7,600 participants braved single digit wind chills and scattered snowfall to race the streets of downtown Madison Sunday morning in the annual Madison Marathon.
The event, organized by Madison Festival Inc., included a full marathon at 7:00 a.m. and a half marathon and 10k at 7:20 a.m. that started and ended on the Capitol Square.
Spectators flooded the nearby local businesses following initial starts to get away from the sub-freezing temperatures. Despite the cold, spirits remained high.
“It’s a really great opportunity for a community to come together and celebrate the people in their city. It's really encouraging to see so many people come out and be excited for the people they know,” University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore and spectator Emma Fellows told The Daily Cardinal.
Mark Emmen came out to cheer on his daughter Isla.
“Everybody’s pumped up, jazzed. It's that feeling that everybody's doing what they wanted and setting their own records,” Emmen said.
Flurries of snow stuck to the windburnt cheeks of the cheering crowd as marathoners and half-marathoners crossed the finish line.
“[The atmosphere] is electric. Everybody here is so nice and genuinely wants to see other people be successful. It's radiant,” Sophia Polzer, another spectator on the course, said.
Runners who are 21 years-old and older enjoyed a Michelob Ultra as part of their post-race care pack, along with a baked potato, donut and potato chips.
12 year-old first-time half marathoner Brynn Fleming told the Cardinal how proud she was of herself, especially considering past injuries to her patella and hip.
To keep herself going in the middle of the race, Fleming said she thought about “going home and taking a warm bath.”
Race finishers greeted parents, friends, spouses and — in the case of eight-time marathon runner Josh Knuteson — a “baby on the way in March.”
Knuteson recorded a Madison personal record despite the cold conditions. He said the motto of the day was “embrace the suck.”
“I am so amped up right now…The cold kind of numbed everything…I was like, ‘This is not gonna be fun.’ But I just embraced it,” Knuteson told the Cardinal.
For those who stuck it out, the experience was one-of-a-kind.
“This was a blast…If anybody has a chance to come race Madison, they should. Best city in the world,” Knuteson said, throwing his hands up and pointing to the Madison sky.
Next year’s marathon will take place on Nov. 15.
