The thousands of marathon runners winding their way through Downtown and the Northside under a sunny sky Saturday included Niklas Kroehn.

Kroehn, 37, came from his home in Villach, Austria, for his first visit to the Midwest to participate in the second annual Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.

“The course was great, but it was very windy,” said Kroehn, who placed sixth in the marathon with a time of 2:37.50.9.

The course wound from the Statehouse through Downtown and the Near Northside to the Northside areas of Broad Ripple, Butler University and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The marathon — 26.2 miles — was won by Mathew Chesang, 28, Eau Claire, Wis., with a time of 2:21:00.3, on the unseasonably warm November day.

Kroehn said he frequently travels internationally to participate in marathons, and made Indianapolis a destination along with vacationing in Florida and visiting friends in New York City.

“I like to combine vacations with running marathons,” he said.

Aaron Moody, 31, Indianapolis, the marathon’s elite athlete coordinator, said at least 6,000 people participated in Saturday’s marathon and half-marathon. Last year, there were at least 3,400 participants from 43 states and six nations.

Proceeds from the marathon help support charities that help support the Indianapolis Public Schools.

Jeff VanDusen, 28, Bay City, Mich., said he didn’t complete the marathon in the time he desired, but there was a reward at the end.

Just after crossing the finish line at 11:20 a.m., he got down on bended knee and surprised his girlfriend of three years, Lisa Fleming, 27, Bay City, who earlier had completed the half-marathon, by proposing marriage and presenting her a ring. She accepted.

John Bradley, 39, and his wife Kim, 36, Berry, Ky., said they are relatively new to participating in marathon and half-marathon events, and Saturday’s event was their first visit to Indianapolis.

“We did the marathon and half (marathon) in Louisville three weeks ago,” he said.

The Indianapolis course, he said, “is exceptionally scenic,” with views of the new Lucas Oil Stadium, Statehouse and Northside neighborhoods.

“I loved it,” his wife said. “It was pretty, and there were spectators cheering you on.”

Stephanie Majors, 40, Cicero, Ind., was with five family members participating in Saturday’s event.

She completed the half-marathon, saying afterward, “This was the first of any kind of thon.”

As she rested at a picnic table and contemplated future marathon challenges, she said, “I think I’m going to be trained up a little better.”

Her mother, Debbie Ling, 55, Chicago, sat across from her after also completing the half-marathon, as her husband, Hau Ling, 58, was completing his 19th marathon.

Hau Ling trained for this marathon, family members said, while he was stationed in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard.

He returned home in October after a year’s deployment, the family members said.