temperature” is 69 degrees or less. Everything is normal.
YELLOW Caution: Races will start under caution.
The “feels like” temperature is 70 to 79 degrees. Increased risk of heat related problems, runners should increase hydration and be prepared for a course closure. If there is a nearby medical, fire or police event that is a risk to the
runners, runners will be re-routed to avoid the area of the event.
RED Extreme Risk: 80 degrees is our “DO NOT START” temperature for the Marathon & Half Marathon distances.
If the “feels like” temperature is 80 degrees or higher, the race will not start.
FULL MARATHON RUNNERS – If the “feels like” temperature reaches 80 degrees before you start your second lap, the second lap of the course will be closed, and your time will count as a Half Marathon instead of Full Marathon.
If you are on the course after the “feels like ” temperature reaches 80 degrees, you may finish and the clock continues, however, if our Medical Team determines that the temperatures become too dangerous (combination of heat & humidity), and runners are still several miles from the finish, the clock will shut down soon.
We will reach out to each Aid Station to let them know what color flag to show. Example; Aid Station 1-4 may show red, and 5 may show yellow. This allows the runners who have made it to Aid Station 5 to continue, since they can reach the finish before the clock stops.
If you are on the course when it closes, you can call an Uber, Lyft or Taxi, have them take you to Winnequah Park in Monona.
BLACK Extreme Emergency:
The race is canceled. Runners should seek shelter immediately.
* If Red, race will not start.
* If Red during the course of the race, slow down, consider stopping. No marathoners will be allowed to start a second loop. They will be done at the Half Marathon point.
* If Black, the race is cancelled.
If the race is cancelled, the Finish Line Festival will still offer free live music, cider, beer & water. Swap your running shoes for dancing shoes and make the best of an unfortunate situation. Some things are out of our control and Mother Nature gets the final call.
We use a colored-flag warning system for all course dangers, including weather, medical, fire & police events. There will be a flag system at each Aid Station along the course. The Race Director or Event Coordinator will contact each Aid Station Captain to initiate a color change as needed. Our Lead Bikes will stop and notify all runners if the race is cancelled. We will also post on our official Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/RockinBrewsMarathon if the race is stopped or if there is an emergency situation along the course. If you signed up for Text Notifications and you have your phone with you, you will receive text messages with updates as well.
We receive live weather updates from the National Weather Service throughout the event. Our Weather Policy is based on expert advise from the National Weather Service, and the Madison and Monona Fire Department & EMS.
The following describes each flag color.
GREEN Good Conditions: Races will start without issue.
The “feels like temperature” is 69 degrees or less. Everything is normal.
YELLOW Caution: Races will start under caution.
The “feels like” temperature is 70 to 79 degrees. Increased risk of heat related problems, runners should increase hydration and be prepared for a course closure.
RED Extreme Risk: If the “feels like” temperature is 80 degrees or higher, the race will not start.
If red during the course of the race, slow down, consider stopping. No Marathoners will be allowed to start a second loop. They will be done at the Half Marathon point.
BLACK Extreme Emergency:
The race is canceled. Runners should seek shelter immediately.
If the race is cancelled, the Finish Line Festival will still offer free live music, cider, beer & water. Swap your running shoes for dancing shoes and make the best of an unfortunate situation. Some things are out of our control and Mother Nature gets the final call.
The Rockin Brews Marathon Packet Pickup will take place in the Finish Line Festival Tent – Near the corner of Healy Rd & Nichols Road in Monona, WI. on Friday, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Participants will pick up their bibs, race shirts & timing chips. You can park in the community center parking lot.
FULL MARATHON & FULL MARATHON RELAY
At 8am, the Elite Marathon Runners & Marathon Runners will begin according to Wave Times below.
The second loop for the Full Marathon & Full Marathon Relay, closes at 11:05 am. If you do not complete the first loop by this time, you will have to finish in the Half Marathon Finish instead. If this happens, notify the Timer so they can adjust your distance.
FULL MARATHON, FULL RELAY & PACED STARTS (Wave Starts)
From 8:00-8:05
We will start the Marathon Runners in waves, leaving every minute. with the elite going first and then each wave group following. You must start in your assigned wave or there will be bottlenecks on the course and the water stations will not be able to keep up.
