Rain Doesn't Dampen Drive For Nearly 30,000 Runners In Free Press Marathon

DETROIT (WWJ) - Every Detroit Free Press Marathon participant has a different reason for running -- something unique pushing every person and the rain wasn't a deterrent for any of the nearly 30,000 participating.

For Orlande Barrell of Oak Park, who was tackling the international half marathon (13.1 miles) he just likes to be healthy:

"It's fun. You run to stay in shape ... being my age, I'm 40, so it's good to find something you can do to stay competitive as you get a little older our options are kind of limited but running is something you can do for a long time," says Barrell.

Brian White of Royal Oak says he has his wife to thank for getting him into running and the community of runners. "That's the cool part about it - I've seen so many people I know - just from different walks of life."

He encourages anyone interested in running to start slow and, "start with a smaller race, sign up for a race ... there's nothing like having money down on something."

The first to win the full marathon was a woman from Russia, while Allen Peterson of Bessemer, Michigan was the first man to win the 26.2 mile race.