For the first time in its 40-year history, two participants in the Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon will tie the knot mid-race.
Whitney Black and Steven Phillips, of Grand Rapids, Michigan will take part in the marathon Sunday morning, stopping at the 13.1-mile marker to exchange vows.
The route for the 2018 Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon October 21, 2018 (Photo courtesy of freepmarathon.com)
Black and Phillips both share a love of running. For her, it is the culmination of healing after 20 surgeries following a car accident 14 years ago. During her physical therapy, she met Phillips who encouraged her to start running.
Her training was jeopardized when she was again hit by a vehicle and had to undergo another surgery.
Sunday's race will be Phillips' 14th marathon. Just eight years ago, he weighed over 300 lbs. Running has helped him shed 130 lbs.
The couple did not want a traditional wedding and decided the marathon was the perfect place to exchange their vows.
It will not be a long ceremony. Both the bride and groom will need to keep their muscles warm to complete the race, so it is expected to take just five to seven minutes to wed the couple legally.
The ceremony is expected to take place around 9:55 a.m. near Congress and Woodward Ave. in Detroit. The time will depend on what time Phillips and Black start the marathon and what pace they keep.
Black will be wearing a visor with a wedding veil and an athletic shirt that reads, "Something Borrowed Something Blue."
More than 25,000 runners from 20 countries are expected to take part in the marathon this year. It starts at 7 a.m. and will take participants over the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, down Riverside Dr. W to downtown and back to Detroit through the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel.