The Eau Claire Marathon had a strong showing despite wet weather. | Eau Claire Marathon/Facebook
The Eau Claire Marathon had a strong showing despite wet weather. | Eau Claire Marathon/Facebook
The Eau Claire Marathon race weekend was recently completed in late April, with thousands of runners participating in six events despite the inclement weather, according to a WEAU report.
Rachel Ragona, a local resident and defending champion who finished first in the women's category this year with a time of 2:52:16, stated that the poor weather conditions brought out the best in local residents.
"I feel like there were more people out this year, even with the rain," Ragona said. "That’s got to be an Eau Claire thing: The worse the weather gets, the better the community seems to get."
Hayden Fredrickson of Viroqua won this year's marathon, crossing the finish line first in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 42 seconds, Leader-Telegram reports.
Fredrickson currently holds the second-fastest time in the marathon's six-year history.
The marathon's participants come from a variety of backgrounds, including Jonathan Spires, who was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2019 and is currently seeking a live donor.
"I have a lot of stuff that I have to do and I get stressed easily and it’s so this just makes me feel much better about everything I’m doing,” Spires said. “It’s crazy, It’s just fun, I love the journey.”
This year's Eau Claire marathon weekend took place from April 30 to May 1, according to a separate WEAU report. Among the events were a marathon race, a 5K and a 10K, as well as family and children's events.
The 10K was the most anticipated event this year due to its exhibition of the city's recently completed High Bridge.
Additionally, many runners were given purple wristbands and purple pins in memory of 10-year-old homicide victim Lily Peters.
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