Thousands of runners made their way through the Motor City for the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
The Sunday races broke records for runners and the marathons alike.
Just before 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, the adaptive athlete division launched their race, followed by the first wave of full marathon runners at the start line near Fort Street and Second Avenue.
The runners traveled worldwide for the international races where they crisscrossed between Windsor and Detroit.
“We got over 26,000 participants -- a sold-out event this weekend,” said Aaron Velthoven, vice president and race director.
Also a first, the half and full marathons featured elite runners who had to qualify. The first-place winners for the men’s and women’s full marathon belonged to a husband and wife who live in Ferndale.
Andrew Bowman celebrating an amazing feat, but the win was not complete without his other half.
“If she can pull this off -- I mean, again, she continues to be my inspiration. I mean, that’s why I married her,” he said.
“We both came out here with the intention to be that married couple that wins two towns,” Bowman said.
The pair won the Pittsburg Marathon in May. He didn’t have to wait long when she also crossed the finish line.
“That whole like last four miles, I was like, ‘He’s waiting for you. He’s waiting for you,’” Sydney Devore said. “I felt like I was going to start crying when I turned that corner.”
As runners made their way, loved ones and friends rooted them on.
“To see just other people be out to support -- even if they know the person running -- to always just be encouraging,” Bernadette Skodack said.
There’s something about the energy of the city cheering you on. Local 4′s Priya Mann ran her first international half-marathon.
“When you turn that corner, and you see that sunshine coming, and you hear those screams and hollers – that just feeds you, and this is so warm,” Mann said.
But look at this, she said, as she pointed to her medal.
“Isn’t this the best? Isn’t this the best?” she said.