How I found (and fell in love with) the Eau Claire Marathon.

In 2023, my friend and I decided we would going to embark on a fundraising journey dubbed “longest day marathon”- which essentially meant running/walking/crawling as many miles as possible during the summer solstice.

She then mentioned it would be nice if we found a marathon in late April to do a supported long run ahead of our impending ultra. I found Eau Claire Marathon immediately and the sticker price for a marathon was cheap compared to other marathons, we signed up in mid-February- it was happening!!

Following the race on social media, I noticed that the race directors really cared about their runners and their community. I was excited to try my first spring time marathon.

Although race week looked dicey, we originally planned to wear shorts and tank tops, eventually meant we had to pack layers. I joked that I never ran a marathon in long leggings before.

While the weather was sleeting when we arrived to the starting line, the energy was really great. I found my pacer and eagerly awaited to start. I immediately noticed to energy was fantastic. People really came out to support the marathon. The pacer was so friendly and the entire pace group were chatty. The first 16 miles flew by!

Eventually I had to pull back- but I didn’t feel alone or isolated. I was surprised by how quickly the marathon was going for me- the bluffs were beautiful, the cool weather agreed with my body, the fuel stations had the best volunteers- the runners were happy and motivating. 

Once you got into down town, it was like a party. The music blasted for miles as we got close to the finish line. My friend who had traveled to watch told me that I was finishing under 5 hours- a first for me- and that she saw the finish line. I finished strong! One of the runners from the pace group had waited for me and congratulated me on my marathon PR- just 8 years after I started running. I had spent the last 5 miles running with a team triumph captain and her team, we all high fived. The finish line goodies were great and the coffee shop across the street fueled me up while I waited for my friend to finish.

I felt so excited about my experience, I knew I wanted to come back. Eau Claire does an excellent race!