Thousands of people from all over the world on Sunday competed in the ING Miami Marathon, an event that featured plenty of hugs, tears and pride.
Runners began the event early Sunday in Miami and a few hours later, they crossed the finish line one by one. Some people ran the 13.1-mile half-marathon, others the full 26.2 miles. There were huge accomplishments as runners pushed themselves to their limits.
“You think about a lot of things,” said marathoner Claudia Cuadros. “I mean, first, you're pumped and so excited, and it seems like a short distance. But once you pass Mile 20, you realize you're going for the long haul. The last mile seems like 20 more. You know that last mile is always a long one.”
Back in 2003, the ING marathon started with just 3,400 participants. It’s now at 25,000, exactly what the founders say this city needed.
“We didn't have our own big race,” said Frankie Ruiz, co-founder of the ING marathon. “Long distance running was here in the 70s and 80s and now it's back.”
It has come just in time for a couple who celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary by participating in Sunday's event. The wife ran the whole thing in her wedding dress while her spouse was in a tuxedo.
“Our anniversary was in December,” said Carlos Condado, a six-time marathoner. “But this was the closest one in warm weather ’cause we're from Colorado and we saw this in Miami so we thought we'd come.”
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