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    • Detroit Marathon, marked by touching embrace and tragic collapse
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    Detroit Marathon, marked by touching embrace and tragic collapse

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    History was made Sunday at the 47th annual Detroit Free Press Marathon, presented by MSU Federal Credit Union, a storied Motor City institution that dates back to 1978.

    For the first time, a married couple, Sydney Devore-Bowman and Andy Bowman, both of Ferndale, each claimed victory in their respective marathons and hugged at the finish line.

    Amid the high spirits of the day, tragedy struck when a 57-year-old man participating in the marathon collapsed and died about the fifth mile on the Canadian section of the course. He was taken to Windsor Regional Hospital, Marathon officials said, where he was pronounced dead.

    “We are saddened by this and our thoughts are with the family,” said Aaron Velthoven, marathon vice president and race director.

    A colorful run and a friendly bet

    It was a perfect day for a marathon, with temperatures at 7 a.m. hovering in the low 40s Celsius, complemented by a light breeze and a sunrise over the Detroit skyline.

    Runners gathered on the street and a flock of birds swept across Fort Street as Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” played over the speakers. Starting at 7 a.m., thousands set off from the corner of Fort Street and Second Avenue in downtown Detroit, all hoping to make it to Windsor and back.

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    The route of the full marathon took runners over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada before returning to Michigan through the underwater Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

    Runners walked through other colorful Detroit neighborhoods, past the murals of Eastern Market and through the underground Dequindre Cut, leading to the finish line in the heart of downtown Detroit, near Campus Martius Park.

    In addition to the acclaimed 26.2-mile marathon, Sunday’s race included an international half marathon as well as the Motor City half marathon, which remained in the United States

    About 26,000 people signed up for the entire weekend of racing and challenges. That was 2,000 more participants than last year and not far from the all-time record of 27,833 registrations in 2015.

    As the sun peaked above the skyscrapers along Woodward Avenue, half marathon runners began to cross the finish line, joined by adaptive cyclists who completed the full 26.2 miles. Zach Stinson, a 35-year-old Marine veteran from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, who lost his legs to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010, rolled across the finish line first on his handbike.

    Anna Benedettini, a native of Kailua, Hawaii, took first place in the Women’s International Half Marathon with a time of 1:14:30, and Rayyan Morsi of Ann Arbor topped the half marathon field with a time of 1:06:56 of men.

    Some had more on their minds than just medals and personal records. For John Urbanic of Ypsilanti, his hair was on the line.

    Urbanic, 45, said the marathon is getting better. This year he was filled with patriotic pride after returning to America.

    “All these people are cheering. “You come back to America and it’s just a great feeling,” Urbanic said of climbing out of the underwater portion of the race.

    The only downer of the day? His time. Although Urbanic completed the 26.2 miles in a fast time of 3:03:56, he lost a bet with a friend because he didn’t beat 2:55.

    “The loser gets to decide the other guy’s haircut,” he said with a laugh.

    An elite and local field

    The 47th Detroit Marathon was the first edition of the event to offer an “elite” field of runners, a new class that sought the top marathon runners in the country. Even in a broader field of faster runners, both marathon winners and many of the top finishers come from the Detroit metropolitan area.

    Velthoven, the race director, said the fact that local runners are on the podium shows how special the greater Detroit area running community is.

    “The elite distance running community is great here in the Detroit area and across the state,” Velthoven said.

    Men’s winner Andy Bowman, who finished with an impressive time of 2:17:47, was followed by William Cadwell of South Haven (2:21:06) and Zacchaeus Widner of Lansing (2:21:22).

    In the women’s race, Sydney Devore-Bowman (2:42:46) trailed Chelsea Hall of New Albany, Ohio (2:45:55) and Casey Mulroy of Richmond, Virginia (2:50:37).

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    As Devore-Bowman broke the banner, she jumped into Bowman’s arms, a moment she had been waiting for since mile 22, when she heard her husband had won his race.

    “The whole last 4 miles… I thought, ‘He’s waiting for you, he’s waiting for you,'” Devore-Bowman said. “And oh my God, I just started crying when I turned that (final) corner.”

    After the race, Bowman — in a sea of ​​runners draped in flags and finishing medals and drinking chocolate milk and Gatorade — said he was grateful for everything.

    “It’s another moment to be a part of this cause we care about, through all the ups and downs.”

    Reporter Liam Rappleye can be reached at [email protected]M.

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