DETROIT (WXYZ) — It was a big day at the Detroit Free Press Marathon, with Michigan runners winning both the men's and women's races.
But for Ferndale's Andrew Bowman, this was bigger than another win. His third straight victory also put his name in the record books, and I was at the finish line to capture the historical moment.
For the third straight year, Bowman crossed the finish line first. But this one rewrote the Detroit marathon's history.
Bowman finished in 2 hours, 12 minutes and 11 seconds, taking down a record set by Greg Meyer in 1980.
"Huge, huge weight off my shoulders. We said we were going to do it. We wanted it, and that was not easy... my initial thoughts as I was coming down Lafayette were I'm not going to make it," Bowman said. "It feels amazing."
Watch Faraz Javed's video report below:
Hours before making history, Bowman was standing at the start line telling me exactly what he wanted.
"So the A+ goal would be to go and make a very honest attempt at that record," Bowman said.
After breaking the record by 56 seconds, waiting at the finish was Bowman's wife Sydney, who was then joined by their 1-year-old son Liam.
"When I've got my wife, my person, my ride or die right at the end, whether I was going to do it or not, life just feels like it's perfect at that point," Andrew Bowman said.
Sydney Bowman, who won the women's marathon division in 2024, was back this year running the half. She's seen firsthand what it took for husband to get there.
"That Bowmans do hard things," Sydney Bowman said when asked what she would like Liam to take away from this.
The hometown wins kept on rolling. Lake Orion's Allison Sherman won this year's women's marathon in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 31 seconds.
"It was awesome. It reminded me that all the early mornings and hard workouts paid off," Sherman said.
Sherman said this year's race was easier than last year's.
"Oh yeah, definitely. The weather last year was definitely tough. I didn't feel my best either last year. So the weather was beautiful today. The sunrise was beautiful going over the bridge. It's just really grateful and it's really nice to be from Michigan," Sherman said.
In the half marathon, Megan O'Neil from Canadian Lakes took the women's title, clocking 1 hour, 14 minutes and 52 seconds, while Rochester Hills' JP Flavin won the men's race in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 52 seconds.
"I was just really grateful, and it's really nice to be from Michigan and do a Michigan race," O'Neil said.
"I mean, it's unique in its own way in the sense that you go into Canada... it's like nothing else I've ever experienced," Flavin said.
But on a day filled with winners, Bowman leaves with something no Detroit Free Press Marathon runner had done in 46 years. When Meyer broke this record in 1980, he was 25 years old. Bowman is 32.
"I'm just lucky that a guy like me can come out here and put my name on that, next to a guy that was so legendary in our sport," Bowman said.
When asked about the bigger proud moment coming when Liam breaks his record, Bowman had a lighthearted response.
"He's already showing signs of being really fast. And I swear he says mama and dad, but under his breath, I've heard the future is now, old man," Bowman said.
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