To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

The race featured the 26.2 mile marathon, a 13.1 mile half-marathon, the Old Reliable 10K Run, and even a Kids' Marathon Mile. All the races are also charity fundraisers, benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Rex Healthcare Foundation, and Girls on the Run.

The mix of charitable organizations makes the race personal for some of the runners.

“We're running for my stepdad, Mike, and she is running for her grandson, Jackson,” said Stokes County resident Sandy Jones with her running partner.

“They both have Leukemia. Knowing we can get out here and run and raise money for such a worthy cause. Knowing they can't get out here and run and we can means a lot to us. It's something I never thought I'd be able to do. It's not something that's fun for me. It's hard. It takes a lot for me to get out here and do this,” said Jones.

In a 26 mile race, runners said they would not be able to make it to the finish line without family and friends cheering them on.

“There is nothing like a familiar face to keep you going when you think you haven't got enough,” said Raleigh resident Michael Dwomoh, who ran the full marathon. “Seeing any familiar face, anyone who cheers me on is a supporter and I love it.”

Dwomoh's wife, Franklyn Clarke and twin daughters said they enjoy supporting him all along the race route.

“He's crazy,” Clarke joked of her husband running such long distances. “They're all crazy to get up this early in the morning and go out in the cold wearing so little clothes.
[Running marathons] is a lot of work, hard work. He enjoys it, so we follow him,” said Clarke with a smile.

Stephanie Brennan of Durham wore a tutu over her running tights.

“The tutu came because you have to have fun doing something like this,” said Brennan. “This is torturous! You hurt at the end of it. But the tutu just makes it fun.”

Runners say they push through the challenge for the sense of accomplishment at the finish line.

“The marathon is just like life,” said Race Director Ron Wahula. “You have your ups and downs. You have to plan for it. You have to train hard. You have to get through it with a little help from your friends. But after all is said and done, you accomplish your goal and then you set new goals, even higher goals.”