It was Russia's day in Detroit.
The Free Press reports that two Russian marathoners, Viacheslav Shabunin and Liubov Denisova, who are friends, won the 35th edition of the Detroit Free Press/Talmer Bank Marathon today.
The paper reported Shabunin, 43, won the men’s race in 2 hours, 25 minutes, 26 seconds. Denisova, 41, won the women’s race in 2:46:33. Each gets $3,000 for the victory.
Runners, walkers, wheelers and handcyclists — plus volunteers and spectators — gathered in downtown Detroit this morning for the event.
Last year, the event — actually a series of distance races — surpassed 20,000 participants for the first time. This year, that number was expected to reach 24,000, according to race organizers, and the event was declared a sellout in August.
A little perspective: At the turn of the century, the Free Press Marathon drew 3,588 participants. This morning’s field will be nearly 670% higher.
