Dan Moran: Up north has some great indoors

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Updated: January 25, 2011 2:39AM

When we talk about lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness, the back end of January comes to mind. Up in Wisconsin, they’ve figured out that one way to deal with cabin fever is to build a really, really big cabin.

It is called the InStep Icebreaker Indoor Marathon. As the name implies, it’s sponsored by a company called InStep, it is meant to break the icy grip of winter, it is held indoors and it is a marathon. Actually, two full marathons, two half versions and one 5K, spread across one weekend.

These things can and are done year-round outdoors, in all kinds of weather. The beauty of the Icebreaker is that it is not done outdoors. It is done inside the Pettit National Ice Center, a 200,000-square-foot monster that holds the Midwest’s reigning Olympic-caliber, 400-meter speedskating oval, not to mention two full hockey rinks.

On the outside of the oval is a two-lane, 442-meter running track. Do the math, and 96 loops will get you 26.2 miles. If that sounds dizzying, I tend to agree. Fortunately, they offer a relay version, so that’s what I did with a group of friends Saturday afternoon. And I can’t wait for next January to come so I can do it again. Never in my life have I looked forward to January.

The beauty of this relay isn’t just that you can switch runners as often as you want, and it isn’t just that your entry fee covers post-race chocolate milk. The beauty is also that it is a windless 55 degrees inside the Pettit Center at all times, and during Saturday’s relay, it was all of 15 degrees outside in metro Milwaukee. Without the wind chill.

It should be noted that the Pettit Center track is open to runners and walkers year-round for $4 a visit (see www.thepettit.com). One of my running partners made the observation that if the Chicago area had such a facility, they would have to turn people away this time of year, especially when the weekend warriors come out.

So there you have my big Midwestern tip for the ongoing winter of 2011. If you want to ditch your layers of Polartec and wear springtime gear for at least one day of fitness, you must, ironically, go north. And stay inside.

Dan Moran’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays