Running News Daily

Toroitich, Poltavska take men's, women's titles in Cellcom Green Bay Marathon

The University of Minnesota runner and former Valders cross-country and track star celebrated turning 19 in style Sunday, winning the Cellcom Green Bay half marathon in 1 hour, 12 minutes, 30 seconds and taking home $750 in winnings as a present.

It was the second time Griepentrog has run Cellcom’s half marathon after finishing third in 2022.

He was faster by more than a minute this year, averaging 5:32 per mile during the 13.1-mile race.

His goal again was to finish among the top three, but he was feeling so good toward the end of the race he figured he’d push himself a little harder and go for the win.

Not only did he win, but he did so in commanding fashion.

Runner-up Riley Martin of Pickett finished in 1:15.27, while Kyle Peotter of Appleton was third in 1:17:08.

Griepentrog was the best of 1,195 runners competing in the half marathon.

“It went really well,” Griepentrog said. “It was beautiful weather. Can’t complain about that. Just finished up my track season, so I said I might as well use my fitness for a little fun half marathon.

“Came out this morning and had a blast.”

Griepentrog signed a letter of intent in January 2022 to compete for the Gophers in both cross-country and outdoor track.

He was one of the best high school runners in the state during a decorated career at Valders, leading his team to the WIAA Division 2 state team titles in 2018 and 2019 and a D3 championship in 2021, when he also captured the individual state championship.

Griepentrog was just as dominant in track. He won both the 3,200-meter run and 1,600 state championships as a senior, one year after winning a title in the 3,200 and finishing runner-up in the 1,600.

His older brother, Nate, runs for UW-Milwaukee.

Griepentrog and his fellow freshmen all redshirted at Minnesota this year. They competed in some area meets but did not travel with the team for road trips.

“Kind of just a year to get some big training under our belt,” Griepentrog said. “Maybe not feel the greatest, but just go out there and gain the experience and race with the big dogs a little bit and just kind of soak in your first year.

“This year was not so much like competing, competing, competing. It was get better, get used to it and mold into the university standards.”

Griepentrog already can see there is a big difference between competing in the Big Ten and what he faced in high school, but he will be ready to help the Gophers this year.

“We did race at a couple of the big meets for cross-country,” said Griepentrog, whose track season ended last week while the cross-country season starts at the end of August. “It’s definitely a different animal. Something I have to get used to. In high school, you are used to running in the front pack with a couple guys. It’s strung out.

“In college, you are just in a massive 80 people. You can’t even see where you are on the course. It takes a lot to get used to.”

(05/22/2023) Views: 811 ⚡AMP
by Scott Venci

2022 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon returns in person

The 23rd Cellcom Green Bay Marathon is set for Sunday, May 15th, in person finally.

For runners completing the full marathon, it’ll be the first time they’ll hit the course together since 2018.

“I can’t wait. This is our hometown event. We put so much effort into making this event as amazing as it can be for everyone, so our pace team is going to be out there helping everyone. It’s going to be a party atmosphere,” says Carrie Miller, runner and founder of On Pace Race.

COVID-19 forced the races to go virtual the past two years, and the year before that, flooding on the course prompted the cancellation of the full marathon at the last minute on race morning.

“I think it’s just a sense of normalcy just getting to be back together,” says Cellcom Green Bay Marathon spokesperson Tammy VanDenBush. “There’s something about chasing goals together. You get that energy from other runners.”

With the return comes a lot of change.

All the running events will be held Sunday morning, with staggered start times.

There’s no expo or kids’ run this year as organizers work to ramp events back up.

All the festivities, including packet pickup and the post-race party, will take place outside The Bar on Holmgren Way.

“The Stadium District, as you know on game day, is so fun and we’re really excited to bring that to race day and bring that energy down to the Stadium District, but the course is really our biggest change for the year,” says VanDenBush.

That includes the start and finish lines.

