FOX CITIES, WI (WTAQ) – Officials with Sunday’s Fox Cities Marathon are urging drivers to steer clear of the course.
Amanda Secor notes what will be the biggest problem areas for motorists.
“Highway 47 in Appleton between 7-8:30 am. After that, we really kind of get off the main roads until we’re in Neenah. Wisconsin Avenue toward the end of the day, anywhere between 8:30 am-2 pm, will be closed between Elm Street and Riverside Park.”
Secor notes all intersections along the course will be slow-moving at times.
“We’ll have course marshals at every intersection. Their first priority is to make sure our participants get through the intersection safely. We’ll allow cars to pass as we can but if you can avoid the course, it’s really your best bet.”
She hopes that more than just runners turn out on Sunday.
“The journey can get kind of long if you end up on stretches where there is not someone there to cheer you on. We encourage people to go out on the course, cheer, make some signs, take some noisemakers.”
Secor also has a request for folks who live along the course.
“We are asking them to put out a sprinkler so the participants can run through that. It’s going to cool down the air around the sprinkler for awhile. By them running through, they are going to be able to cool down on their skin as well.”
Between all weekend events- which include a full-marathon, half-marathon, 5K, and kids run- Secor expects roughly 5,000 participants.
She notes sign-ups for the full and half-marathons are down slightly.
You can also read more about how race officials are preparing for unseasonably warm temperatures, which are expected to be in the mid-to-upper 80’s at race time, as well as the story of one participant who is running her 100th marathon.
