オークレア, WI
Eau Claire Marathon
The Eau Claire Marathon begins and ends at Phoenix Park in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with the Chippewa River nearby influencing much of the route. This yearly paved-road marathon covers 26.2 miles and includes shorter race options, attracting around 5,000 participants. The current iteration of the race has been held since 2009, when Karen and Kevin Drechsel revived the concept after Karen observed how spectators could energize a marathon. RaceRaves has recognized the marathon as Wisconsin’s best multiple times, and the half marathon has received similar accolades.
The course involves 590 feet of elevation gain, but it finishes very close to its starting point, with a net elevation change of only 2 feet. Runners traverse eight bridges, pass through the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on the Blugold Mile, encounter a musical mile, and reach the Barstow Block Party near mile 23.5. Previous participants have likened the bridges and neighborhood transitions to a Midwestern counterpart of New York City, and one runner compared the campus crowd support to Boston's Boylston Street. Eau Claire hosted an earlier marathon in the 1980s, which featured small fields, a $3 entry fee, and a single advertisement specifying "men and boys only," highlighting how different the current community-wide event feels.
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