A northern road trip through Chicago and Milwaukee, ending with a hot marathon finish inside Lambeau Field.
May 20, 2024Green Bay, WisconsinCellcom Green Bay Marathon121 photos
Preface | Crossing the Windy City, heading for the Cheese State
I had only been at my internship for one week, but Run50 was already pulling me back onto the road. On May 20, Siqi and I decided to drive north to Wisconsin for my 20th state: the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon.
We left on Friday evening, with the sunset turning farms and grain silos gold. The car felt like it was moving through an oil painting.
The next morning, after a simple American breakfast in Lafayette, we kept driving north.
The road took us past wind farms, fields, and the Chicago skyline. A red navigation warning trapped us in Windy City traffic, crawling forward on the highway.
Once we finally broke through, the northern sky opened up again.
Our first Wisconsin stop was Milwaukee, home of the NBA's Bucks. Yi Jianlian was drafted by Milwaukee with the sixth pick in 2007. I had heard that he was not exactly thrilled at first about going to this cold northern city.
But later he still had some good moments here, and now Milwaukee's signature is Giannis.
To us, Milwaukee did not feel small at all. We found a very good Indian buffet, ate a weekend feast, and even had mango ice cream.
After that we walked along Lake Michigan. The wind off the lake was strong, the water and sky were clean and high, and the Milwaukee skyline sat in the distance.
Then we continued toward Green Bay.
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State 20: Wisconsin | Cheese, football, and the Packers
Wisconsin is called America's Dairyland, famous for cheese and the Cheesehead hats worn by Packers fans.
Green Bay is not a big city, but the Green Bay Packers make it known across the country. Lambeau Field is almost the heart of the city.
For runners, the special hook of this marathon was simple: before the finish, the course ran into Lambeau Field.
This was the 25th Cellcom Green Bay Marathon, and also the final edition. After this year, the race would be gone.
The surprise was the weather. I thought a northern race would be cool. Instead, race day came with heat.
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Chapter 1 | Arriving in Green Bay
Green Bay felt clean, quiet, and very Packers. Even small details around town seemed to point back to football.
Packet pickup was easy and relaxed. Volunteers handed out bibs and shirts, and the race had that small-city friendliness that makes a weekend feel less rushed.
Before race day we settled in, looked around the town, and prepared for what was supposed to be a northern spring marathon.
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Chapter 2 | Race morning: the heat arrives
On race morning the start area was already bright and warm. Runners gathered under the banner, trying to look fresh before the sun fully took over.
The course first moved through neighborhood roads and open streets. Mile signs came one by one, and the crowd support was friendly and close.
By the early miles, I could tell this would not be the cool Wisconsin run I had imagined. The sun was sharp, and the heat kept building.
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Chapter 3 | Lakeside roads and a hot northern test
The middle miles mixed residential roads, river and lake views, volunteers, families cheering from lawns, and the occasional patch of shade.
Wisconsin may be known for snow, cheese, and winter football, but that day felt like an oven. Down by the water and open road, even the geese seemed to know it was hot.
I kept moving, switching between running and walking when needed. The race was no longer about pace; it was about reaching Lambeau Field.
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Chapter 4 | Lambeau Field and the finish
Near the end, the course finally entered the Packers' holy ground: Lambeau Field.
Running through the stadium felt surreal. The stands, the turf, the yellow-and-green seats, and the tunnel all turned the final miles into a football pilgrimage.
I crossed the finish in about four and a half hours. It was my first and last Green Bay Marathon, and my 20th state was done.
After the race, Siqi and I took medal photos, ate, recovered, and started the long drive home.
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Postscript | State 20, a milestone
Run50 had reached state number twenty. From Louisville to Lafayette, from Chicago traffic to Milwaukee's lakeshore, from cheese-state football faith to a hot marathon finish at Lambeau Field, this trip felt like a real milestone.
Not every race has to be fast. Some races are remembered because of where they take you. Green Bay gave me exactly that: a finish line inside an NFL shrine, and another state colored in on the Run50 map.
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