'To get out and do this again is amazing': Cellcom Green Bay Marathon celebrates in-person return

ASHWAUBENON – The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon finally went off without a hitch.

It’s been a long four years, but for the first time since 2018, the 26.2-mile race Sunday was both completed and a success.

The weather was dry and tolerable, with temperatures in the 60s at the start of the race after unseasonably high temperatures in the days leading up to it.

It was nothing like 2019, when event organizers were forced to announce the cancellation of the marathon the night before the race because of flooding on the course. Or like a decade ago, when the race had to be halted early because of extreme heat and 51% of the more than 7,000 runners didn’t get to finish.

But more than the weather, this race also was the first one in-person after two years of virtual events because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of participants was down, which wasn’t unexpected for the first year back. But the excitement made up for it.

When the biggest issue was the inflatable overhead finish line toppling down for a few seconds, it’s a good sign everything went as well as could be hoped.

“I was just out on the course a little bit, and to see how many people were out there cheering was amazing,” race director Ryan Griessmeyer said. “I think for the community, as well as the local runners and people coming in, it has just been a breath of fresh air. To get out and do this again is amazing.”

It was a bit challenging to prepare for the race during the past year with COVID-19 still a factor.

It forced race organizers to have contingency plans and perhaps factored into the lower participation level as the event begins a return to normal.

“You didn’t ever really have a clear path forward of what it was going to be,” Griessmeyer said. “Everything you planned had one, two, or three different scenarios.

“We are seeing with the virtual stuff that happened, kind of rebuilding a little bit. Some races did happen in 2021, this one didn’t. We chose to go virtual. The right choice, I think. It just sets you a little bit different with people planning and trying to figure out what is going on.”

As for the winners?

That also was different than the last time the full marathon was completed. Wisconsin runners dominated in 2018, highlighted by the men’s winner from Wauwatosa, the women’s winner from Sun Prairie and the women’s half winner residing in Hartland.

This time it was the out-of-towners who stole the show in the marathon.

Vincent Toroitich of Grand Prairie, Texas, won the men’s race with a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, 52 seconds.

Toroitich, 31, was in command for much of the race. The next closest competitor was Luke Kibet from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, who finished in 2:22:09.

Taggart VanEtten of Morton, Illinois, was third but finished well behind Toroitich and Kibet in 2:28.17.

Toroitich, a native of Kenya, was running the Cellcom for the first time. His manager told him he needed to run this event, and it turned out to be a wise decision. Toroitich took home $2,500 for the win.

He was coming off a fifth-place finish in the Blue Cross Broad Street Run — the country’s largest 10-mile race — in Philadelphia two weeks ago.

“I feel good,” Toroitich said. “The course was so hilly. It was a nice race. … I’ve been training for this race for three months.”

Damaris Areba, also from Grand Prairie, Texas, won the women’s race in 2:35.36 and also took home $2,500.

Matt Kasten of Menasha won the men’s half marathon in 1:11:40, while Caitlin Kowalke of Cross Plains won the women’s half marathon in 1:18.23. Both received $750.

Everyone agreed it was good to be back.

“You look at that excitement that race day brings, you can’t get that with a virtual event,” said Cellcom Green Bay Marathon spokesperson Tammy VanDenBusch, who has helped with the race since 2010. “Runners train a lot by themselves, so coming together kind of brings the sport together. It really kind of empowers you to want to run more. It’s exciting to be back together.

“The pandemic took away a lot of stuff from people. There was not in-person anything for quite some time. This feels like another step towards getting back to normal and really getting to do things we enjoy doing.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Vincent Toroitich, Damaris Areba win Cellcom Green Bay Marathon titles