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Record Crowd On Hand For Detroit Marathon

DETROIT (WWJ) - Fans cheered on their favorite runners Sunday morning -- as more than 20,000 people packed downtown Detroit to participate in the 34th Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon.

Many of the runners lacing up their shoes for their first attempt at a marathon or long distance run. WWJ's Terri Lee spoke with several people taking part in the race who said a big motivation was improving their health.

Shelby Township's Sarah Smith ran in the 5k with her friend Melissa McAdam of Madison Heights.

"We've both lost over a hundred pounds so we're trying to do this to keep in shape," said Smith.

"We both have children so we have been working really hard to get off all that baby weight ... so we're both really proud of ourselves for losing so much weight," said McAdam.

The two already planning next year's 10k run.

Fifty-five-year-old year old Benny Haydon of Canton - "Just to stay active, and if you don't run, I think maybe it's a good thing to start out walking  and gradually increase it. It really helps, not only physical but mental, good way to relieve stress and stay in shape," said Haydon.

Haydon says next year he'd like to run in the half marathon.

The winners: a Canadian man and Polish woman. Twenty-nine-year-old Derek Nakluski of Kitchener, Ontario, finished the race with an unofficial time of 2:28:20.  And, Wioletta Kryza of Poland won her second Detroit marathon with a time of 2:44:09.

Kryza also won it in 2005.

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