Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Nov 22, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Runners from all over participated in the Philadelphia Marathon 2010 on Sunday morning. As many as 20,000 runners and twice as many spectators became a part of the mega-event. The runners were seen getting ready for the race at 6:30am near the Parkway on 22nd street. For a race of this magnitude, the winning and losing often becomes immaterial and it is the stories that make the headlines.

Among some of the stories that touched hearts at the Philadelphia Marathon, there is that of Captain James Henry. Three years ago the physician ran a marathon for a surgeon who died in the war in Afghanistan. A group of 153 runners were also running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society which greeted them with pink wigs and a boa as they neared the end of the race. Several other charitable groups benefited from the Philadelphia Marathon.

The ‘Rocky’ music played in the background as wave after wave of runners shot out from their positions in the morning. By 9am the announcers asked the officials to crank up the volume of the music as he had received information that the first wave of full marathoners were approaching. The electric atmosphere of the marathon also had its share of injuries. In the first few hours, one of the strategically placed medical centers reported that they had already treated 5 minor injuries that occurred in the course of the marathon. There was also a personal romance that was seen blooming towards the end of the race where a 23 year old proposed to his fellow runner and girlfriend and waited for the answer as the crowds cheered. After saying yes, they both crossed the line hand in hand.