Students across the UW-Madison campus have juggled many different responsibilities in preparing for the Madison Marathon that will take place this Sunday.
The race, which is a Boston Marathon qualifier, starts and ends at the Capitol Square and takes runners into downtown Madison, through the campus and around Lake Wingra.
The race organizers expect approximately 2,000 runners for the full marathon, with many of the runners being students at UW-Madison.
Many of the student marathon runners are also members of the Wisconsin Track Club, a competitive running club with runners ranging in skill from beginner to all-state athletes.
Matthew Hupy and Michael Eppink, both students at UW-Madison and members of the Wisconsin Track Club, have been preparing for the marathon since this past spring.
While both are experienced runners, Sunday will be their first time running a marathon.
Eppink, a sophomore studying physics and philosophy, said balancing schoolwork and training has been difficult, noting nights in which he “would be in the middle of doing homework and would have to stop to go run.”
Hupy, a pre-med senior studying nutritional sciences, acknowledged the difficulty of training on top of being a full-time student but remained optimistic about the end result. He said he is most looking forward to “looking at [his] watch and seeing that [he has] ran a full marathon.”
On top of the full marathon, the Madison Marathon also hosts a half marathon, which cuts the route down to 13.1 miles.
Emily Guse, a senior studying world language education, is one of the expected 2,500 runners participating in the half marathon. She said taking only 12 credits has been helpful in easing the pressure of training and schoolwork, as having afternoon classes leaves her mornings open for training.
The students will participate in a race with a long history in the city of Madison, which traces its roots back to 1974, when a group of local runners organized a course that “went twice around Lake Monona to Olin Park,” according to the race’s website.
The race, named the Mad City Marathon in 1994, was purchased by Madison Festivals, Inc. in 2001. In 2007, the race was renamed the Madison Marathon.
Each year, Madison Festivals raises an approximate $90,000 through the combined profits of the Madison Marathon and Taste of Madison.
This year, the Madison Marathon will raise money for Badger Honor Flight, a charity that helps build memorials for veterans, and myTEAM TRIUMPH-Wisconsin Chapter, a nonprofit that benefits disabled athletes.
