The feeling of adrenaline rushing through all the Detroit Free Press Marathon runners has been a 46-year-long “tradition” since the first 26.2 mile race in 1978. This feeling of adrenaline, anxiety, or anxiousness comes as quickly as it goes, replaced with a new excitement when the horn goes off.
The same feelings were felt by all 18,000 runners racing in the 44 degree weather during the 2024 Detroit Free Press Marathon, specifically by Teacher Clayton Sumner. This race would be his first ever marathon, but this adrenaline rush lingered longer than he expected.
“There were waves of people going through the alphabet,” Sumner said. “I ended up waiting for about 20 minutes before I was able to start, trying to stay as warm as possible.”
He came into the race knowing that completing 26.2 miles is no easy task, and he heard about what the course was mainly like, and he did all that he could in his training to get ready for the big day.
“For my training plan leading up to the marathon, I trained 6 days a week,” Sumner said. “With Monday, Tuesday, and Friday being slow-paced, Wednesday being speed training, and Saturday being my long run.”
Even with all this training, Sumner’s first marathon would have multiple ups and downs due to his inexperience with the hilly terrain of the course. Running on a flat course alone is difficult, but with a few hills, twists, and turns added into the mix, it achieves a whole new level of difficulty.
“For the marathon overall, I did well until 18 miles when I got a hamstring cramp. I tried pickle juice to relieve it, but it continued to hurt for the rest of the miles,” Sumner said. “The course was hillier than I thought, and I wish I would have done more hills in my training plan.”
An important goal of his marathon journey was to soak everything in, from the cheers of the crowd to the beautiful sunrise. The Canadian bridge was a part of the course, and he got to see a beautiful sunset that helped him get through the rest of the marathon.
“As it being my first marathon, I made sure to soak everything in,” Sumner said. “While I also made sure to fuel with fruit snacks and goo.”
Even though it may not have gone the way he hoped, Clayton Sumner did an incredible thing by completing 26.2 miles, which very few people can have the pleasure of saying they have done in their lives. Running that long involves a lot of challenges you must overcome that very few people get to accomplish.
“I was happy to be able to finish,” Sumner said. “I passed people laying on the ground assuming they were not able to finish.”
Sumner plans on running more marathons in the future to keep working towards his goals. A big lesson to be learned is to never give up and just keep running. No matter the time Sumner is a person who ran a marathon which 0.01% of people in the world run (Running Statistics and Facts). There may have been ups and downs, but it is important to recognize the hard work and dedication put into his training and race as well.
