EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU/Gray News) – Friends and members of the Wisconsin running community are reacting to the death of a 54-year-old hit-and-run victim.
Ann Seidl, of Eau Claire, was a mother and an avid runner who is being remembered for her kindness.
“Ann is the proud mother of three boys and she’s the type of mom that anyone would either want to be or the type of mom that anyone would want to have,” Heather Market-Sullivan, a member of the Eau Claire Marathon race committee, said.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office says Seidl was wearing bright clothing with a reflective vest and was on the correct side of the roadway when she was struck on March 29 shortly after 7 a.m.
Seidl’s body was found in a ditch along the road in the town of Dunn. The county’s medical examiner’s office pronounced her dead at the scene.
“The driver of the vehicle got home and admitted to her mother that she had struck something, wasn’t real clear about what she had hit, and so the mother left shortly thereafter,” Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said.
The suspected driver was eventually identified as a 17-year-old girl and she was arrested on multiple charges, including hit-and-run causing death and homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle.
As a regular in the Eau Claire running scene, Seidl and her son, Parker, were seen in nearly every local race.
“Ann was a legacy member of the Eau Claire Marathon. That means she started running with us in 2012 when our current race committee took it over. She’s run it every year since and just meant so much to our group,” Market-Sullivan said. “Someone like Ann makes you feel good. You could tell she would believe in you. She believed in everybody, no matter your goal.”
Those involved in the running community said it’s small, but supportive, something Seidl was known for.
“Ann was kind. She was funny. She was supportive, whether her role was more in the background as a cheerleader, as someone on the sidelines with the high-fives or hugs,” Market-Sullivan added.
Seidl also partnered with her son in Team Triumph, an organization that helps athletes with disabilities reach the finish line.
“The captain is the person that needs support, whether they’re being pushed in a wheelchair or a guided run,” Market-Sullivan said. “The other runners that take turns or pushing the wheelchair are called the angels.”
It’s an appropriate label for a person loved by many.
“In the picture is Parker crossing the finish line and arms up, ecstatic at what they’re about to accomplish, and right across the bib is the word ‘Angel,‘” Market-Sullivan described. “It gives me goosebumps that that moment is captured.”
The Eau Claire Marathon shared a statement about Seidl.
“It is with heavy hearts that the Eau Claire Marathon committee learned of Ann’s passing. She was one of our most dedicated participants, and we will deeply miss seeing her both on the course and cheering for Parker,” the group’s statement said, in part.
Copyright 2025 WEAU via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.