Local
Madison Marathon to Close Downtown Streets Starting Saturday
The Madison Marathon returns Sunday with 10K, half marathon and full marathon races starting on Capitol Square, prompting a wave of street closures that begin Saturday morning and last through Sunday night.
MADISON, Wis. â Downtown streets will close in stages this weekend as the Madison Marathon takes over the city's core, with three races â a 10K, a half marathon and a full marathon â all starting Sunday morning on Capitol Square.
City officials said the 100 and 200 blocks of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will close at 8 a.m. Saturday to allow for race setup. Additional closures will begin around 1:45 p.m. Saturday, once the Dane County Farmers' Market wraps up for the day, and will remain in effect until Sunday night.
Those closures include Pinckney Street between King Street and E Mifflin Street; Main Street between Carroll Street and Pinckney Street; Mifflin Street between Pinckney Street and State Street; Carroll Street between State Street and Main Street; and the 100 block of E Washington Avenue. Neighborhood streets along the route will also be affected.
Marathon runners will pass through Vilas Park, the UW Arboretum and around Lake Monona before returning to Capitol Square. The race begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, and the final runner is expected to cross the finish line around 1:30 p.m., according to the City of Madison. Roads will reopen as the last runners complete the course.
Drivers who need to cross the course will be permitted through only when there are wide enough gaps between runners. Police officers will be stationed along the route to manage traffic, city officials said.
Maps of the 10K and half marathon courses are available through the city. Residents planning to travel through the downtown and near-east side Sunday morning should expect delays and consider alternate routes.