“The marathon is using Mason Street for the first time, so that’s where they’ll be crossing the Fox River both directions,” says VanDenBush. “A lot of it is the same... Ashwaubenon, north of the stadium Green Bay neighborhoods, but then the marathon goes over Mason Street, having some miles in Allouez, which we haven’t had before, and then they’ll be hopping on the trail.”

She says the portion of the Fox River Trail that flooded in 2019 is no longer part of the course.

Carrie Miller, who started pacing runners at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon five years ago, says the excitement of a return to normal at their signature race is drawing in double her normal number of pacers.

(05/11/2022) Views: 1,273 ⚡AMP
by Sarah Thomsen

2021 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon will be held virtually due to COVID-19, for second year in a row

For the second year in a row, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon will be held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

When the decision was made to not hold the event in-person, a new question was on the table.

"What can we do to help our community and help?" said Alissa Cotter, race director. "In particular, the people who are suffering the most right now from the pandemic?" 

That question led to a decision to focus fundraising for the 22nd marathon on COVID-19 relief. 

Proceeds from this marathon will go to local charities supporting those who have struggled the most during the pandemic. 

In all, the marathon will share proceeds with seven organizations: Casa ALBA Melanie, New Community Shelter, Onedia Nation Emergency Food Pantry, Paul's Pantry, Russell Leicht DAV Chapter 3, St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter, Inc. and The Gathering Place.

"(The funds will) be used to keep our mental health services going," said Michael Roberts, executive director at The Gathering Place, a non-profit that provides support groups and other services to those struggling with mental health and addiction. 

The virtual marathon will take place during the month of May and will include the familiar options for runners of registering for a marathon, half marathon, relay or 5K. Participants can choose which day during the month to run. Additionally, the marathon will now offer a 100 Miles in May Challenge that encourages runners, walkers and cyclists to travel 100 miles during the month. 

"It was gut wrenching to make the decision to convert to virtual," Cotter said of the 2020 marathon. "It was so hard, there's so much time and energy and this is just a huge labor of love for the people who are involved in it. We work so hard and the end result is of course, race weekend."

Cotter added that in June, she fully expected the 2021 race to be in-person. However, by early fall her hopes were waning as the coronavirus showed no sign of letting up. Ultimately, the decision was made to hold this year's marathon virtually.

(01/26/2021) Views: 1,077 ⚡AMP
by Alexandria Bursiek Kloehn

The pandemic has claimed the running of the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon for a second year

Organizers announced on the marathon’s Facebook page that the board of directors and health partner Prevea Health decided they couldn’t safely hold the race in person in May. It had to consider the runners, walkers, staff and volunteers and the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus.

Race co-director Alissa Cotter was interviewed Thursday on Action 2 News at 4:30. She said, “We really spent a lot of time talking throughout the fall looking at numbers.

We spent a lot of time consulting with Prevea, as well, and the crew that they have there, looking at other races around the country happening in 2021 that are similar to our size and also taking into consideration what our numbers are in Green Bay on the ground, and really the decision was, the writing was on the wall.

We held out as long as we could but felt very strongly that we really wanted to protect our runners and our community as best we could and that decision was made for us to go virtual.”

The annual marathon typically attracts thousands of runners from around the U.S. and even other countries. Previous race weekends included full- and half-marathons, a 5K run/walk, relay and kids run.

When last year’s event was canceled, runners and walkers who registered were encouraged to run or walk on any day of their choosing and log their miles, even if it wasn’t on the planned day of the marathon. At the time, entrants had the option to defer their registration for the 2021 race.

The event raises money for local charities. Organizers say this year’s virtual marathon will be no different, with a “defined mission... to make a difference in our community” to help people suffering hunger, homelessness, or mental health problems because of the pandemic. Details will come out next month, including ways they hope to get kids more involved in the virtual event.

Cotter talks about what they’ll do differently in 2021, including a 100-mile challenge, and the feedback received from runners so far.

(12/04/2020) Views: 1,312 ⚡AMP
by WBAY news staff

The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon is going to be a virtual run event

Organizers of the 2020 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon won't be bringing thousands of runners together this spring.

