Hometown sweep: Eau Claire's Condit, Ragona win Eau Claire Marathon
Sep. 26—As Adam Condit made his way down Graham Avenue and began to approach the finish line on Sunday, a wave of emotion overcame the longtime distance runner.
There was the thrill of what sat a few feet ahead of him: another win in the Eau Claire Marathon, a second straight victory in the event dating back to 2019. Naturally, there was the exhaustion of leaving 26.2 miles in his rearview mirror.
But the greatest feeling of them all simply came from soaking in his surroundings. After the marathon switched to a virtual format in 2020, it was good to be back on a street lined with supporters and fellow runners.
"I just feel really happy to just be out at an event," Condit said. "Right now, it's not about the win, the time, the place. I've got my son here with me, other people in our community are running their first 5K, half marathon and marathons. It's just really good to see people out. I'm really happy right now."
He shouted in excitement and pumped his fists as he crossed the finish line in two hours, 38 minutes and 16 seconds. He was greeted with a big hug from his son Leo, who had just finished the 5K race.
Condit and Rachel Ragona, the winner of the women's marathon at 2:48.31, made it a hometown sweep. Both reside in Eau Claire.
Condit, a UW-Eau Claire graduate, was in second place for much of the marathon but managed to pull into first around the 21-mile mark. He ended up winning by eight minutes, 48 seconds.
"I don't think it's set in that I won," said Condit, who owns Blue Ox Running in downtown Eau Claire. "I'm on cloud nine right now."
Ragona had a winning debut. In her first Eau Claire Marathon, she won by 12 minutes, 27 seconds after leading for most of the run. She was impressed with her first experience with the race.
"That was amazing, amazing to run through all the crowds," she said. "The whole community turned out. It was really heartwarming."
The race featured a new-look course at the start and finish this year. The starting line was moved from its normal home at Carson Park to a spot near Phoenix Park, and the finish took place at the end of Graham Avenue in downtown Eau Claire.
The scenery gave Condit an extra boost as he looked to close out his victory.
"I was getting a little discouraged out there with some of the mental pressure I put on myself, but then I remembered none of that really matters," Condit said. "Once I started to come downtown, it really started to hit me how special this city is."
For Ragona, a newcomer to the event, the downtown finish was the perfect way to close out a long run.
"It was a beautiful course," she said, "and it was the perfect time of year to run it."
Daniel Delestry of Chippewa Falls took second in the men's marathon. Brent Wathke, of Eau Claire, was the next-best local finisher at fifth. In the women's marathon, Shauna Walther was the top local runner behind Ragona. The Eau Claire resident took fourth. Rachel Drescher, also of Eau Claire, placed fifth.
Eau Claire's Emily Person won the women's half marathon in one hour, 27 minutes and 41 seconds. Riley Huffman of Gunnison, Colo., won the men's half marathon. Steven Herbolsheimer, of Menomonie, and Mel Schwoerer, of Waukesha, were the 5K winners.
