Andrew Bowman wins the men’s race of the Detroit Free Press Marathon; then greets his triumphant wife

Andrew Bowman said it was all part of a master plan.

The 30-year-old from Ferndale lived up to his end of the bargain, winning the men’s title with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 47 seconds in Sunday’s 47th Detroit Free Press Marathon presented by MSU Federal Credit Union.

And just 25 minutes later, he waited at the finish line tightly hugging his wife Sydney Devore-Bowman, who won the women’s title with a 26.2-mile time of 2:42:46.

Both had previously won the Pittsburgh, Sydney Marathons in 2018 and the Andrew Marathons on May 5 this year, but this was the first time they celebrated together in their burgeoning distance running careers.

Good weather but unwanted wind at the end

“Pitt’s motivation is where she won,” said Andrew, a running coach and personal trainer. “This is where her marathon career began and where she got me into marathon running. And she said, “This could be a shared moment for us.” And I’m so grateful for that. This is another moment where we can share what we love – all the ups and downs. And it’s just a good reminder, we have a common interest, but even going into it with all the nerves, we just kept looking at each other and thinking, “Even if we don’t make it, I still love. You and I are still grateful for that we are on this journey with you and enjoying this moment.” »

The race took place in near-ideal conditions, with starting temperatures in the 40s and wind speeds of up to 11 mph on the international course that crossed the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. The route also included areas of Detroit, including Woodbridge and Indian Village, passing through Eastern Market and along the Dequindre Fork before ending at Campus Martius.

“Wind was a factor,” Bowman said. “It was a little windy, especially towards the finish. Especially when it starts to happen and you’re already at the end of your rope. It’s much harder to stay motivated and keep moving forward.”

Bowman, a 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Qualifier with a personal best of 2:15:54, pulled away from South Haven’s William Cadwell (2:21:06) and Lansing’s Zacchaeus Widner (2:21:22) in the last 6. 2 miles. race, but it wasn’t easy.

Bowman, who averaged a 5:24 mile pace, felt like he was racing in the early stages of the race, but things got much tougher later on.

Impress your Ferndale friends

“I kept telling myself, ‘Keep it simple, keep it simple.’ On my 10K it’s like 5:02 or 5:03 (minutes per mile) and it feels amazing and pretty easy, but then I started doing 5:13, it was 5:20,” Bowman said. “You just feel like a snail and all you can think about is, ‘Oh God, I hope no one sneaks up behind me.’ All you’re trying to do is smile at people, keep your composure, stay inspired. And this is the hardest place in the world, because you are up against this voice that keeps saying, “You can’t handle it, you can’t handle it.” You’re delirious, you’re about to start walking.” And if you can overcome it… I think that’s the biggest feeling of relief right now. I saw the banner 26 (miles away), I knew where I was, I turned, “Just go there.” You have it. »

Just getting to the finish line was not easy.

“By this point, you don’t have the desire to keep going,” Bowman said. “It’s extremely difficult no matter how many times I do it. Whether it’s Pitt, Ottawa or the (Olympic) Trials, you have to stay involved. I couldn’t be more grateful and adapt my body to be able to do this.”

Bowman is from the small farming town of Marlette, where he led his high school cross country team to a second-place finish at the Division III state meet. He went on to run for Paul Rice’s coaching job at Oakland University.

Following his wife’s win, Andrew was looking forward to celebrating the victory later that day with his Ferndale friends.

“We have a running group that we meet every Thursday. So, to do that in front of them – and I have athletes that I coach here – to show them what’s possible… it means a lot. I’m just happy to be in that position and be able to show them, “This is what you can do if you really like to stay consistent and just love what you do.” This is my second victory in the marathon, and to do it here is also something special.”

For the first time, the Detroit Free Press Marathon included an elite field of more than 80 top runners from Michigan, Canada and North America. The winners of the men’s and women’s divisions each win $3,000; the winner of the hand bike competition will take home $600.

The record for a male runner was set by Greg Meyer, who needed just 2:13:07 to complete the 26.2 mile course in 1980. The record for most Detroit Marathon wins is held by Doug Curtis with six (1987-92), with Christopher Chipsia (2018-19), Zachary Ornelas (2013, 2015) and Ryan Corby (2021-22) also claiming repeat titles.

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Andrew Bowman is the men’s winner of the 2024 Detroit Marathon.