Photos From The 2012 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon • Marathon Photographer.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the 2012 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon and half marathon. Close to 10,000 runners ran in this year’s event in unseasonably warm weather for Green Bay, Wisconsin. With the high almost 20 degrees warmer than the average for the middle of May in Green Bay, the course was closed less than three hours into the event due to a strain on medical staffing for numerous runners dealing with heat related issues. Over 3,000 runners in the half marathon finished before the course was closed and only the elite runners finished the full marathon.

Except for one year, I’ve covered this race each year for the marathon and the title sponsor. I could tell the heat was hitting the runners hard when I went to shoot at a slight uphill portion of the course about a third of the way through; it was very quiet and many people were walking. Race officials put more fluid stations on the course than ever before, along with supplying ice, but a breeze that was forecast to develop mid morning never did. Residents of the Green Bay area came out to support the runners and supplied sprinklers and hoses to help cool them down.

From a photographer’s standpoint, the race made great photos. The water shots on the course made for some nice images (maybe I posted too many to the blog) and the people that finished, even though the course had been closed, seemed happier than usual. Back in my newspaper days, I would have been all over the drama of the heat exhaustion, but from a promotion standpoint for the marathon, I thought it was more important to tell the positive aspects of the race.

Due to a major renovation at Lambeau Field, the race didn’t finish with a loop around the frozen tundra as it has in years past, which always makes for great photos. That aspect of the race will be back next year; hopefully the heat won’t.

Thanks for looking!

Mike

Photos From The 2012 Cellcom Green Bay Marathon • Marathon Photographer.

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