Nearly 1,700 runners took part in this year's Marquette Marathon weekend on Saturday, Sept. 5, making it the largest field in the event's 49-year history.
Connor Vachon of Grand Rapids won the full marathon in 2:31:21.4, finishing nearly seven minutes ahead of second-place Ethan Forsell of Oswego, Illinois (2:38:10.4). Matthew Gatti of Detroit rounded out the men's podium at 2:38:49.8. Vachon, a recent Hope College graduate, told WZMQ that crossing the finish line first felt "it's like hitting that hole in one."
Erin Kunst of Grand Rapids claimed the women's marathon title in 3:00:45.4. Kunst turned 35 on race day. She told NMU Athletics that the 2020 race, which was canceled, would have fallen on her birthday, so she found the next time the race would land on her birthday and began planning six years ago to run it this year. She is scheduled to compete in Berlin in late September. Natalie Crowley (3:06:44.6) and Gabrielle Lindbloom (3:07:10.1) finished second and third among women.
The marathon, sponsored by Eagle Mine, drew 810 registrants. Of those, 101 qualified for the Boston Marathon, and the top 49 runners all finished in under three hours, according to WZMQ.
NMU alumni sweep the half marathon
Ian and Kameron Torchia, both Northern Michigan University alumni, swept the half marathon titles. Ian Torchia won the men's race in 1:04:51.0, his third consecutive half marathon victory. He set the course record the previous year. Kameron Torchia won the women's race and finished ninth overall at 1:15:33.5, the second-fastest women's time in course history and her second straight win.
Kameron was a four-year letter winner and multiple All-American on NMU's track and field and cross country teams from 2014 to 2018 and was inducted into the NMU Sports Hall of Fame. Ian was an All-American in Nordic skiing at NMU and won the 20-kilometer freestyle at the 2018 NCAA Championships. The half marathon, sponsored by Radio Results Network, drew 680 registrants.
John Judge of Madison, Wisconsin (1:08:04.0), and Alex Guy of Hancock (1:09:18.3) finished second and third among men. Katie Swor of Wyandotte (1:16:48.9) and Sophia Potter of Marquette, an NMU track and field alumna (1:17:39.4), rounded out the women's podium.
Relay and 5K results
Eleven teams competed in the marathon relay, sponsored by Queen City Running. "Coney Kings!" of Farmington Hills won in 3:39:20.3. "Single Track Health Ladies in Running" of Marquette placed second at 3:55:21.9, and co-ed team "Ruuskas" of Duluth, Minnesota, finished third at 3:57:16.1.
The Wildcat 5K, sponsored by Double Trouble, drew 129 registrants. Eddie Stage of Grayslake, Illinois, won in 17:04.6, followed by Andrew Waisanen of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (18:02.6) and John Rector of Marquette (19:20.8).
Course and conditions
The full marathon started at 7:30 a.m. at the Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum in Ishpeming and followed the historic Iron Ore Heritage Trail through Ishpeming and Negaunee before finishing at the NMU Superior Dome in Marquette. Conditions were sunny with temperatures in the low 70s. NMU student-athletes from every sport staffed aid stations and road crossings along the route.
Race director Kevin Thomsen said in the pre-race preview on Sept. 4 that the event's record-breaking registration numbers reflected strong support from the NMU Athletics Department.
What's next
Early-bird registration for the 2027 Marquette Marathon opened Sept. 5 at tickets.nmu.edu. The next race is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4, 2027. Early-bird pricing runs through Thursday, Dec. 31: full marathon $110, half marathon $100, relay $185 and Wildcat 5K $45.