In response to COVID-19, the marathon is becoming a "virtual event," they announced Tuesday night.

"As we all collectively fight the coronavirus pandemic, we believe this is the only responsible way for us to hold the event," a statement read.

The event was planned for May 16 and 17 with a full- and half-marathon, 5K, relay and a kids' run.

Runners and walkers who registered for any of the marathon events will be asked to "carry out the miles safely on their own" and will receive their bib, medal and T-shirt for the virtual during the week of May 11.

If you registered and don't want to take part in a virtual run, you can defer your entry to the marathon event next year.

People who want to register for the virtual run can still do so on the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon website until April 20.

Organizers said they considered postponing the event but options were limited.

Summer is too hot, and during the fall Lambeau Field and the stadium district are prepared for football -- whether it's a game weekend or not -- with more traffic and more local events. This would force organizers to relocate the course which had been planned out well in advance.

There were also concerns about bringing together people from around the Midwest and other states, even other countries, in light of the spread of the coronavirus so far this year.

Participants in the virtual event can run individually on any day of their choosing -- it doesn't have to be May 17 -- and can get their miles in any way they choose -- running, walking, pushing a stroller.

(04/01/2020) Views: 1,387 ⚡AMP

Will Kocken sets a world record for running a marathon with a 100 pound pack on his back

This is a follow up on the story we ran a few weeks back about a runner going after the world record for running a marathon carrying a 100 pounds on his back. Will Kocken did it at the 2018 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. Kocken's mission was to raise awareness for the 4th H.O.O.A.H. Wisconsin, a non-profit organization supporting veterans and their families. His other mission was to break the Guinness World Record for fastest time running a marathon with a 100-pound bag. Kocken, an Army National Guard solder, crushed it. He finished the marathon in a time of 6:27:59. That easily beats the previous record of 6:47:03. The results still need to be certified. Kocken had a team of witnesses recording his journey, and he weighed his pack at the beginning and end of the marathon. The evidence will be sent to the Guinness team. "Over the last four months I told myself I needed to run 600 miles before race day," Kocken said. "And so I hit over the 600 mile marker and I know I had done the training and now it's time to go out and show what hard work does. Hard work produces results." (05/21/2018) Views: 1,979 ⚡AMP

Skyler Steinman wanted to do something more for his family than just pray

“Wisconsin will be Marathon number 41 on the road to 57. That would be the 50 states, seven continents,” Steinman explains. The seasoned marathoner has made it his goal to run a marathon in all 50 states, and on all seven continents. It started some 12 years ago, after Steinman’s father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and his brother was diagnosed with cancer. “I felt like I wanted to do something more for my family other than just pray,” he says. “I decided to take that hobby of running and grow it into something much larger.” The journey began on May 7, 2006 at the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. “When I crossed the finish line I thought, 'I want to do more.'” Since then, Steinman checked four continents (North America, South America, Europe and Africa) and 37 states off the list. As Steinman gears up for the 2018 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, he brings to Wisconsin the wisdom he’s found along his journey. “I encourage other people to find whatever they're passionate about,” he says. “It may not be running, it may be something else entirely. But when you pour yourself into those passions, you find an outlet to get through the difficult times in your life.”   (05/19/2018) Views: 2,139 ⚡AMP

His goal is to raise One Million Dollars for a coworker battling Tonque Cancer

A man is using the deep rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys to help a coworker diagnosed with cancer.

When Texas school assistant principal, Bruce Hermans, learned the school's choir director, Allison Hartzell, was battling Stage 4 tongue cancer, he wanted to do something for her.

As an avid runner, Hermans decided to help raise money for Hartzell's treatment by running his first full marathon in his hometown of Green Bay. 

Pitting Packers fans against Cowboys fans, the Run4Allison campaign's goal is to raise $1 million by asking fans to donate in the name of their favorite team.

Which ever team raises the most money, is the jersey Hermans says he will wear crossing the finish line at Lambeau Field during the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. 

(04/27/2018) Views: 3,324 ⚡AMP