The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon will shift to a two-day format beginning with the May 2010, with events going through Lambeau on both Saturday and Sunday race day weekend.

Moving to a two-day format will create less congestion on Sunday morning, which has been a concern for runners and organizers as the event has grown. Since its inception in 2000, the marathon has offered a marathon, marathon relay, half marathon and 5K on the third Sunday in May each year. The Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Kids’ Power Run has traditionally taken place on Saturday but was based at the WPS Corporate Headquarters grounds in downtown Green Bay. The short distance events will now move to Saturday and the marathon, half marathon and marathon relay will continue on Sunday.

Beginning next year, marathon organizers plan to offer a new short distance event — a 2.62-mile “Mini Marathon.” This event will take place on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. and replace the 3.1-mile 5K that traditionally took place on Sunday. An updated WPS Kids’ 1K Run for children ages 5-10 will take place on Saturday, as well, moving from Downtown Green Bay to the stadium. The kids’ run will start in waves beginning at 10 a.m. Both courses will include a lap inside Lambeau Field.

By reducing the distance of our family event to a tenth of a marathon, moving it to a more accommodating time, and pairing it with the kids’ run, we anticipate a large increase in participation.

We do not plan to offer timed results for the Mini Marathon or the WPS Kids’ Run because of the anticipated congestion of several thousand people moving simultaneously through the player tunnel and around the field; it’s just not practical to time these events. We will offer prizes to the first 10 men and women to cross the finish line in the Mini Marathon but in general, the focus for these events has shifted from competition to participation.

Registration for the Mini-marathon and the WPS Kid’s Run opened today. All events are now open for entry. Stay tuned for more updates as logistical details of the two-day event are finalized.