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SALT LAKE CITY -- The 7th annual Salt Lake City Marathon took place Saturday, drawing more than 12,000 runners, each with a different story.
Robert Schmidt of Logan was one of those runners. His reason for participating was a bit unconventional.
"It's because I'm old. If I didn't do this, I'd fall over dead," he said.
Tannin Watson of Sandy laces up her running shoes when she wants to wind down. "I like running. It's relaxing to me," Watson said.
For Tony Emerine of Spanish Fork, running is literally a lifesaver. "I was about 300 pounds five years ago," he said.
Emerine, like so many others, started running to lose weight. "That's the only way I can do it. I'd just eat if I don't," he said.
It's also why Mike Brooks of Magna runs. "I'm no good at dieting," he said.
But he is good at marathons. Saturday's was his 77th, where he completed his 2,000th marathon mile.
"It's just being consistent. You gotta keep it up. Once you start a marathon, you don't stop," Brooks said.
Sure enough, right there at mile 8, his family was there to celebrate number 2,000.
"We're just ecstatic he kept it up this long," said Matt Brooks, Mike's son.
Deanna Brooks, Mike's wife, agreed. "Two-thousand is pretty cool," she said.
Brooks wasn't the only inspiration out there.
A hand biker was a fan favorite.
"It's amazing, just the motivation they have to do that when everyone else is running," said Amy Moffat, who came to watch the marathon. "It's so cool."
The finish line was at the Gateway Mall, where so many dreams and months of training came true.
"This is my very first marathon I've ever done," said Sunset resident Nathan Fenn.
The actual winner of the marathon crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 30 minutes. He celebrated a victory on his home turf.
"I don't know if I'll ever win a bigger race, but it's fun to do it once," said winner Fritz Van de Kamp.
Van de Kamp graduated from Olympus High School and has won a few smaller races before. He said winning his hometown marathon is about as good as it gets.
"Usually, I just expect some fast guy will show up or some of the Africans will show up. But today for some reason, they didn't come so I'll take the win," Van de Kamp said.
The second-place finisher, Mike Nordberg, is also from Salt Lake City. The top female, Nikki Kimball, is from Bozeman, Mont.
Of course, when it comes to finishing a marathon, everyone is winner.
Saturday's marathon wasn't just for adults. Hundreds of children ranging from ages 5 to 12 took part in the Kid's Marathon.
Ali Gallant laced up her running shoes for the big 1K for a very specific goal in mind.
"Because I'll get a medal," she said.
Julie Gallant, Ali's mom, has participated in the adult race several times. She says Ali always loved wearing her medals after the run.
This time around, the race became a family affair. "I just finished the half marathon and now my daughter and I are going to run the Kid's Marathon, the 1K," she said.
The event's organizer says it's an opportunity for kids to not only race, but learn about the importance of physical activity.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