8:00 – Elite Wave, projected finish time under 3:20 (start in front of wave 1)
8:01 – Wave 1, projected finish time close to 3:20
8:02 – Wave 2, projected finish time close to 3:40
8:03 – Wave 3, projected finish time close to 4:00
8:04 – Wave 4, projected finish time close to 4:20
8:05 – Wave 5, projected finish time 5:00 or longer
FULL MARATHON RELAY START
8:05 – Runner 1 From All Full Marathon Relay Teams Start Together.
HALF MARATHON STARTS (Wave Starts)
From 8:09-8:15
We will start the Half Marathon Runners in waves, leaving every 2
minutes. with the elite going first and then each wave group following.
You must start in your assigned wave or there will be bottlenecks on the
course and the water stations will not be able to keep up.
8:09 – Elite Wave, projected finish time under 1:50 (start in front of wave 1)
8:11 – Wave 1, projected finish time close to 1:50
8:12 – Wave 2, projected finish time close to 2:00
8:13 – Wave 3, projected finish time close to 2:10
8:14 – Wave 4, projected finish time close to 2:20
8:15 – Wave 5, projected finish time 2:30 or longer
HALF MARATHON RELAY START
8:15 – Runner 1 From All Half Marathon Relay Teams Start Together.
5K START
8:25 – All 5K Runners start together.
13.1 MILE WALK START
8:27 – All Half Marathon Walkers start together.
FINISH LINE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
9:30 – The Finish Line Festival tent is open
10:00 – The Finish Line Festival begins. Enjoy ciders, beer and live music from Sonic Circus.
1:45 – Last Call
2:00 – Live music ends. End of Finish Line Festival
FULL MARATHON RELAY
All teams will drive to the Exchange Points to greet the rest of their teammates. The team will drop off Runner 1 at the Starting Line before 8am. Runner 1 will run to Exchange Point 1 at the corner of Lakeside St. & John Nolen Dr, where the rest of the team will be waiting for you. Runner 1 will finish & Runner 2 will begin. Runner 2 will run to Exchange Point 2 at Olbrich Park on Lakeland Ave. off from Atwood Ave. Runner 2 will finish and runner 3 will begin. Runner 3 will run to Exchange Point 3, 1 block before the start/finish line on Nichols Rd in front of the Monona Community Center. The Full Marathon Relay Team will repeat this a second time with Runners 4, 5 & 6. Once Runner 6 reaches Exchange Point 6, the whole team will run together across the Finish Line. Only Runner 6 wears the bib with the timing chip. Allow time to park near the finish line as it may be very crowded in the area.
HALF MARATHON RELAY
All teams will drive to the Exchange Points to greet the rest of their teammates. The team will drop off Runner 1 at the Starting Line before 8am. Runner 1 will run to Exchange Point 1 at the corner of Lakeside St. & John Nolen Dr, where the rest of the team will be waiting for you. Runner 1 will finish & Runner 2 will begin. Runner 2 will run to Exchange Point 2 at Olbrich Park on Lakeland Ave. off from Atwood Ave. Runner 2 will finish and runner 3 will begin. Runner 3 will run to Exchange Point 3, 1 block before the start/finish line on Nichols Rd in front of the Monona Community Center. The whole team will run together across the Finish Line. Only Runner 3 wears the bib with the timing chip. Allow time to park near the finish line as it may be very crowded in the area.
There is plenty of street parking within 1-3 blocks from the starting line. There is some parking in the school parking lot and the community center parking lot. There is NO PARKING IN THE LIBRARY PARKING LOT. You will get ticketed & towed.
The red lines indicate where the course is. There will be orange safety cones on the road, please do not park inside the cones.
The Finish Line Festival takes place in the large tents across the street from the finish line. The festival is open to all ages but only race participants and those who purchased festival passes are allowed in. Children are free when accompanied by a qualifying adult. There are ciders, beers and water. There will be live music from Sonic Circus from 10:00-2:00, playing the biggest hits from the 80’s & 90’s. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR BIB OR YOUR FINISH LINE FEST TICKET, TO ENTER THE FESTIVAL TENTS. YOU MUST HAVE AN ID TO ENTER. If you purchased a Finish Line Fest only option, you must bring your printed email ticket or have it available on your phone. To control waste, we ask that you reuse your beer cups for each pour.
We offer free registration into any of our running events for our top 5 male & female finishers in the half and full marathon & the top 3 male & female finishers in the 5K Run. We list the top 3 relay teams (full and half marathon) and the top 3 walkers on our website. We do not do age categories or an award ceremony. All winners in the full and half will be contacted by email, usually a couple of weeks after the event.