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Strong turnout for Oshkosh Marathon

Madeline Zukowski
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Jason Ryf, far right and wearing a yellow shirt and bib #1292, starts with hundreds of others at 7 a.m. Sunday in downtown Oshkosh. A hometown favorite, Ryf won the 13.1-mile half marathon.

The Oshkosh marathon, half marathon, half marathon relay and 5K event in downtown Oshkosh on Sunday drew over 2,000 runners from all over the state and even from neighboring Michigan and Minnesota.

The sun did not shine, but at least the rain didn't fall until most had finished.

Oshkosh native Jason Ryf, 45, won the half marathon for the second year in a row. He performed how he expected, despite running a half marathon last weekend, finishing in 1 hour, 13 minutes, 40 seconds.

"It's always kind of bittersweet," he said about finishing first this year. "I like to be pushed, but at the same time it's always nice to run your own race."

RELATED: Wells makes most of Oshkosh run 

Jesse Schwartz from Neenah finished first in the 5K race in 18 minutes, 14 seconds.

Thomas Wells, 27, from Milwaukee, won the full marathon by at least 15 minutes, finishing in 2 hours, 43 minutes, 44 seconds. The full marathon is 26.2 miles.

Thomas Wells, 27, from Milwaukee, won the full marathon, 26.2 miles, in 2 hours, 43 minutes, 44 seconds on Sunday.

Although this was the first time he ran the Oshkosh Marathon, he's had a lot of marathon experience.

He ran the Boston Marathon a year ago but didn't do well, he said.

He had hoped that the Oshkosh race would boost his confidence. It worked.

"I haven't felt this confident about my running in a while because of my knee, so it feels so good to finally put together a complete race," Wells said.

Among the participants Sunday was Nathan Gross, who was in the half marathon, which 13.1 miles.

RELATED:The marathon as it unfolded

Gross, who has a physical challenge, rode in a chair during the marathon, until at race's end he was helped to his feet by members of TEAM TRIUMPH, a non-profit organization that helps people with physical challenges finish endurance sporting events. Gross limped over the finish line, officially completing the half marathon.

Nathan Gross, middle, crossed the finish line of the half marathon. Gross, who has a physical challenge, participated as part of TEAM TRIUMPH.

The TEAM TRIUMPH competitors are "captains" and ride in a chair the organization provides while team members, referred to as "angels," run alongside them.

This year, 11 captains participated, the largest number to take part in the Oshkosh event. Three ran in the 5K race and eight ran in the half marathon.

Diane Gaywont, the director of operations of the Green Bay region of TEAM TRIUMPH, said that the process to compete on race day is a long but rewarding. Every week, captains and angels do a training run so the captains can get used to the pace of the race and how it will feel in the chair. Prior to the event, they have a race camp to make sure everything will run smoothly on race day.

"It's a big relationship building (event) for us," Gaywont said. "It's more than just race day, it's everything leading up to it."

Reach Madeline Zukowski at 920-907-7968 or mzukowski@gannett.com; on Twitter: @madszuko.