LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Sunday, March 3, the 17th Little Rock Marathon drew thousands of people from across the country to the starting line.
The rain and cold did not stop runners and spectators from attending.
“Once you’ve done it a few times you would feel bad if you didn’t," Glenda Caton said. "Like she would have been miserable if she hadn’t come out today after everybody else finishes. Because you do it for the medal but what brought me out this morning was the socialization.”
This year, about 12,000 runners showed up to complete the 26.2-mile adventure.
For some, it’s a tradition.
“I’ve been doing this now for 13 years it’s my pre-birthday run,” Stephanie Tucker said.
Others said running is a part of their lifestyle.
“I started running when I was 34 and I’m 71 now,” Cleveland ultra-marathoner Frederick Davis III said.
For Davis, this is one of the hundreds he can’t wait to add to his list.
“Marathons and ultras, over 500,” Davis said.
Runners shared a common goal of finishing the marathon.
“My husband and I went on an ATV ride in Lake Greeson," Stephanie Raney said. "We rode down a mountain.”
Raney suffered several injuries to her brain and back after her ATV crashed. Doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to walk again, but she’s made it her mission to make it to the marathon starting line.
She hopes her accomplishment will inspire others.
“I’m going to finish, that’s what I’m going to accomplish," Raney said. "I’m going to finish.”
With extra layers of clothing and thousands of spectators cheering them on, runners gave meaning to finding happiness in the rain.
“So exciting, very relieved, wanted to get warm and eat something immediately after,” Caitlin Noble said.